Vitamin K for Newborns

[crystabell]

Hi,

I was reading another post about Birth Plans and when I went onto the Boots birth plan link one question asks if you want your baby to be give Vitamin K. I had a look on the internet and it said that it is to try help with Vitamin K deficiency bleeding. It also said however that giving them Vitamin K could increase the likelyhood of a child getting Leukemia

For those who have given birth before did your child have Vitamin K once they were born? I have not heard of this before. My midwife is coming to do my birth plan in just over a week so I just want to be prepared incase she does ask me this. Any advice would be a great help.

Crystal xx

 

[jendav81]

Vitamin K is used to prevent a condition which leads to newborns being unable to clot their blood and having bleeding, not leukemia.
There are 2 types of vitamin K that you can give baby at birth, the fist one is the injection which is the one you probably heard about being bad for your baby, there was a study in the 1990s that said there was a link between the injection and childhood leukemia. There have since been further studies and this has now been disproved.
However if you are still worried, you can give the baby vitamin K orally but you need two courses of it as opposed to one injection.

Here's a link that will tell you everything you need to know about vitamin K

Hope it helps xx

http://www.babycentre.co.uk/baby/health/vitamink/

 

[Bee]

I think it is a routine thing but u can decide how it is given to the baby - by jag or by mouth (needs to be repeated if by mouth)

I don't think it has been proven about the luekemia thing - if it was true then the majority of the population would have it as most babies are given the jag at birth. I was and I don't/didn't have luekemia.

My baby will be having the jag at birth.

 

[kitten1102]

tim had the jab...

 

[Lola's Mummy]

Lola was given vitamin k orally at birth. She had to be given it again at 7 days and 28 days old.

My sister's little boy only had to have vitamin k at birth because she choose to formula feed so he didn't need the extra as formala has vitamin k in it.

 

[trixiehunnybun]

Scarlett had it as soon as she was born. I didnt know anything about it till the midwife asked me. and will have it again this time

 

[crystabell]

Thanks for all of your replies. Internet is not always good to look up info as it sometimes gives a lot of negatives. Thank you for the link jendav81 it was really helpful. Glad I am a bit more prepared now for when my midwife asks if I want it and if I want the jab or the oral doses.

 

[Sherlock]

I shall ask for our LO to have it. Not sure yet as to it being oral or injected however. Its a small small chance a baby will be born with this deficiency anyways. Its not that the stats are scary that it will happen. I'm not panicking about our LO being born with this problem.

My sister (and please remember this was over 35 years ago) died from haemorrhagic disease as a result of a Vitamin K deficiency. This was within a few days of birth. My mother was told it was not a hereditary illness and was something that was random, so it was unlikely to happen again with another child. It didn't. She went on to give birth again and all was well.

I did read somewhere about if you breast feed LO has more doses orally than being bottle fed, so I may go that route.

I also read lots more points covered about it here, in an alternative perspective I found it to contain some interesting information, but understand that there are many conflicting reports out there, so as with most things, I tend to take an overall view of it, rather than one specific side of the fence. Again, please remember the statistics on how many babies this affects is tiny when compared to the amount of babies born each year. 1 in 10,000 is what I read here

What I found in this was that when recently discussing my birth and my sisters with my mother, mine she told me was straightforward and 14 hours only, my sisters was 42 hours and my mother was really struggling and she just did not want to appear. When they were at the point of saying she was really distressed and considering other options, my sister decided to appear. Alas at the time of my sisters birth the jab was not a standard option. It became so a couple of years later.

My talking with my mother in recent times about her experience with my sister was a good thing. I'm glad we talked about it as we did. Ummm yes, its a matter I've given a lot of thought to anyways.

 

[jendav81]

Glad you feel better about it hun xx

 

[leighannex]

i had give this to amber once every day that i breastfeed her, but if i went to formula feeding i had stop giving it to her

 

[Nic'n'Keeley]

Keeley had the vitamin K jab

 

[Redshoes]

We chose the oral dose as I was breastfeeding and there's vitK in breastmilk anyway, its usually 3 doses at different dates, but Isaac only had the 2 as I was breastfeeding. It was just one less needle to subject him to for us. Do whatever feels right for you

This link helped us;
http://www.aims.org.uk/Journal/Vol13No2/vitk.htm

 

[Natural mamma]

None of mine have had vit K or been immunised, or interfered with in any way......How controversial am i

 

[trixipaws]

melissa had the injection. i didnt hav a birth plan really and apparently the MW asked me while i was in the later half of established labour about the injections- apparently i'd agreed to the placenta one (altho i didnt kno what i was saying was in too much pain) and wouldnt even give an answer about the vitamin K one (probably couldnt speak lol!)
so she asked me again after the birth, i was still a bit woozy and i looked at my boyf and said "wot do u think?" and he said yes so she had it. he chose the injection over the oral dose coz its over more quickly and just one dose.

 

[laetitia85]

never heard of the link with leukemia
Kenzo had vitamin K with injection. i think it's best for them to have it

 

[Kylie1007]

Finn had the jab about an hour or so after he was born - in his thigh.