vitamin K.... injection or oral? Advice?

[orangina]

Hello, I'm expecting my 1st baby in a few weeks time, and am putting together my birthplan now (, should probably have done it by now...!), and I have had conflicting advice as to whether I should be giving vitamin K by injection or orally. Midwives are pushing for the injection, but medicals in the family are advising orally, due to (as yet unproven) potential links with childhood illnesses... I know there is a wealth of knowledge and opinion out there from all you MNetters, all advice and experience gratefully listened to! Thank you ....

[Twiglett]

Injection is over and done quickly

The unproven potential links were based on one epidemiological study AFAIK, attempts to replicate in 3 or 4 other studies around the world have shown no such link. I think its really a question of number-crunchers getting it wrong

here

[gingerbear]

DD had hers orally. My preference, as I did not want her to have an injection.

[NomDePlume]

I have never heard of the injection being linked to (however tenuously) to childhood illnesses.

My DD (now 2y8m) had the injection, mainly because it was quick, easy and another thing less to worry about. DD is yet to suffer any major childhood illnesses.

DS1 & DS2 also had VitK in jab form and they are perfectly fine, both boys are rapidly approaching their teensge years (11 & 12.11)

[Angeliz]

Both dd's had oral on my request as i was worried about the links and did not want new babies to have injections.

[Socci]

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[Socci]

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[hamster]

I went for the injection with my ds, and I will again with the next....
It's over with in one go, and you know they've had full dose, unlike oral because there's a risk they can spit some out and then no one is 100% sure how much they've had.
It's given so quickly in the delivery room, and they don't remember anyway!

[SoupDragon]

We went with oral with both DSs. Didn't want to stick a needle in my precious newborn and didn't want to take the theoretical risk (however vague) since there was an equally good alternative. As it turned out, it was the only thing DS1 got to eat for several hours after he was born!

[SoupDragon]

Of course, the other option is to consider whether they actually need it at all...

[Nemo1977]

ds was given orally but we were not actually offered a choice about it.

[Twiglett]

with oral, don't they need 3 doses? I thought the 2nd 2 doses were given by the parents?

[SoupDragon]

Only breast fed babies need the 3 doses of oral (I think). My visiting midwife/HV did the subsequent doses with both DSs.

[Cooperoo]

The hosp I was at last time only did oral Vit K so we went with this. I was happy with this as didn't want my newborn stuck with a needle if it could be avoided. Just my preference and nothing to do with the 'possible' links to other probs as I had no idea about these at the time. I have requested an oral dose again this time and the hosp will have to get is especially for me. They did give me the choice though. HTH

[Cooperoo]

x posted. My dd had an oral dose every monday for 12 weeks. This now seems extreme. She was breastfed. M/w did the first and I did the others.

[serenity]

We had the oral doses, with the follow up ones given by the MW and HV. We weren't offered the injection though.

[katzguk]

DD had the injections because i figured it was one less thing to have to think about!! plus didn't like the thought that the first taste in her mouth was going to be the vit K medicine and not yummy breast milk!

will be injected this baby too.

[RudyDudy]

DS had the oral dose at our request - partly because we weren't keen on giving him an injection and partly because we thought it wasn't worth taking any risk, no matter how small. We would have given the injection had he fallen into one of the high risk categories but he didn't. Will probably do the same again. M/W gave the follow up doses at 7 and 28 days.

I know it might sound a bit obvious but you should do whatever you (and your partner) are most comfortable and not feel pressured by either the midwives or your family. Good luck

[serenity]

I cook diced chicken in stock with garlic, add some frozen mixed veg and when that's done chuck in the cous cous. Serve it up garnished with crispy bacon bits. yum!

[serenity]

Ok wrong thread (how did that happen, bloody psycho PC)

[mamadadawahwah]

My ds did not have the injection. Did some reading and realised if kids needed vitamin k at birth, then they would naturally produce it. Also, very hard to find a dosage that is "right" for newborns. One thread below says, "its one less thing to worry about". That hits the nail on the head really. The medical community gets us so hot and bothered, and worried that we dont know if we are doing the right thing, so we just go along with it and let our kids get vitamin k without any real research or need, for that matter. I didnt think it was anything to worry about. Just because a midwive suggests i give my son vitamin K dosent mean i have to do it. Where do all these injections, oral supplements, etc, end?

[suedonim]

I'm of Mamadadawahwah's persuasion. Our first dd was given Vit K by inj without our knowledge and then the supposed leukaemia link was published, which freaked us out. I found out what I could when I had dd2 and came to the conclusion that vit K might be useful for a traumatic delivery but I wasn't convinced of its usefulness otherwise, so dd2 didn't have any Vit K at all.

[mamadadawahwah]

You can bet a large majority of new mums arent given any real detail about what vitamin k is or what it is for, or what is in it? they hear "vitamin" and think it is good for something, just because the doctors or midwives told them so.

[lisalisa]

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[SoupDragon]

It's to prevent (or slow) a rare problem of bleeding into the brain weeks after birth. The bleeding occurs mainly from three to seven weeks after birth in just over five out of 100,000 births (without vitamin K injections).

[lisalisa]

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