confused about vitamin K...anyone in the know?

[bebejam]

The hospital gave me a handout about vitamin K injections, in a nutshell it talked about making the decision to allow your child to have the injection or not.

But the information was very vague. It talked about weighing the risks and benefits without really explaining what the risks were.

I'd never even heard of this, and was wondering if the mumsnet team could shed some light.

I'm making up my birth plan tonight!

many thanks!

Vitamin k aids in the blood clotting. As newborns don't have vitamin k, they offer an injection. Both my kids had the injection. Have to admit I can't recall any risk associated with giving the injection, apart from the pain of the jab.

I think it's one of the few things that passes most people by

but could be wrong

there was a vague link with lukemia I think..very vague. Lots of hospitals give it orally now

any help

The risk of the baby haemoraging is highest in premies. We decided that, as our babies were term and healthy, not to have the injection. They were fine. However, a friend of my sister's was in exactly the same situation as us, chose not to give her ds the injection, and he had several serious haemorages in his first few weeks. He's all right now. FWIW, I would do the same again if I had another child.

maybe I am a whimp but I go with the advice.
I am afraid I would never forgive myself if I chose against the recommendations and something went wrong!

Message withdrawn

everyone has been correct in saying that the vitamin K is for clotting, babies are born without vitamin K and so are at risk of haemmoraging especially if they have a traumatic birth e.g ventouse, forceps.

vit K can be given by injection or orally. one of the main advantages of the injection is that it is a one off and you know that the baby has received adequate vit K, whereas orally the aby has three seperate doses, one at birth then about a week after birth and then 2-4 weeks after. the disadvantage with teh oral is that ebcause babies spit and dribble and are sick, they can spit some of it out and you don't know how much they have received.

there was a very small study done about ten years ago, that linked vit K injection with child hood leukemia, although this has since been disproved as it was avery small selective study and has been proved not so since.

i will try and find a link to the study, but i'm sure if you speak to your midwife/gp they will be able to gie you as much info as you need to make your choice.

you do have a choice whether to have it as an injection or orally. There is no proven link with the injection and leukaemia although there is some research into this. With the oral you have to give it 3 times and there is some doubt has to how much is absorbed.
We chose to have the oral for our dd in our birth plan and the hospital were very funny over it - and made us sign loads of paper to say we understood that we were going against hospital policy to give the injection (just what I needed to do during intense contractions !!) . In the end we gave the injection as dd had a traumatic birth and the research we had read was clear that the injection was much more effective in these circumstances. But just thought I would let you know that the hospital can be funny if you choose to do something other than they promote and you will need (or your birthing partner) to stick to your guns!!

There is a very good article on Vitamin K on this website.
Type Vitamin K on the search engine:
withwoman.co.uk/

AIMS has a very good booklet on this whihc you can order from them called "Vitamin K and the newborn":
aims website . Look under "Publications"

I managed to borrow a copy from my nct antenatal's book library. Very useful & help me make up my mind

we chose not to give our daughter the injection as i honestly don't see the need to traumatise an exhausted and confused, but otherwise healthy, newborn by sticking a needle in her.

the midwives offered the oral but weren't fussed when i said no, they didn't seem to see any paticular need for it either and i got the impression lots of people don't take it from the way they asked, which is odd coz it was never offered as a choice in the ante-natal, i read up on it myself before the birth