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Childbirth

Share experiences and get support around labour, birth and recovery.

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Original poster

Vitamin K for baby - injection or oral?

30 replies

binnymk · 08/06/2006 08:16

Hi, I'm due to have a baby soon and have been given a leaflet about Vitamin K for the baby upon birth. The options are administering the vitamin either by injection or orally. There seems to be a doubt that there may be a risk with an injection, but the NHS are pushing me towards it. What do other mums/pregnant mums think?

OP posts:

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Gingerbear · 08/06/2006 08:19

DD had vit K orally. IIRC there needs to be 2 doses given orally. With injection, there is only one needed.

SoupDragon · 08/06/2006 08:21

I went for drops. The link between injection and childhood leukemia (which I can't spell) was, I think, fairly tenuous and may have been unproven inthe end but I decided that as there was an alternative, I'd go with that. All 3 of mine had it orally. Also, I didn't like the idea of someone sticking a needle in my newborn :(

SoupDragon · 08/06/2006 08:22

3 oral doses, Gingerbear. Unless you're formula feeding I think - might only be 1 then as I think the formula has it in?

nailpolish · 08/06/2006 08:49

agree with soup - i gave my dd's the oral vit K and because i was breastfeeding them they only needed one dose

i just thought they were too teeny for injections

nailpolish · 08/06/2006 08:50

confused now ......................

nailpolish · 08/06/2006 08:50

but i was bf

just IGNORE ME

Salamander · 08/06/2006 13:27

i'd like to go for drops rather than injection into teeny flesh

WigWamBam · 08/06/2006 13:48

I went for oral vitamin K as well. I knew that the link with the injection and leukaemia was tenuous, but as there was a viable and pain-free alternative I decided to go with that. She was breastfed but had three doses - one the day after she was born, one at 7 days and one at 4 weeks. I wasn't pushed into having the vitamin K at all, and felt no pressure at all to have the injection rather than the oral doses.

Make your wishes clear, binnymk - they cannot force you into having the injection if you don't want it.

Xavielli · 08/06/2006 14:02

I gave Ds the oral vitk and he puked it up, along with most other stuff for the first 11 months! So i did decide it was probably best to give DD the injection. Which is a good job, as she is really sicky too!

Xavielli · 08/06/2006 14:03

Also, she didnt cry when she had the injection. Think she was too knackered from the birth, I imagine there is no pain like being born!!

conni · 08/06/2006 15:25

I put in birthplan to prefer drops if non-traumatic delivery for baby but ijection if forceps/ventouse/cs. Not all hospitals/mw will provideall three sets of drops so you might need prescription from GP. I ended up with ventouse so went for injection because increased risk of bleeding.

Gingerbear · 08/06/2006 21:03

yy Soupy, I stand corrected (my memory is shocking - twas only 4 yrs ago)

PrincessPeaHead · 08/06/2006 21:05

oral with all of them

vit k is in formula so can skip one of the three oral doses if formula feeding.

sazhig · 09/06/2006 09:34

DS didnt have it at all. AIMs do a very good leaflet explaining all the options. I recommend you get hold of a copy as it really helped me make a proper informed decision.

mrsbabookaloo · 09/06/2006 10:37

Thanks for asking this question: i had been wondering about it too.

Gem13 · 09/06/2006 11:07

My first had it as although I put in my birth plan I wanted it to be given orally DS had a traumatic birth. The lovely doctor who delivered him (and saved us both!) said it would be better.

DD was a c-section and she had it by injection too.

Neither cried.

Emma7 · 09/06/2006 12:12

My DD had one after birth and 1 at 7 days - does she need another one? She is nearly 7 weeks old.

Uwila · 09/06/2006 12:27

We did the jab. Best to have it over and done with, in my opinion. They won't remember it anyway.

SoupDragon · 09/06/2006 12:38

If your breast feeding, Emma7, yes she does need a 3rd dose. Ask your HV.

Elibean · 09/06/2006 13:40

dd had it orally - mostly because as there was a choice, preferred it to them sticking needles in my newborn. As it turned out, they stuck a tube down her gullet and several needles in her hand/foot - I suppose it was one less

dizietsma · 09/06/2006 13:50

Neither! We researched it and decided that if there was a specific medical condition that indicated it was needed we would obviously have it, but otherwise trusted that newborns are born with low vitamin K and breastmilk is low in vitamin k for a reason.

We did meet with a lot of consternation from medical staff, but stuck firm to our intentions and DD was fine.

PrincessPeaHead · 09/06/2006 14:02

but the reason you give it is to stop a rare bleeding disorder which kills newborns. by the time you know you have got it the child is in serious danger (or dead). OK it is rare, but as the mother of a child with a 1 in 4000 birth defect (congenital hypothyroidism) I can promise you that these rare things do happen to people and IMO for something SO serious that can be prevented SO easily it is pretty irresponsible NOT to give it.

SoupDragon · 09/06/2006 14:06

\link{http://www.womens-health.co.uk/vitk.asp\This} is informative.

Highlander · 09/06/2006 14:07

DS had one oral dose. I really didn't want him jabbed, especially as the Guthrie test is so close - and that was horrible.

suzybow · 09/06/2006 15:08

Ds had the jab - TBH I didn't have much info and just went along with what the hospital recommended - he was totally unfazed by it and it was over and done with in seconds

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