Vitamin K for newborns...freaking out!

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Soooo, I keep reading all different things about the vitamin k injection/oral dose for babies and all the pros and all the cons, and I don't know what to do!!?!

Can anyone offer any advice or more personal info than all the stats and facts and figures that are on the web?

Are you willing to gamble that your baby isn't vitamin K deficient, the potential consequences of which are devastating?

If no, your choices are oral drops or injection
Injection: pros = job done at birth
Cons = an injection

Oral drops: pros = no injection
Cons = more faff, 3 spaced out doses needed means you might miss one leaving baby vulnerable.

My DD had the injection, cried for a couple of seconds and that was it. Tbh the heel prick test was more traumatic.

The injection is sooo quick and can save their life. If not needed then I'm sure it's harmless or they wouldn't give it for every baby regardless of actual need. Baby won't remember it and will cry only briefly and a mummy cuddle solves that. :)

And after u can just go home with your baby, no going back for second and third doses.

We chose the oral method because the main con appeared to be that people forget it or don't administer it properly. We just made sure we did it properly.

We did drops. We were sent away from hospital with the extra doses. The risk is you forget, drop it or find it hard to get into them, then you're not sure they've had the full dose.

You can administer it at home as well no need to go into a clinic or anything.

We took the drops, one in hospital, and another at home, we had a 3rd dose but I didn't get told when to give it,when I spoke to my hv at my weaning visit she said not to bother now as its too late. DD is fine.

One tiny needle after the trauma of being birthed? No trouble. Get it done, forget about it. If you breastfeed they normally do it while you give your first feed, so that's a soothing distraction.

I would say about injections generally, that they are hardest for you and easiest for the baby when they're tiny, then you progress in opposite directions, so you get calmer as they become more aware.

We did the injection as it's just one injection whereas the oral wit K is a couple of doses I believe. It only took a second and although DS cried, he got over it within a minute and he won't remember :)

"Can anyone offer any advice or more personal info than all the stats and facts and figures that are on the web? "

I would go with the stats and facts and figures, to be honest.

Thank you everyone, it's good to hear some actual experiences.

Seeker - the reason I asked for more personal info and experiences is because of those stats and facts and figures, some of them advise against it completely and as a first time mum I just wanted some reassurance from people who had gone through it. I have, however, taken everything I've looked at into account but wanted a more first hand point of view.

I wanted my twins to have it administered orally. Just before my section, the midwife said that it tastes horrendous and that it is probably worse than giving an injection. I went with the injection.

I worried about this too, a bit like with vaccinating it seems to be the case that it is safe but not surprisingly, if you hear anything to the contrary it sows that seed of doubt. Particularly if you are someone that likes to do things as naturally as possible you sort of think "why should I be injecting something artificial into my tiny perfect newborn baby?" But then, natural isn't always best. Sometimes it is, sometimes it isn't.

And with anything preventative like that, you don't see a benefit as such, and you don't know if your baby and is that one in however many that actually would have suffered with (in this case) vitamin d deficiency bleeding. But you do get that reassurance, and the statistics show that overall, some babies lives are saved by it. The chances of that being your baby are small but again, you just don't know and looked at as a whole it certainly seems to be a good thing. I think so, anyway.

I know there was one study that seemed to show a link with childhood cancer and that was the thing that worried me but it seems to have been very thoroughly disproved after further studies. I choose to believe the medical establishment on this one because I think they will have looked into it very carefully in the light of that and there would be a huge outcry if they didn't and it turned out to be true. I also don't think they are in the business of suggesting things unnecessarily just because, from a cost point of view if nothing else.

In the end we went with the injection. I didn't like the idea of it hurting but it's the most effective way to have the dose apparently and was over and done with so quickly, no ill effects. As someone else said, a cuddle soon sorts it out or you can bf them at the same time.

Sorry, not vitamin d deficiency - vitamin k

I don't think dd noticed when she had the vit k injection. Not like the heel prick test or her vaccinations!

Injection.

Heel prick much more traumatic

I had ds in the Netherlands, they don't do the injection there ( don't know why). He, like all other dutch kids, had drops of vitamin k and vitamin d. Was no problem at all and he's fine!

I went with injection as was concerned baby would sick up some of the oral dose. Took seconds and DS cried but not for long like others have said the heel test was worse def doing again for this baby

I had the injection for both my dc. DD cried but only briefly. DS was feeding iirc so I don't think he even noticed.

IMO the downside of not doing it at all is far greater than the risks of doing it, so would opt for vit K every time. However, I also believe that vaccinations are necessary & wouldn't dream of not having those done, although this is obviously not everyone's opinion.