Vitamin k injection

[Elkalv]

Are you planning to give vitamin k injection toon/drops to your newborn? Is there an option to opt out?

You can say no. It's all about informed choice.

The evidence for vitamin k isn't all that strong actually.

Physiologically speaking it can be argued that there may be a physiological reason why babies are born with such low levels of vitamin k, and why breastmilk also has low levels.

Also, what are we comparing thier levels to? It's said babies have low levels but surely if all babies have low levels than it's not low, it's normal?

I just thought if it doesn't do any good then it won't do any harm... My baby had the shot rather than the drops as I wouldn't have remembered to do all of the drops with the rest of the stuff you have going on with a newborn!

I was reading up on this and came across a site for midwives who were discussing this, a few said much the same as Lj - they do give it to babies but they aren't sure the medical evidence is conclusive. However as Luna says it isn't going to do harm.

There might well be a reason we're born with so little, but it doesn't follow that because of this, babies don't benefit from it. The reason could quite easily be that the risk of dying is small enough not to have had an evolutionary impact.

The drops are better than nothing but less effective than the injection. The issue is particularly pertinent if you're planning to breastfeed, as there's a bit more vitamin k in formula. Though not enough to change the advice for ff babies.

I opted out for my second after I'm sure it had a negative effect on my first. Poor baby was trying to learn how to feed and was given an unnecessary injection. If you breastfeed, the baby gets more than enough vitamin k.

Can't link as on phone, but that's incorrect. Breastfed babies are more likely to get VKDB actually. Because formula is supplemented with vitamin k. Although ff babies can still get it too.

user breastmilk has very little levels of vitamin k in.