vitamin k shot? - Page 2

[reducereuserecycle]

i need to educate myself more on this so i would know what signs to watch for if there was a problem

[Cuddlebaby]

if your child is not bleeding they do not need the shot. if you should decide to circumcise then he may need it...

[paxye]

I didn't do it with any of my kids (one born in hospital after transfer, one born at birthing centre and one UC) I won't be doing it this time either...

[LaffNowCryLater]

I'm not a UC mom so I hope it is OK to post in this thread, but I have been researching this a lot for my birth next month. At first I was going to do oral, but then I read something about it disrupting the virgin gut so now I am back to square one. What I did was look at what populations of people are higher risk for getting a complication and go from there. Of course, if I feel that my birth was "traumatic" in any way I will opt for the shot.

Here is some info I found helpful, but may not all apply for someone who is UPing since they might not know gender or had an anatomy scan, etc but hopefully some of it will help anyone making a decision.

Early onset hemorrhagic disease of the newborn is very rare. It occurs during the first hours of birth and certainly within 24 hours. (Doesn't apply to UC'ers , but we'll still be in the hospital then so I'm sure they'll notice it) The main risk factor is the use of anti-seizure drugs or a blood thinner called coumadin during pregnancy.(I don't take those)

Classic onset disease is also rare. It develops in breastfed infants within the first week after birth.
The late onset form is seen in infants older than 2 weeks up to 2 months old. It is particularly common in children of Asian descent. (We don't have Asian descent)

Risk factors include:

* Alpha1-antitrypsin deficiency (We don't have Saudi Arabian, Iberian descent, we do have some Northern European)
* Biliary atresia (my anatomy scan did not show this birth defect)
* Breastfeeding
* Celiac disease (most common in women and caucasians, our LO is male and is multiracial)
* Cystic fibrosis (We are not carriers)
* Diarrhea
* Hepatitis (We don't have Hepatitis)

https://health.google.com/health/ref...of+the+newborn

[Kidzaplenty]

Thanks for that link. Very interesting info.

[abemom2]

Is the Oral Vit. K available anywhere where vitamins are sold? Do you need a specific type being that it's a NB so a smaller dose is needed than an adult?

What is the dose given and how long after birth?

Thanks, Ana

[gossamerwindweb]

Originally Posted by LaffNowCryLater

https://health.google.com/health/ref...of+the+newborn

I wonder why breastfeeding is a "risk factor"

[Sonneva]

abemom2: You can't buy the oral vit K in Canada. We ordered ours from the states here:

http://www.preciousarrows.com/Oral_V..._K_p/44000.htm

It has a 6 month shelf life, so don't order too early.

[paxye]

Originally Posted by gossamerwindweb

I wonder why breastfeeding is a "risk factor"

Most likely because there is less Vitamin K in breastmilk compared to Formula. what they don't seem to take into consideration is the way the body processes it.

There is also the problem that many women switch from one breast to another (as regularly taught by the "experts" to new moms) at every feeding and the baby doesn't always get enough of the hind-milk which is rich in fat and all the fat-soluble vitamins such as Vitamin K...

[jljeppson]

You can buy it at birthwithlove as well. As mentioned, it does have a short shelf life, so don't buy it before your third trimester.
Vitamin K Protocols
1 drop at birth, 1 drop at 1 week and 1 month
From Nursing Times, October 14, 1998: Researchers have found that plasma vitamin K concentrations were at least equal to or significantly higher in babies who are given the new oral form compared to those who are given the vitamin via injection. The oral form is given in doses of 2 mg soon after birth and again four to seven days later. It has been recommended that if the baby is being breastfed, an additional dose be given when it is one month old.

[DCMama01]

Originally Posted by Serenyd

We're doing the oral vitamin k. I didn't w/ Caden and all was fine but I think it's worth the $26 dollars I spent to have that small peace of mind that we've covered our bases. Just my

ordered mine here

birth with love has drops and info on dosing

Have you used their Vit K drops before?

[jljeppson]

I have. That's where my midwife used to get it and used it on 1 or 2 of my babies, (I opted out after that) and it's where I get it now if it's requested of me by clients. I've never had a problem with it and have always been happy with that company.

[LaffNowCryLater]

All the people who will, or have done oral K- do you have any info on it disrupting the virgin gut or not?

[abemom2]

Any info about the Oral Vit. K?

This is an interesting discussion. It's amazing how many details there are to procedures that are done so routinely, and everywhere. I would have never thought of all these questions?

Thanks again.

[lville71]

[QUOTE=LaffNowCryLater;14616860]

"Biliary atresia (my anatomy scan did not show this birth defect)"

I'm not sure if my comment is particularly helpful or relevant to the larger question being asked here but an anatomy scan done during pregnancy will not show any evidence of biliary atresia, the vast majority of the time. My son has biliary atresia and all my prenatal scans showed no problems with his liver. The perinatal form of biliary atresia accounts for about 90% of biliary atresia cases. Symptoms typically don't become evident until 2-8 weeks of life - which is the same period of time that infants with Vitamin K deficiency are at high risk for a late VKDB (bleeds).

I believe the reason that breastfeeding is listed as a risk factor is because many babies with late VKDB have an underlying/undiagnosed liver disease. Due to the liver disease, they are unable to easily absorb vitamins, including Vitamin K (and fat). Since breastmilk is not high in Vitamin K, this can exacerbate the problem with the vitamin K deficiency in these particular babies and increases the risk of a late bleed. For healthy breastfed babies who do not have liver disease, this is not an issue.

So, what I'm trying to say is that you really won't know if your child has biliary atresia or a number of other liver diseases (like Alpha 1 or Alagille Syndrome) at birth and in the early weeks after. Some form of vitamin K supplementation during this time can help reduce your child's risk of a brain bleed if they happen to have one of these rare diseases. I'm not sure if this is really helpful to anyone making a decision about Vitamin K but I just wanted to mention our experience with liver disease.

Also, this is a link to an article on Vitamin K supplementation, breastfeeding, and liver disease - and it mentions some stuff about oral vitamin k doses:

igitur-archive.library.uu.nl/dissertations/2009-0414-200435/hasselt.pdf

[onelilguysmommy]

I have three kids, none have had it.

[LaffNowCryLater]

[QUOTE=lville71;14685072]

Originally Posted by LaffNowCryLater

"Biliary atresia (my anatomy scan did not show this birth defect)"

I'm not sure if my comment is particularly helpful or relevant to the larger question being asked here but an anatomy scan done during pregnancy will not show any evidence of biliary atresia, the vast majority of the time. My son has biliary atresia and all my prenatal scans showed no problems with his liver. The perinatal form of biliary atresia accounts for about 90% of biliary atresia cases. Symptoms typically don't become evident until 2-8 weeks of life - which is the same period of time that infants with Vitamin K deficiency are at high risk for a late VKDB (bleeds).

I believe the reason that breastfeeding is listed as a risk factor is because many babies with late VKDB have an underlying/undiagnosed liver disease. Due to the liver disease, they are unable to easily absorb vitamins, including Vitamin K (and fat). Since breastmilk is not high in Vitamin K, this can exacerbate the problem with the vitamin K deficiency in these particular babies and increases the risk of a late bleed. For healthy breastfed babies who do not have liver disease, this is not an issue.

So, what I'm trying to say is that you really won't know if your child has biliary atresia or a number of other liver diseases (like Alpha 1 or Alagille Syndrome) at birth and in the early weeks after. Some form of vitamin K supplementation during this time can help reduce your child's risk of a brain bleed if they happen to have one of these rare diseases. I'm not sure if this is really helpful to anyone making a decision about Vitamin K but I just wanted to mention our experience with liver disease.

Also, this is a link to an article on Vitamin K supplementation, breastfeeding, and liver disease - and it mentions some stuff about oral vitamin k doses:

igitur-archive.library.uu.nl/dissertations/2009-0414-200435/hasselt.pdf

Thanks for the info, do you know if this is something genetic or something that tends to happen more to certain ethnicities, etc?

[Awaken]

subbing/bumping

Struggling over this decision, which is strange, because with my first I had him get the shot without question, with my second he never received any newborn interventions and I didn't worry about it one bit, and now with my third I'm re-examining everything and don't know what to do!

I talked to my mw's about it and they seem to lean in favor of the shot, thinking that is has a very low probability of risks or negative effects, with possible benefit. What risks are there in doing the shot, even if it's not necessary?

They didn't seem in favor of the oral drops, saying that it's very bitter and could disrupt breastfeeding and the mouth is a very sensitive organ to be messing with right after birth. I tend to agree.

My overall approach with birth and health in general, is to default to the way our bodies were designed as the safest way to go. So if babies are made to start out with low levels of Vit K, and breastmilk is low in Vit K, it seems to me there is a reason for that and there is a need for it to be low for a period of time, and that it could be harmful to mess up what nature intended and overdose them with a vitamin they don't need!

But I still worry that my baby could be the one in whatever-thousand that has a rare condition that we didn't provide an easily available remedy for and I'll never forgive myself!

[lville71]

[QUOTE=LaffNowCryLater;14728396]

Originally Posted by lville71

Thanks for the info, do you know if this is something genetic or something that tends to happen more to certain ethnicities, etc?

Hi! Biliary atresia is more common among people of Asian and African descent. It is also slightly more common in girls. But my son is mostly of European descent - it's my understanding that the chances of him getting it, based on ethnicity & gender, was 1 in 30,000. The overall rate of biliary atresia is 1 in 15,000 births. Hope that helps!

[PJsmomma]

Could a couple take the Vit K drops to the hospital for the baby? Do you think a hospital would let them do that?

My brother was asking about this and since I didn't research this before my son was born, I thought I'd ask here.

What exactly is the product you bought? I couldn't tell from the listing which product they'd need.
Thanks