Vitamin K Shot

[APierson]

I'm 5 weeks out from having my little man and am not liking at all what i see about the Vitamin K Shot and it's link to lukemia (sp?).

I've heard and seen that a mother who is breast feeding can supplement herself and get Vitamin K into their child that way. The only thing is my pediatrician will delay a circumcision(sp?) for a week if we don't get the Vitamin K shot.

Any thoughts???

[calngavinsmom]

Don't circumcise?

http://mothering.com/health/circumcision

Edited by calngavinsmom - 11/1/11 at 5:26pm

[APierson]

He is going to be circumcised(sp). That is a choice my husband and I have made. I was wanting to know how people felt about the Vitamin K shot.

[wishin'&hopin']

Vitamin K assists with clotting,  If you are choosing to have a surgical procedure performed on your newborn I would imagine that a vitamin K shot would be of importance...in order to prevent your DS from excessive blood loss.  Why don't you ask your ob if they will perform a circ w/o vitamin K--they may not.

[APierson]

Unfortunately my OB won't do the procedure shot or not so we have to get the pediatrician to do it. I can do it delayed and provide DS with the Vitamin K the way I'd like to. My only hold up about the shot is it raised the likelyhood of Lukemia by 10%-25%. I can provide DS with Vitamin K by supplementing myself while breast feeding the only down fall is having to delay the circ.

[weeze]

Can your son have Vitamin K orally? 3 doses

It's pretty common here in Australia

http://www.nhmrc.gov.au/_files_nhmrc/publications/attachments/ch38_vitamin_k_brochure_2010.pdf

Weeze

[ma2two]

Quote:

Originally Posted by APierson 

He is going to be circumcised(sp). That is a choice my husband and I have made. I was wanting to know how people felt about the Vitamin K shot.

You got the spelling correct, but the fact that you weren't sure suggests that you may not have done a lot of research on it. I just hope you won't be one more person to post here. http://www.mothering.com/community/t/112410/if-you-regret-circumcising-your-son-s-please-post-here

But anyway, yes, circumcision should be delayed for 8 days if your son doesn't get the vitamin K shot. Otherwise, he will have an increased risk of bleeding to death.

For babies with normal births who don't experience surgery afterwards, there is no need for the vitamin K shot.

[Asiago]

Breastmilk contains the normal levels of VIt. K needed by a newborn, and it is obtained in gradual dosages, versus all at once in the vitamin K injection. The large dose increases cellular production and accounts for the increase of leukemia cases.

Regarding the possibility of circumcision surgical complications, I don't know if additional vit K or clotting agents are reccomended.

[Jessimaca]

APierson~  Just to give you a different viewpoint-- that small study that claimed a link was completed in the early 90s.  It was a small sample size with poor methods.  It has been disproven.  Here is a link to an updated abstract:  http://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/10.1002/(SICI)1096-911X(200006)34:6%3C434::AID-MPO11%3E3.0.CO;2-X/abstract  I went to a college that really focuses on research, so I am very comfortable with evaluating and making decisions based on science (I believe in science :-)  Anyhow, I will be giving my baby Vit K after evaluating all the research myself.  Just my $.02.