anyone in MA got Vit K drops?

[mumofboyz]

I was looking for a source to purchase vitamin k drops for my infant son on line. The only one I found was at 'birthwithlove'. I'm not trying to be a cheapskate here, but frankly I don't need 440 doses of vitamin k for $30 +S/H. Does anyone here in MA have some vitamin k leftover from their home birth within the past six months that I could buy (or at least pay for postage for)?

Maybe I'm going about this all wrong. It just seems silly to get so much of the darned stuff. What are your thoughts on this? Maybe I need to just relax about the Vit K altogether. I know the little buggar is getting plenty through my breastmilk. Thoughts? Ideas? Suggestions?

K

[ErinsJuneBug]

What does your midwife say? For me, if my baby had a traumatic birth with an injury i would be going to the hospital for the vit K shot - if not i dont think anything is needed. Eat healthy yourself - lots of green leafy veggies and red meat - and the baby will be fine. In the RARE RARE RARE case that your newborn had a clotting disorder you would see many warning signs - bruising, bloody stools etc..

[hikingmommy]

Giving a baby Vit. K orally uses exactly the same stuff they use with a needle to inject it. We had them do that for DD, and they just took the needle off and gave it to her orally (in hospital). If you want your baby to have it, maybe a CNM practice would sell a syringe to your MW?

From what I've read, very little vit. K is secreted in breastmilk and the quantity doesn't vary much according to the mother's diet. However, unless the birth is especially difficult, the baby doesn't need the extra. On the other hand, I wouldn't want to have to go to the hospital to get the vit. K. I agree that it'd be much better to have it available at home.

(Please let me know how getting it works for you as I think I'd want it to be available for our baby-to-be who we're having at home.)

[veganf]

4 homebirths here and we've never used it. Are planning a UC? Maybe asking in the UC forum would be helpful.

[mumofboyz]

We had a very peaceful non-traumatic homebirth 18 days ago. A friend of mine, who HB'd a year ago, gave me her left-over Vit K drops. But I was reading that they only have a shelf-life of 6 months (and they have been opened for over a year). Thus my inquiry.

Both the MW and the Pedi don't feel it is an awful thing not to get the shot or do the drops. However, they also both support the drops if I can get them. But.... as a mom... I worry. We are breastfeeding like maniacs in this house and I'm doing my level best to keep up those foods high in Vit K naturally in my system so I can pass whatever benefits I can on to my little one. Perhaps that is enough.

I would appreciate any info you gals have on both sides of the issue... to do the Vit K supplement in some form or another.. or not. Or maybe it is just too late already to even be fretting about it?

<sigh> this momma has got to chill out about this stuff...

k

[MAMom]

Your pedi can't get the oral vit K?

Kellymom has a bit of info & some links:
http://www.kellymom.com/nutrition/vitamins/vitamins.html#VitaminK
"If parents refuse the intramuscular injection, then 2 mg of the parenteral solution should be given orally. Because this is variably absorbed and there is no well-absorbed liquid product available in the United States for infants, it seems best to repeat the oral dose at 7 and 28 days after birth, as is done in northern Europe when oral vitamin K is used in newborns."

I think we did give DD oral vit K after my homebirth...honestly I can't remember (I know my midwife had it on hand though and offered it to us).

=================
Mama to DS 5/03 & DD 2/06 :hbac: :xnocirc: :bfs :fambed22
:ribces: ICAN (http://ican-online.org/) “You never know when you're making a memory.” ~ Rickie Lee Jones

[monocyte]

America's Compounding Center in Newton made them for us. We didn't end up giving them bc it was an easy birth, but I was happy just to have them on hand. It was prearranged with our pedi before birth (who was absolutely supportive of so many things...:love)

I'd say at this point 18 days post non traumatic birth that I wouldn't worry. If I'm recalling correctly, most cases of HDN has an onset of birth - 2 weeks of age with some cases up to 3 months of age. I think that there must be a reason behind their bodies not having it, and man kind has done ok without them...but, that's JMO.

I just pm'd you, but did so before reading the entire thread...