[belchers1]

My own personal belief is that God designed us a certain way and God does not make mistakes. I don't think God designed it so that we routinely require injections and whatnot at birth.

Buuuutttt, I wanted to ask this question anyway...

By having a UC, there will be no Vitamin K injection available after birth. Did any of you UC'ers use anything else such as oral drops? (The oral drops are on the pricey side if I remember correctly)

I'm considering taking a Vitamin K supplement now (I have about a month left to go). Will this help?

Or, is it one of those things that will become apparent to me if something is not right with the baby's blood clotting? And that would be the time to "intervene"?

Thanks in advance!

 

[Multimomma]

None of my kids have had vitamin K after birth, and out of seven they seemed to be pretty healthy. Three of mine have been homebirths, and the others in the hospital, including one csection.

Really, they are given for the 1 in 10,000 children who may have a clotting problem. They are considered harmless, but some studies have associated the shots with childhood leukemia.

 

[MsBlack]

Well I believe that God did a fine job, too....but unfortunately, humans have been interfering with Creation, including the human body, for a very long time now. So I do believe for a couple of reasons that vit K may be helpful/necessary for some babies.

One problem is antibiotic overuse: what we get from our food is vit K precursors, which is turned into 'full' vit K in the gut. Antibiotics tend to ruin proper balance of gut flora--so vit K and other nutrients are no longer made in adequate amounts (if at all) in some people's gut. If you have never or seldom used antibiotics and have taken care to replace/rebalance good flora, then you may be just fine on this count.

Along the same lines, people used to eat a lot more fermented foods than we do now (fermented/cultured)--also aiding in maintaining a good supply of the right gut flora. If you eat plenty of yogurt/other, then maybe your gut is in fine shape for vit K production.

Also--in most cases, once vit k deficiency bleeding starts, it is near impossible to intervene and death results for baby (brain bleeding).

Yes, the numbers are low--tho I have recently learned that the numbers seem to vary by location/region. I have read a number as high as 1 in 2000 (hmmm, NYC I believe), and as low as 6-8 in 100,000. Not sure what to attribute this to--possibly environmental and social factors including food grown on depleted soil, high poverty areas where diets are generally not so nutritious and/or there are abundant pollutants thrown into the mix....? To hazard some guesses.

Risk is generally lowest for well grown and otherwise normally healthy full term infants who did not suffer bruising or other tissue trauma at birth.

 

[marcitrix]

I've started taken an Alfalfa supplement to help boost my Vitamin K. I think that since ALL babies are born deficient, it only makes sense that this is the way it is supposed to be. If babies were supposed to have more vitamin K wouldn't most of them have it already? For the 100's of years that people had babies without the injection they seemed to do okay...

 

[augustacherri]

Wow--I REALLY struggled with this one for my last birth. I was not at all sure what to do.

Yes, I do believe that God did a wonderful job of making the process so that we would all benefit. I do think that there are things that are in place in the process to make sure that babies really don't need the vitamin K shot. Do I think it can be beneficial? Sure! There is clear evidence that it can be beneficial. Is there clear evidence that it can be harmful? Well, that's where things get murky.

Ultimately I came to the decision that my daughter did not need the vitamin K shot. I considered buying supplements, but ended up not doing that either. My daughter did not seem to have trauma during her birth, so I thought that definitely decreased the likelihood of her needing the vitamin K for legitimate reasons. I breastfeed her often, as I have since birth, and I also boosted my own vitamin K intake. She is four months old now and is doing great. My other daughter also did quite well without it.

Interestingly, I lived overseas when I had my second child via UC (this was a developed, modern nation with good healthcare) and I took her to the hospital after birth for a checkup so we could get her overseas birth certificate. When I asked the doctor about giving her a vitamin K shot, he said she did not need one and that they did not routinely give them. Go figure.

He seemed to think I was some sort of kooky American for even asking.

 

[Sheryl1678]

I have been supplementing with alfalfa as well. In the unlikely event that I transfer to a hospital and she suffers any potential trauma (specifically head trauma) such as forceps or vacuum extraction, I will agree to a vitamin K shot. In a gentle birth, no way.

 

[Beakybird]

I did not give any drops to my baby, but I did take Vit K drops for about two months prior to birth to aid in my blood clotting to prevent PPH. The crazy thing is though I ended up with a blood clott in my leg, maybe too much clotting lol, I dunno, but I don't want that to happen again.

I always thought the general rule for hospitals giving vitamin K shots to babies was due to circumcision, and then they decided to give it to all babies. Probably another way to dispose of unnatural things that they are making money off of, who knows.

I believe God has given us all we need as well. It is when we ignorantly interferr with His plans that problems arise.

 

[belchers1]

Quote:

Originally Posted by augustacherri . Interestingly, I lived overseas when I had my second child via UC (this was a developed, modern nation with good healthcare) and I took her to the hospital after birth for a checkup so we could get her overseas birth certificate. When I asked the doctor about giving her a vitamin K shot, he said she did not need one and that they did not routinely give them. Go figure. He seemed to think I was some sort of kooky American for even asking.

Can I be nosy and ask what country you were in?

 

[tammyswanson]

I wish I hadn't let them talk me into that shot for DS when we took him to the hospital after he was born. Ugh. Figures the one thing I don't read up on.... I really wish I had known about the potential problems with vit k shots ahead of time. They don't tell you about them in the hospital. Imagine that.

Great source of vitamin k is stinging nettles. I wouldn't use alfalfa.

 

[abc123xyz]

I don't know much in the way of Vit. K except I didn't do it myself but I do know that when I was looking it up figuring whether to do it or not, I read (and I couldn't tell you where) that they give it as an insurance policy for the hospital in the event that your baby were to be dropped or mishandled, causing a head injury, they wouldn't die. I guess I reasoned that with if my baby has a brain injury, blood clots in the brain are deadly too and I assumed the risk and let God deal with it all for me. Most all the shots given to babies are to contribute to the billion dollar drug industry and I feel like this one is too. I feel the same about it as I do the HepB shot and eye ointment. If a baby truly needs it upon birth, I would look up those indication and if so, give it by all means. Don't do something out of principle causing direct harm to your child but the reverse of that applies too for me! Hope this gives you something else to consider!

 

[marcitrix]

Quote:

Originally Posted by tammyswanson Great source of vitamin k is stinging nettles. I wouldn't use alfalfa.

Help me learn here, why not alfalfa?

As far as the dangers of using the vitamin K shot goes, on the insert for the shot it list DEATH as a possible reaction, that doesn't seem to murky to me.
http://www.fda.gov/medwatch/SAFETY/2...EPHYTON_PI.pdf

It also clearly states the possibility of jaundice/vitamin k shot connection.

Although the package insert makes no mention there are also studies that connect vitamin k and leukemia...

 

[inthezoo]

Quote:

Originally Posted by marcitrix Help me learn here, why not alfalfa?

I'm wondering this too. I took alfalfa during my last pregnancy and have been taking it again this time. Nettle, both tea and capsules give me indigestion and I tolerate alfalfa much better.

After reading that link you have posted I can't believe it's standard practice to administer a drug with so little research done and the information they do have is quite scary.

 

[augustacherri]

Quote:

Originally Posted by belchers1 Can I be nosy and ask what country you were in?

Bahrain. It is in the Middle East, but is a prosperous and developed nation. Their healthcare there is very good.

 

[majikfaerie]

in a healthy mother - healthy baby - natural birth scenario, i wouldn't even consider it.
I'd really love to see some studies done into the relation of vitK and delayed cord cutting, but i don't know that any have been done.

 

[marcitrix]

Since no one has answered on the Alfalfa I did some more research of my own, as well as asked around, and I am going to continue taking it. It would be contradicted to eat the sprouts or the seeds while pregnant, but the mature leaves are okay. I am pretty sure the supplement I am taking is made from the mature leaves. I am still open to other information though, as I always want to make sure I am learning, and have the most beneficial information.

 

[delicate_sunshine]

I have been craving greens. (I have had pretty healthy cravings this time around and I'm really proud of my body!) Turnips and mustard greens and we have a garden full of them. They're packed vitamin k. So much so that heart patients aren't allowed to eat them. So, I guess that is my body's way of getting vit k for baby? Sounds like it to me.

 

[Cuddlebaby]

none of mine have either. don't need vit K unless baby is bleeding.

 

[augustacherri]

Quote:

Originally Posted by delicate_sunshine I have been craving greens. (I have had pretty healthy cravings this time around and I'm really proud of my body!) Turnips and mustard greens and we have a garden full of them. They're packed vitamin k. So much so that heart patients aren't allowed to eat them. So, I guess that is my body's way of getting vit k for baby? Sounds like it to me.

I think it really is! I had this same thing happen to me.

In the three weeks or so before the birth, I was craving anything green in large quantities (that is not usually like me). This continued in the first few weeks after birth, too. I started wondering why I was craving this stuff so forcefully, then I read that they contain lots of vitamin K! I just knew then that my body was trying to boost my vitamin K. Any my daughter did not have the vitamin K shot. She is over four months now and very healthy.

 

[belchers1]

Quote:

Originally Posted by delicate_sunshine I have been craving greens. (I have had pretty healthy cravings this time around and I'm really proud of my body!) Turnips and mustard greens and we have a garden full of them. They're packed vitamin k. So much so that heart patients aren't allowed to eat them. So, I guess that is my body's way of getting vit k for baby? Sounds like it to me.

Body knows best!

 

[belchers1]

Thanks for all of the responses everyone! I've decided not to give my baby the shot, although I'm still contemplating taking a supplement. (I need to start doing that now, if I choose to take it)