Vitamin K?

[LuckyD]

Hey all, at our antenatal classes the Vitamin K injection/dose was discussed...they didn't suggest whether or not we should do it but just provided information...so we have been trying to do our own research and asking others about their experiences.

I was just wondering:

Did you allow your baby to have the injection or the oral dose?

Would you be happy to share your reasons why/why not?

Thanks!

 

[NaturalMomma]

My homebirthed baby did not have the Vitamin K injection or oral dose. Reasons why are because my son wasn't being circumcised, I ate foods rich in Vitamin K, and he didn't have any bruises or cuts at the time of birth. My Midwife always brings it with and will give it if there were cuts or bruises on the baby at the time of birth, if the baby is a boy and getting circumcised, and if the baby has a traumatic birth. Those are her guidlines for the injection or oral dose, which none of those were present with us.

 

[rainbowgroove]

We asked for the oral dose with our last baby (she's now 5) and tbh it was a pain. The medical staff didn't really know what they were doing and she only got one of the 2 doses she was supposed to have! We probably won't bother this time.

 

[Greta Chick]

Hi.

Both my DS and DD had the vitamin k oral doses, and this baby will as well. It's a vitamin at the end of the day, not a strong medication or anything so it won't do any harm giving it to the baby whether it's been a traumatic birth or not.

xx

 

[MandaAnda]

My baby had the IM dose. Absorption is so poor orally that there really is no point. Indeed, some Trusts do IM or nothing at all (no oral option offered). As a NICU nurse, the possible incidence (even though it's a small risk) and having seen such was enough for me to happily consent. And, as said before, it's only a vitamin.

 

[Jenniflower]

I definitely want her to get the vitamin K. Just in case I haven't managed to get enough to her myself (I've been poorly through out and probably haven't eaten the best I should) I looked into it and decided we'll go the injection route. I just really don't want to have to worry about it being done orally in the right way and I haven't read much to see trauma done to LO with the injection. I've read a few places of mother's breastfeeding while the injection is given and the baby doesn't even whimper. I'm hoping to accomplish this on the day.

 

[LuckyD]

Thanks so much for all your replies....great to hear what everyone is thinking around this.

I am not so worried about the actual injection part of it...I guess my concern is about the link with childhood leukaemia with the injection.

We got some really balanced information at our antenatal classes, which was great....I just like to get opinions and thoughts from other mums and mums-to-be as well.

Thanks so much for sharing!

 

[Celesse]

We had a choice of oral or nothing. Which annoyed me as I wanted IM but had to continue giving daily doses until she was 12 weeks old. Total faff.

 

[Linzi]

With Seth we gave him the injection dose, but only because we were told they would do it, didn't ask for consent or give us a choice of oral dose. If they had I might have said orally.

I will let this baby have it and probably the injection also after researching a bit more, but I just feel a bit sorry for the poor little thing being yanked out of it's nice warm cosy home, being plonked on cold scales and then being injected Im a bit oversensitive like that though!! lol xxx

 

[harrypinto11]

The role of vitamin K deficiency in bleeding disorders, fractures, osteoporosis and many other health conditions. It cannot be made by our bodies, but not all vitamin K needs to be obtained from food. It is a fat-soluble vitamin, so it is stored in the body's fat tissue and liver.

 

[Jenniflower]

With Seth we gave him the injection dose, but only because we were told they would do it, didn't ask for consent or give us a choice of oral dose. If they had I might have said orally.

I will let this baby have it and probably the injection also after researching a bit more, but I just feel a bit sorry for the poor little thing being yanked out of it's nice warm cosy home, being plonked on cold scales and then being injected Im a bit oversensitive like that though!! lol xxx

Talk to you midwife about the possibility of giving it to him while you're breastfeeding. That's what I'm gonna do. I've read a few things where the babies don't even notice the injection when done this way. Also make sure he's not put on a cold scale. In your Birth Plan mention a nice cosy towel between them and scale. Ugh I just can't imagine who ever thought it was ok to treat a baby like that. Maybe I'm just as sensitive as you hun. hahaha.

 

[LuckyD]

Thanks for all your answers! Good to hear what everyone's plans are.

So no-one is worried about the potential side-effects? They were discussed at our antenatal classes....so it got me wondering.

 

[Fabby]

Thanks for all your answers! Good to hear what everyone's plans are.

So no-one is worried about the potential side-effects? They were discussed at our antenatal classes....so it got me wondering.

I would like to know this too x

 

[Jenniflower]

Are you talking about Leukemia and/or Jaundice? I put about as much stock into the Leukemia study as I do many other studies when there's only one study about them. One study in 1990 said there may be a link and it got all the moms scared about the shot, but then many studies in both Europe AND the US have refuted the claim. Yet IMO people want to focus on the negative and the ONE study.

As for the Jaundice I found this:

There were reports of hemolytic anemia and hyperbilirubinemia severe enough to cause kernicterus in the mid 1950s with high doses (50mg) of vitamin K2 (menadione). As a result, use of this form of vitamin K was abandoned. We now give infants vitamin K1 (phytonadione). Vitamin K1 has been associated with hyperbilirubinemia only in high doses (25 – 30mg) particularly in premies, though the effect was present to a lesser degree in term infants. This has not been a problem at therapeutic doses, though this concern is why we give babies <1500g a smaller (0.5mg) dose.

If there are any other side effects I would actually be interested to know them because those are the only two I've been informed about. I completely appreciate that our bodies naturally know what is going on and so babies that are low in vitamin K are perhaps just "normal" But I also know that our society has changed immensely. We don't eat what we used to, perhaps the vitamin K doesn't get into our breast milk because we're not consuming it as much. I know there's a big thing in the MS society about women who breastfeed not giving their babies enough Vitamin D like they used to. With all the amount of time we're in the home, and the amount of info we're given to stay away from the sun has caused our Vitamin D levels to drop thus Baby doesn't get what they should. People say our bodies give Baby everything they need, but again with a change of society that's not always the case. Those are some of the main reason I'm choosing to have the shot.

 

[KandyKinz]

I'm really on the fence with this one.... Where I live if a women is under the care of an OB or GP the nurses tend to automatically give babies the vitamin K injection without obtaining consent from the parents and often without even notifying them it was done. A practice that completely disgusts me!

However, as a midwifery student, we always presented as an informed choice and parents were always the ones to make decide.... The vast majority of them opted for the IM injection, a very small handful decided to decline the vitamin K and I only know of two woman who decided on the oral dosing regimen. About two weeks before I started one of my placements one of my preceptors clients was one of the ones who had opted for oral vitamin K..... Unfortunately, her baby ended up in the hospital and never made it back out due to hemorrhagic disease of the newborn..... And while I was never involved in that client's care directly and the likelihood of such a tragedy happening is very very very low the experience shook me abit.... well actually ALOT..... and despite being very into natural choices I am really really leaning towards the IM injection because of that experience.... That baby had no risk factors at all

 

[kiwimama]

I don't think one study saying there may be a link is enough to warrant not giving my baby the vitamin K. We opted for the injection because it is much more effective than the oral drops.

 

[LuckyD]

Thanks for all your replies - this is so helpful!

The information I have (leaflet from Women's Health Action Trust here in NZ) states:

'Two large studies conducted in Britain in 1990 and 1992 which suggested an increase in the incidence of leukaemia and other childhood cancers in children who received an injection of Vitamin K at birth. These studies found no increased risk of cancer in children who received oral Vitamin K.

Further studies that were carried out in Europe found no increase in the incidence of childhood cancers in children who received a Vitamin K injection at birth. In 1998 a pooled analysis of data from six studies commissioned by the UK Department of Health also found no association between childhood cancer and children given a Vitamin K injection at birth.

Some researchers and medical specialists believe that the possibility of a link between injected Vitamin K and an increased risk of childhood luekaemia cannot be excluded'


So - not exactly conclusive evidence, but as with all these things I like to think about them before making the decision. I just find it easier to hear what others do so you can get a range of opinions, instead of just reading a leaflet.

Thanks again for sharing!

 

[Jenniflower]

Thanks for all your replies - this is so helpful!

The information I have (leaflet from Women's Health Action Trust here in NZ) states:

'Two large studies conducted in Britain in 1990 and 1992 which suggested an increase in the incidence of leukaemia and other childhood cancers in children who received an injection of Vitamin K at birth. These studies found no increased risk of cancer in children who received oral Vitamin K.

Further studies that were carried out in Europe found no increase in the incidence of childhood cancers in children who received a Vitamin K injection at birth. In 1998 a pooled analysis of data from six studies commissioned by the UK Department of Health also found no association between childhood cancer and children given a Vitamin K injection at birth.

Some researchers and medical specialists believe that the possibility of a link between injected Vitamin K and an increased risk of childhood luekaemia cannot be excluded'


So - not exactly conclusive evidence, but as with all these things I like to think about them before making the decision. I just find it easier to hear what others do so you can get a range of opinions, instead of just reading a leaflet.

Thanks again for sharing!

I totally agree with you Lucky, and I'm by no means saying that everyone should do or not do anything in particular. Only why I'm thinking about getting the injection. Thanks for sharing what you leaflet said. I've only heard about the one study so I'll look into the other as well.

For me everything is weighed by the pros and cons. I may not get the Flu shot when it's just me cause I can handle it, but I did this time because of my weakened immune system. As for the Vitmain K, I don't like the idea of giving me wee one a shot so early on, but also appreciate what it's doing for her iyswim.

 

[LuckyD]

Thanks for all your replies - this is so helpful!

The information I have (leaflet from Women's Health Action Trust here in NZ) states:

'Two large studies conducted in Britain in 1990 and 1992 which suggested an increase in the incidence of leukaemia and other childhood cancers in children who received an injection of Vitamin K at birth. These studies found no increased risk of cancer in children who received oral Vitamin K.

Further studies that were carried out in Europe found no increase in the incidence of childhood cancers in children who received a Vitamin K injection at birth. In 1998 a pooled analysis of data from six studies commissioned by the UK Department of Health also found no association between childhood cancer and children given a Vitamin K injection at birth.

Some researchers and medical specialists believe that the possibility of a link between injected Vitamin K and an increased risk of childhood luekaemia cannot be excluded'


So - not exactly conclusive evidence, but as with all these things I like to think about them before making the decision. I just find it easier to hear what others do so you can get a range of opinions, instead of just reading a leaflet.

Thanks again for sharing!

I totally agree with you Lucky, and I'm by no means saying that everyone should do or not do anything in particular. Only why I'm thinking about getting the injection. Thanks for sharing what you leaflet said. I've only heard about the one study so I'll look into the other as well.

For me everything is weighed by the pros and cons. I may not get the Flu shot when it's just me cause I can handle it, but I did this time because of my weakened immune system. As for the Vitmain K, I don't like the idea of giving me wee one a shot so early on, but also appreciate what it's doing for her iyswim.

Totally - it's the same with immunisations - another thing that I need to put some thought into! It's definitely about looking at the pros and cons and weighing up the benefits vs the risks. And sometimes it is hard to get balanced info as both sides of the argument can put out information that can be pretty biased.

I was looking at my friends pregnancy magazine - I think it was Cosmo Pregnancy (by the way, I suggest never reading those magazines if you want to feel good about yourself as a pregnant woman!) and it had an article titled something like 'To Immunise or Not: Both Sides of the Debate' - but it was pretty much just pro-immunisation and dismissed any suggestion that NOT immunising was an appropriate action to take. Not that I was expected high-level journalism from Cosmo, but still.....

 

[pimento1979]

This is a great thread. I had originally declined the Vitamin K IM shot (they don't do oral in Oxfordshire) but am now re-thinking my decision...