vitamin K
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Topic: vitamin K
Posted By: caliandjack
Subject: vitamin K
Date Posted: 12 October 2010 at 9:36am
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What do I need to know about this?
Been asked to research by my MW don't know much about it or where to start. ------------- http://lilypie.com" rel="nofollow">   [/url] Angel June 2012 |
Replies:
Posted By: Babykatnz
Date Posted: 12 October 2010 at 10:04am
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http://www.maternity.org.nz/after-the-birth.shtml#Vitamin_K_injection - This outlines the basic reason for why babies are given Vit K at birth
http://www.kidshealth.org.nz/index.php/ps_pagename/contentpage/pi_id/141 - This one answers a few more questions Both are NZ pages, so are a little more relevant to us than anything else dr google might come up with HTH ------------- Brandon - 05/12/2003  
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Posted By: High9
Date Posted: 12 October 2010 at 10:05am
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She should be able to give you info on it, mine did, basically we just went with if she needed it she'd have it/depending on how the birth went. She did end up having it and my birth was pretty straightforward until the endish. They should also discuss it at antenatal class too (if you're doing those?)
ETA: She had the injection not the oral way. ------------- http://lilypie.com"> 
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Posted By: Emmi_
Date Posted: 12 October 2010 at 10:15am
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Lilla had the oral despite being emergency c section.
Next time, if I have a straight forward birth I wouldnt get it at all... Interesting pages BK, is it just me or do they seem to be opposites kinda? ------------- 
+1 May 09 Angel 
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Posted By: caliandjack
Date Posted: 12 October 2010 at 10:40am
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It is being covered in AN class on Saturday make my mind up then be good to get DH's ideas on it too. ------------- http://lilypie.com" rel="nofollow"> [/url] Angel June 2012 |
Posted By: MamaT
Date Posted: 12 October 2010 at 11:15am
I think there are a few good threads about it on here too  -------------  
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Posted By: Buttersmum
Date Posted: 12 October 2010 at 3:57pm
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I think the jist of it CaliandJack is that when bubs is born they don't have a natural blood clotting factor so if for some reason there is trauma to baby and they bleed it can be fatal. Extreme would be head trauma in birth and then brain bleed. I think the scary thing is that they don't know bubs is bleeding until too late so to speak. Vit K gives them protection against this. I went for the injection as its a once off straight after birth into their thigh and they don't really know they have had it. Orally you have to have done twice.......once at birth then again 6 weeks later I think......please correct me if I'm wrong.
As far as I could read there had been no adverse affects from receiving Vit K injections. My reasoning was the benefit outweighed the risk of giving the Vit K and to me its a natural thing being a vitamin so I had no worries about doing it.
They are pretty proactive about it down here so don't know what they would say if I refused it.
However you'll get the info and make your own mind up ------------- http://lilypie.com"> 
 my little blobby April 09 "gone but will never be forgotten xx"
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Posted By: cuppatea
Date Posted: 12 October 2010 at 4:14pm
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There was some research that linked vit k to leukemia, then more research that found no link then more research that found a link to cancer but not specifically leukemia (from what I remember). Vit k is the only vitamin that doesn't pass the placenta to baby and has something to do with inhibiting brain development as well as being needed to clot, so there is some school of thought that babies shouldn't be getting it as nature has made it that way for a reason. Vit K can also make babies jaundice, or make jaundice worse as the liver is not mature enough to deal with it properly.
However without it some babies would die of brain bleeds, hence the reason the shot was introduced in the first place. The oral was introduced after the first research that found the leukamia link but from what I've read it's no better than the jab and is just an all round pain in the butt to administer. I have read that the uk are considering only giving the shot to high risk babies rather than all babies, I'm not sure if that has happened or not. We decided that if our babies were high risk they would have the jab and if they weren't they wouldn't. First baby was an elective c/s and the paed said he didn't need the jab (we had said that if the paed thought it necessary we would give it), second baby was vontouse delivery and was given the shot, the mw just quickly double checked that we wanted to give it before doing it. If you do decide not to give it then babies get vit k through breastmilk and it's very readily absorbed (it's also in formula, in higher doses as not so easily absorbed that way), if you are breastfeeding and have been or go on antibiotics it's important to take something like alfafalfa (sp?) as vit K is made in your gut and antibiotics effect it. Hope that helps a bit. |
Posted By: cuppatea
Date Posted: 12 October 2010 at 4:15pm
| oh buttersmum I'm in chch too and it wasn't a problem at all to say no to it, they didn't question it at all, the paed agreed that our baby didn't need it. |
Posted By: Emmecat
Date Posted: 12 October 2010 at 7:05pm
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I ummed and ahhed alot on this and we ended up doing the oral dose (and it was 3 doses)... and it was easy as anything to pop in. I'm not sure we'll get it this time around but if we do then we'll do the oral again, just to be on the safe-ish side. I also read some stuff about the injection being linked to child leukemia but hey who knows?? It was the first tough decision we had to make and most certainly not the last lol -------------   http://lilypie.com" rel="nofollow"> 
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Posted By: Babykatnz
Date Posted: 12 October 2010 at 8:04pm
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I got B's done IM as it was not something I knew enough about to say yes or no, at the time i figured if the midwife thought it was important, then it must be (didnt have the net and local library wasnt terribly up-to-date on its baby books either)
Jae's I got done as i knew I wasnt having a straightforward delivery, and given how I'd struggled to BF B, I knew there was a good chance the same could happen again with Jae, so I opted to get hers done IM as well, that way I knew she was getting a good dose of Vit K. Glad I did as i was right about struggling to BF, she went on a nursing strike on day 2 and it was an uphill battle for the following 3 months. This time around I will do it again for the exact same reasons. I would rather know that my baby is definitely getting it, than hope for the best that it will get it the way nature intended. Much like most parentting decisions it is a personal choice, and your midwife should have a pamphlet about what it is, and why its given, and risks/benefits etc. ------------- Brandon - 05/12/2003
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Posted By: Marengo
Date Posted: 13 October 2010 at 12:33pm
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bk me and partner were discussing it last night, i think if i was in your situation i would do the same as you. We have decided that we will do it if the delivery is not straightforward, but otherwise we feel there is not that much point.
I dont really like the thought of the oral dose having propylene glycol in it, so still havnt decided if we would inject or go oral but more then likely would go the injection way if it becomes a neccesity all these things to think about lol! ------------- http://lilypie.com"> 
http://lilypie.com"> 
Our angel Ella Louise born 13.04.
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Posted By: kebakat
Date Posted: 13 October 2010 at 12:48pm
| Also pays to know your family history too. DH's family have a couple of different bleeding disorders (BIL and MIL) so for us that took the decision out of our hands. |
Posted By: Bizzy
Date Posted: 13 October 2010 at 1:38pm
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vitamin K is more easily passed from formula than breast milk apparently - but you could up your intakes of Vit k rich foods to help that anyway.
It used to be called HDN hemorrhagic Disease of Newborns, now it is called Vitamin k Deficiency Bleeding. The incidence of late VKDB in the developed world is about 4-25 per 100,000 births. In the UK the incidence is reported as 8.6 per 100,000 of which 44% were classic VKDB and 56% late VKDB. This survey sought all cases of VKDB in the British Isles, including the Republic of Ireland, from December 1987 to March 1990. Only 27 cases were found, of which 25 were confirmed and 2 probable. that last para i got from this site http://www.patient.co.uk/doctor/Haemorrhagic-Disease-of-Newborn.htm - here ------------- http://www.myfitnesspal.com/weight-loss-ticker"> 
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Posted By: Bizzy
Date Posted: 13 October 2010 at 1:40pm
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oh and i personally am a little bit disappointed that a midwife knows nothing about it.
i never gave it to any of my children... the injection is a deep muscle one but that was only a small reason as to why we didnt do it. ------------- http://www.myfitnesspal.com/weight-loss-ticker">
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Posted By: MuppetsMama
Date Posted: 13 October 2010 at 2:03pm
| I am having an elective, and hadn't given much thought to the Vit K really - my DD had it as we had a very traumatic delivery, she nearly died etc etc so I guess it was pretty important. My midwife told me last week though that I should give it some thought as to whether I want bubs to have it, and gave me a pamphlet, and now reading this thread I am thinking perhaps I will go with no....we have chosen not to immunise our children. Vit K is the only injection DD has ever had. Anyone had electives, do you know if they tend to recommend Vit K with them?? |
Posted By: Bizzy
Date Posted: 13 October 2010 at 3:29pm
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my horrible midwives got very pushy about giving my baby vit k after my emergency c section - they were horrible bullies! ------------- http://www.myfitnesspal.com/weight-loss-ticker">
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Posted By: Red
Date Posted: 13 October 2010 at 4:31pm
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My bubs had the oral dose and it wasn't a pain to administer as my midwife did all three of them. I will definitely do the oral one again next time - don't really like the thought of jabbing my newborn unnessarily. ------------- http://lilypie.com">  http://lilypie.com">
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Posted By: caliandjack
Date Posted: 13 October 2010 at 4:55pm
She probably does know she asked me to research it for myself and we'll discuss it at my next appointment. From what little reading I have been able to do on it, it was the injection that seemed to be linked to possible childhood cancers hence the invention of the oral one. Think I'll take a similar stance to BK if its needed the paed can administer it. Family history is a little difficult to know as I'm adopted, there's no blood disorder history with DH as far as I know. ------------- http://lilypie.com" rel="nofollow"> [/url] Angel June 2012 |
Bizzy wrote:Posted By: Buttersmum
Date Posted: 13 October 2010 at 7:57pm
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I think thats a good idea CJ. It all boils down to personal choice. I too am adopted and that was one of my reasons for getting it as who knows what family history there is. Like someone said its the first of many important decisions we will have to make as parents. Not long to go now!! ------------- http://lilypie.com">
my little blobby April 09 "gone but will never be forgotten xx"
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Posted By: High9
Date Posted: 13 October 2010 at 9:26pm
My mw often got me to do some research on things so we'd have something to discuss at the next appt ------------- http://lilypie.com">
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Posted By: cuppatea
Date Posted: 13 October 2010 at 10:53pm
I had an elective with my first as he was breach and they were totally ok with him not having vit K. We said that if the paed thought it necessary that we would discuss giving it but the paed agreed that he didn't need it as he was low risk. The only real pressure we had was from my mw, which is odd cos she was anti scans, anti epis, anti everything, except vit k and vaccinations which she was very into. The Ob/Gyn and paed though had no qualms about not giving it. |
Posted By: babyg
Date Posted: 13 October 2010 at 11:17pm
We weren't set on giving Carys it at all - in fact, we were quite certain we wanted her to have only the oral but she was then born prem and when taken from us to the special care unit they gave her the jab straight away without us there or consulting us. Was quite irate about it at the time, but obviously got over it as when Spence was born we just automatically approved the jab option ------------- Ev, Mum to: Carys Ruby - 4 October 2007 Spencer James - 2 July 2010 |