Why Do Babies Get Vitamin K Shots?
VITAMIN K SHOT Vitamins are not just nutritional supplements that you can buy from the drugstore.
In fact, most are either present in the normal diet or manufactured by the body, and they are critical for routine body functions.
Vitamin K is one of these.
It is made in the GI tract and works with the liver to produce the material that helps blood to clot.
Babies are born with low levels of vitamin K.
They get some but not enough - from their mothers during pregnancy.
And once they are born, babies do not produce as much as they need.
Therefore, in the first few weeks of life, blood flows through a baby's body with little ability to clot.
This can be a big problem if internal bleeding occurs: the baby may have no way to stop the process.
When uncontrollable bleeding occurs, it is called hemorrhagic disease of the newborn (HDN).
In extreme cases, some babies will bleed inside their brains.
Without vitamin K, the bleeding will continue and can cause brain damage or even death.
Giving babies extra vitamin K just after birth can prevent HDN.
The easiest method is by injection into the muscle of one thigh.
This delivers a measurable dose that will last several weeks or until a baby begins manufacturing vitamin K on his own.
Intramuscular vitamin K is safe.
The main complication of receiving this medicine by injection is bleeding at the puncture site.
However, bleeding is rare.
There have been isolated reports of links between vitamin K administration and illnesses later in life.
There is no data to support any of these claims.
Vitamin K can also be given orally (by mouth) if parents request it, but this is not the best course.
The oral form of the vitamin must be given in several doses because it is difficult for the stomach to absorb it.
The oral form may also cause vomiting, and when this occurs, it is unclear how much of the vitamin stayed down and how much was vomited up.
If a child has diarrheal, then the oral form may pass through the intestines too quickly to be properly absorbed.
Also, the oral dose does not last nearly as long as the intramuscular, so there are conflicting recommendations about how often to dose it.
One commonly suggested schedule for oral vitamin K involves at least one dose at birth, one dose three to seven days later, and one dose at four weeks of life.
If a dose is vomited within an hour of being given, then it needs to be repeated.
Finally, oral vitamin K should absolutely not be given to premature babies, babies who are sick at birth, or babies born to mothers taking certain medications during pregnancy.
For more information about oral vitamin K, you should speak with your doctor.
Anytime your baby has unexplained bruising or bleeding, or if a baby older than three weeks suddenly develops jaundice (yellow discoloration of the skin), a doctor should be consulted immediately.
This is most critical if your baby has not received injectable vitamin K, as these may be signs of HDN.
In fact, most are either present in the normal diet or manufactured by the body, and they are critical for routine body functions.
Vitamin K is one of these.
It is made in the GI tract and works with the liver to produce the material that helps blood to clot.
Babies are born with low levels of vitamin K.
They get some but not enough - from their mothers during pregnancy.
And once they are born, babies do not produce as much as they need.
Therefore, in the first few weeks of life, blood flows through a baby's body with little ability to clot.
This can be a big problem if internal bleeding occurs: the baby may have no way to stop the process.
When uncontrollable bleeding occurs, it is called hemorrhagic disease of the newborn (HDN).
In extreme cases, some babies will bleed inside their brains.
Without vitamin K, the bleeding will continue and can cause brain damage or even death.
Giving babies extra vitamin K just after birth can prevent HDN.
The easiest method is by injection into the muscle of one thigh.
This delivers a measurable dose that will last several weeks or until a baby begins manufacturing vitamin K on his own.
Intramuscular vitamin K is safe.
The main complication of receiving this medicine by injection is bleeding at the puncture site.
However, bleeding is rare.
There have been isolated reports of links between vitamin K administration and illnesses later in life.
There is no data to support any of these claims.
Vitamin K can also be given orally (by mouth) if parents request it, but this is not the best course.
The oral form of the vitamin must be given in several doses because it is difficult for the stomach to absorb it.
The oral form may also cause vomiting, and when this occurs, it is unclear how much of the vitamin stayed down and how much was vomited up.
If a child has diarrheal, then the oral form may pass through the intestines too quickly to be properly absorbed.
Also, the oral dose does not last nearly as long as the intramuscular, so there are conflicting recommendations about how often to dose it.
One commonly suggested schedule for oral vitamin K involves at least one dose at birth, one dose three to seven days later, and one dose at four weeks of life.
If a dose is vomited within an hour of being given, then it needs to be repeated.
Finally, oral vitamin K should absolutely not be given to premature babies, babies who are sick at birth, or babies born to mothers taking certain medications during pregnancy.
For more information about oral vitamin K, you should speak with your doctor.
Anytime your baby has unexplained bruising or bleeding, or if a baby older than three weeks suddenly develops jaundice (yellow discoloration of the skin), a doctor should be consulted immediately.
This is most critical if your baby has not received injectable vitamin K, as these may be signs of HDN.
