What is the hype and recent controversy behind Vitamin K shot?
There have been many reasons why parents are adverse to giving their newborn baby a vitamin K shot at birth (this is typically administered within 6 hours after birth), such as: avoiding unwanted pain to their child, concerns about a possible link between vitamin K and childhood leukemia, belief that vitamin K is unnecessary, and concerns about preservatives.
Truth: Studies show there to be no evidence that neonatal vitamin K administration, irrespective of the route by which it is given, influences the risk of children developing leukemia or any other cancer.
The VERY important truth is that not giving your infant the vitamin K shot could result in death! Rates of morbidity due to non-vitamin k administration has increased in the past year.
Why does your child need the vitamin K shot?
The CDC (Center for Disease Control) and the AAP (American Academy of Pediatrics) agree that Vitamin K is needed for blood to clot normally.
Babies are born with very small amounts of vitamin K in their bodies which can lead to serious bleeding problems. Vitamin K from the mom is not easily shared with the developing baby during the pregnancy and your infants’ intestines have very little bacteria so they do not make enough vitamin K on their own. Without enough vitamin K, blood cannot clot well. As a result, bleeding can occur anywhere in the body.
Without enough vitamin K, your baby has a chance of bleeding into his or her intestines, and brain, which can lead to brain damage and even death.
Research shows that a single vitamin K shot at birth protects your baby from developing dangerous bleeding. Infants who do not receive the vitamin K shot at birth can develop VKDB (Vitamin K Deficiency Bleeding) up to 6 months of age.
Can I get my baby a vitamin K shot after we are discharged from the hospital?
The answer is yes, but it is more difficult to find. Vitamin K is not readily available or stored by most pediatricians so you will have a hard time finding somewhere that can offer this. Most pediatricians will not perform procedures such as circumcisions in cases where an infant did not receive a vitamin K shot to avoid the risk of excessive bleeding.
