If you’ve given birth before, you might have been asked if you wanted the vitamin K shot for your newborn.
You’re given the choice whether or not you want it and some parents are declining.
Some might not want it because they don’t know the importance of the shot while some might have been seeing misinformation spreading online.
The Truth About the Vitamin K Shot
Jen Hamilton, a labour and delivery nurse shared on TikTok the reason why vitamin K shots are given to newborn babies.
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The video was made in response to another video made by Rubio Fuerte talking about why mothers shouldn’t accept the important shot.
When babies are born, they’re born with every clotting factor needed to safely clot our own blood except vitamin K.
This nutrient is what’s going to unlock the clotting factors and we get it through our gut microbiome.
As for babies, their gut microbiome is immature.
It takes six months for them to mature enough to be able to have sufficient amounts to clot the blood.
This vitamin also doesn’t cross the placenta.
Meaning that even if you’re eating food that contain the nutrient, your baby would still be born deficient of this nutrient.
Every baby in history would be born with vitamin K deficiency due to it not being absorbed by the baby before birth.
The Dangers of Vitamin K Deficiency
With this deficiency, your baby might get a condition called vitamin K deficiency bleeding and it has cost the lives of many babies.
According to Jen, this condition is a spontaneous bleed with no warning that could happen in the baby’s brain or belly.
With the vitamin K shot, it would cover your baby’s vitamin K from birth until they’re six months old.
Without it, one in 60 to one in 250 newborns will experience vitamin K deficiency bleed.
She mentioned that once that bleed has started, you can’t just get the shot and expect things to be okay.
This is because one in four out of the babies that experienced it will die.
There has never been any deaths related to the shot.
There was only one baby reported to have an allergic reaction to it but has been growing healthily after that.
There’s No Telling When It May Happen
If you’re thinking that you should opt out the shot for your baby as it doesn’t happen to many babies, here’s what you should reconsider.
The bleeding can happen at any time from before their birth until they’re six months old.
According to Cleveland Clinic, there are three types of the vitamin K deficiency bleed which are:
- early, occurring within the first day after birth
- classical, occurring within the first week of baby’s life
- late, occurring within baby’s first six months of life
Don’t Take the Risk
You should check whether or not the information you’ve been getting are from a reliable source before making your decision.
Talk with your doctor about it if you still need reassurance.
Remember that this happens spontaneously, meaning we don’t know if and when it could happen to our baby.
Reduce the risk of further complications and keep your baby safe.
You’ve got this, mummies!
Disclaimer: The information provided in this article is for informational purposes only and should not be considered as medical advice from Motherhood. For any health-related concerns, it is advisable to consult with a qualified healthcare professional or medical practitioner.
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