You have the choice of accepting or declining a Vitamin K injection or Vitamin K oral drops for your newborn.
All infants are born with low Vitamin K levels. It is a fat-soluble vitamin that activates certain molecules needed for blood clotting. If the levels of Vitamin K become too low, spontaneous bleeding can happen, known as Vitamin K deficiency bleeding (VKDB).
Check out the links below to learn about the evidence behind using the Vitamin K injection and Vitamin K oral administration on newborns.
From Evidence Based Birth
Vitamin K Handout From Evidence Based Birth
In this video, you will learn:
- The history of Vitamin K for newborns
- How often Vitamin K deficiency bleeding occurs
- What puts a baby at higher risk for Vitamin K deficiency bleeding
In this video, you will learn:
- The main reason why oral Vitamin K might not be as effective as the shot
- The most effective oral Vitamin K regimen
- Reasons why some countries don’t use oral Vitamin K
Additional Links
Evidence on: The Vitamin K Shot in Newborns
This is an article published by Evidence Based Birth
Questioning Vitamin K Supplementation of the Newborn
A Taking Back Birth podcast
Gentle Birth, Gentle Mothering
A section in this book (which I have available for you) also looks into the topic of Vitamin K for newborns and the research and numbers that can help you make the decision for your family
Here are links to the above videos and handout on the Evidence Based Birth website: