Vitamin K for Babies
Infants are born with low levels of vitamin K, which is crucial for adequate blood clotting in the body and for the production of blood clotting factors in the liver. In adults, the vitamin is obtained from the food we consume and is created in a process produced by gut bacteria.
The fetus in the uterus receives a very low supply of vitamin K from the umbilical cord blood. When the baby is born, they come from a sterile, bacteria-free environment, and they do not yet have the required bacteria in their intestines to produce the vitamin. They have not yet begun to receive the vitamin from bacteria in their intestines, and they lack the vitamin K stores in their liver that adults possess.
The main risk in vitamin K deficiency in newborns is a condition called hemorrhagic disease of the newborn (HDN), which is a post-labor bleeding incident that may occur up to the age of three months. HDN can cause severe bleeding, including brain bleeding and even death. The only way to prevent these diseases is administering vitamin K.
Administering vitamin K to babies
In the past 40 years in Israel, newborns have received an injection of vitamin K immediately after delivery. This is a simple, safe, and life-saving treatment that has been proven effective in preventing bleeding in newborns.
Before the administration of this treatment, up to 1.5% of newborns experienced bleeding due to vitamin K deficiency. Since introducing a routine administration of vitamin K injections after delivery, the phenomenon of post-labor bleeding decreased significantly. Therefore, the Ministry of Health and the Association of Pediatricians strongly encourage parents to allow the administration of intramuscular injection after delivery.
Refusal to administer vitamin K can endanger the baby
Refusal to administer vitamin K after delivery may put the baby and the baby's health at risk. In recent years, several infants were hospitalized in severe conditions due to severe brain bleeding caused by vitamin K deficiency after their parents refused to administer a vitamin K injection.
If you do not want to give an injection
Parents who choose not to administer a vitamin K injection can opt for oral administration of vitamin K. You should know the injection has been proven to be more efficient and found safe. While it is the same dosage of vitamin K (2 mg), a series of oral doses is required:
- First dose: within six hours after childbirth. Second dose: within 3-5 days after childbirth.
- Nursing infants who receive vitamin K orally will also get a third dose at 4-6 weeks of age.
If a baby is unable to take a dose of vitamin K orally, or vomits or spits up the medicine within an hour of receiving it, the administration of the dose must be repeated.
You should know
You should know
This treatment will reduce the risk of severe bleeding, including brain bleeding and death, mainly after the age of two weeks. However, the vitamin K injection has been proven to be more effective, and after decades of using this method around the world, has been found to be safe.