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Vitamin K for newborns

Hi all,

We are expecting our first baby any day now. In the UK, where we are, it is standard practice to give new born babies vitamin K, either by injection or oraly.

This is to help prevent HDN, which effects something like 1 in 10,000 babies. In other words, one in 10,000 babies may benefit from Vitamin K, but the vast majority would not, and may possibly suffer harm from it - there is a link with childhood leukaemia for example.

Surely, if nature intended babies to have the same amount of Vitamin K as adults, babies would be born with more.

Are babies born elsewhere given vitamin K as standard?

Does anybody have any hard facts about the dangers / benefits of vitamin K?

Thank you!
 
  robertm on 2005-07-11
This is just a forum. Assume posts are not from medical professionals.
Hi, its done in Australia too.
My son was in the world for less than two minuits and was being injected in the heel before I knew what was going on, I got really p****d at the nurses who were offended because they saw it as "just doing their job" Nobody asked us or told us this was the routine.
Howerever he's now ten and I don't see any adverse affects, but then I don't see any benefits either.
Who knows the psychological depth of physical pain? especially when the benefits/dangers are really only medical opinion, dictated by monetary concerns.
Congratulations and good luck!
 
parachute last decade
Vitamin K Toxicity

Phylloquinone (vitamin K1) is not toxic at 500 times the RDA (0.5 mg/kg/day). However, menadione, a vitamin K precursor, has a finite toxicity resulting from its reaction with sulfhydryl groups; it can cause hemolytic anemia, hyperbilirubinemia, and kernicterus in infants. Menadione should not be used to treat vitamin K deficiency.

Offhand I'd say that unless the baby has a liver problem its best left alone.
As with so many things of this type the routine is often designed to aid sales of Pharmaceuticals.
 
walkin last decade
Thanks all.

I've been reading more elsewhere and here's what I've found out:

* The more forceful the birth (use of forceps etc) , the more likely HDN is, so the more necessary a vitamin K boost seems. The reason for this is perhaps that the baby needs to be rushed off for care, and so the cord is cut to early.

* Certain drugs, such as anticonvulsives, and pain killers such as Bupivacaine / Marcaine (used in epidurals) can produce haemorrages in infants.

To sum up then, if everything goes as we hope we will not take the vitamin K. Fingers crossed.

Vitamin K seems to me like the medicinal version of 'there was an old lady who swallowed a fly...'. If my wife can avoid swallowing the fly, then our baby needn't swallow the goat!
 
robertm last decade
Congratulations on your soon to be first baby.

Here is the answer to your questions (I will first start with the easy part).

ARE BABIES BORN ELSEWHERE GIVEN VITAMIN K AS STANDARD?
Babies born in Canada and United States are given vitamin K as standard. (Most parents are not aware of this though).

DOES ANYBODY HAVE ANY HARD FACTS ABOUT THE DANGERS/BENEFITS OF VITAMIN K?
Yup, here are the facts.

1. Prevention of HDN?
a. Yes it has shown in studies to prevent HDN, but we are not talking about effectiveness we are going to talk about the effect.
b. But before this let’s go over HDN first.
i. HDN occurs in the first 1-5 days of the babies’ life, due to a deficiency of vitamin K.
ii. Signs and symptoms of hemorrhagic disease typically appear in 24-72 hours after birth: such as bloody or black stools, oozing from the umbilicus or circumcision site, bleeding from punctures, etc (trying not to get too medical).
iii. There is a late onset that occurs in 4 to 7 weeks but this is rare as well.
iv. Vitamin K deficiency occurs because there is an absence of bacteria in the gut flora which helps in the production of vitamin K in newborns.
c. How does on treat/manage HDN?
i. Typical Medical Approach
1. Vitamin K shot is usually given and within 2 to 4 hours the bleeding (i.e. signs and symptoms) will usually cease.
ii. What you can do to help your child through your breast milk
1. MOTHERS this is your part of how you can help ensure your child’s risk of getting this is even more reduced.
2. DIET = increasing food intake containing vitamin K, primarily vegetables, best sources are green vegetables, especially broccoli and also banana’s have some as well.
3. Remember: milk has bacteria that helps colonize the abdomen with bacteria which will help not only with immunity later on in life but also in vitamin K production.

2. DANGERS OF VITAMIN K
a. Side effects seen in neonates (babies)
i. “Pain and edema may occur at injection site. Possible allergic reactions such as rash and urticaria.”
1. Anytime edema occurs it typically is because the body is having a reaction towards it and is trying to fight of the reaction (i.e. infections = redness and inflammation).
ii. Cancer’s have been associated with Vitamin K shot in 2 studies.
iii. Increased chance of developing bacterial meningitis:
1. Study done by the Lancet showed an increased chance in the development of bacterial meningitis (which is typically treated in allopathic hospitals with antibiotics which destroys the bacteria lining; causing a reduction of bacteria flora which again results in decreased immunity later in life and decreased ability to help in the production of vitamin K).
iv. Children with a genetic predisposition towards the production of higher then normal blood-clotting due to enzymes, are in greater risk of developing meningitis after the administration of vitamin K and are twice as likely to die from this disease.

My final advice would be do not get the vitamin K shot, if there is a need you can give it later, i.e. if signs and symptoms are present. However, this is most unlikely.

Make sure you eat a health diet, increase your green veggie intake and do not vaccinate the child for childhood disease’s find a good homoeopathic doctor in the UK who can treat your child. By treating your child I mean treat not only how he is now but also what genetic tendencies he has inherited from your husband and you.

Also when your child becomes older find a homoeopath who can keep your child away from antibiotics, asthma puffers, antihistamines and so forth. The less medications the child takes the better of he will be especially as he ages, as the data coming out with common prescription and their long term effects are becoming quite scary and sad.

This may be hard to find but there are good homoeopathic doctors out their just hard to find one that can take care of your acute infections, if you need any further info please just repost and I can answer them for you.

Sincerely,

Common Sense Doc (Dr.)

P.S. there are a lot of info about vaccine ingredients so do not vaccinate your child as well, please for his/her health.

Data in Africa is comming in showing a general weakening of the immune system through childhood vaccinations
with sometimes dramatic results.
 
apu_stiffler last decade
Thanks Apu Stiffler,

Great post.

I had no idea that Vitamin K could be given at the time symptoms presented themselves. It makes one wonder why Vitamin K is given as standard, rather than as needed. I suppose it's cheaper to administer...
 
robertm last decade
I'm glad the post helped. The reason for standardization is because most things become a habit in human nature.

Also their is the issue of staffing in many hospitals where they are understaffed, not to mention that like most things in life we do not think twice about things that occur on a ever day basis.

During my training it was told to us to be cautious, I just think we are way beyond cautious and now just paranoid which is why we are getting lower immunities as a result from hyper sterilization and not to mention the amount of medications we ingest presently is has also increased creating a lot more problems in the long run. I was in India for 6 months at a charity hospital for an exchange program studying tropical disease’s. Their surgical room’s are sterile but not to the extent in North America, Britain, Denmark, Germany etc., but their rate of MRSA infection (the Staphylococcus aureus super bug infection) was nil at the 3 hospitals I was assisting in surgeries and deliveries.

Just for my ranting moment, a research done 2 years ago for females, had stated "females who had taken more then 15 prescriptions of antibiotic's were more then double at risk of developing breast cancer”.

Hence why I always tell those of whom are interested in their health, use antibiotics as a last resort but make sure when you are searching for a homoeopathic doctor that they are able to treat your acute infections at the same rate of antibiotics being able to take care of infections or in fevers, make sure you do not depend on aspirin etc.

If the homoeopath can not take care of a fever, stay away from them, cause they can not take care of acute infections and that’s where 20-30 years down the road we develop disease's because of the long term effects of prescription drugs.

In short antibiotics should be used as a last resort.

That's it for my rant :-)

Yours sincerely,

Common Sense Doc (Dr.)
 
apu_stiffler last decade
FYI, we had a text book birth - no forceps etc, so we didn't have the vitamin K. Everything is fine.

We now know his blood is clotting properly too, as the swines at the hospital wanted an armful to do some tests.

P.S. the baby's beautiful!
 
robertm last decade
What I would like to say as an alternative therapist with a vaccine damaged child is please consider that the BBB (Blood Brain Barrier ) has not formed properly in your baby and won't for a considerable time. Therefore anything that goes into the blood stream potentially goes in to the brain. Hep B still has mercury ( in the name of thimerisol ) and will remain to do so. Authorities have demanded it be taken out of all except Flu and Hep B. Although from what I hear they will still use up old stocks. So if you are having a vaccination ask if it has thimerisol in it.
A vaccine container dropped on the floor that shatters is considered toxic waste by governments and must be treated as such my last child is not vaccinated. I couldn't take the risk.
 
courtalex last decade
common sence doc, u mention that it is ok to wait to give vit k when they show symptoms...the midwives at the hospital here say its not as effective if not given immediatly after birth ....i am loathed to give him a needle...he was induced 2 weeks earlie because i had pre eclampsia....he got jaundice and we were in hospital for a week due to my blood pressure and his billiruben...we are home now...we left him attatched to his placenta for 24 hrs, it had a lobe and so in the process of delivery i was holding him and think alot of the blood he needed didnt get to him because the placenta was lower than he was...it seemd alot drained into the placenta....anyhow...my worry now is....his cord stump came off on day three it is now day 11 and after i bathed him today his belly button filled with blood...i had to hold a towel on it..it didnt bleed heaps but took a little bit to stop....ive noticed dried blood there when changing his nappies....or on his nappie...is this a symptom i should be taking him in to get vit k for?...ive been trying to get as much vit k through my diet as possible....i dont intend to immunise but the nurse that visited me told me there is high istance of whooping cough around here cause alot of people dont immunise...she strongly advised me....i must admit a little fear has crept in........ok.....ive said alot...hope u can help.....thanx
 
jalahynsmama last decade
i'm a newborn specialist doctor . this is the most ridiculous article of all the time . Vitamin injection has been introduced to practice after lots of evidence based research and clinical trial . if u give vitamin K only when the symptoms starts , it is already been late . Why take the risk of haemorrhage and death when it is easily been prevented.
 
m9mwin last decade

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