Vitamin K is an important group of chemicals which help our blood to clot. At birth, newborns have very low levels of vitamin K that are approximately 5-10 times lower than maternal levels. They also cannot produce it on their own for several weeks. That is why this injection is offered at birth. Vitamin K reduces the chance of complications from excessive bleeding known as Vitamin K Deficiency Bleeding (VKDB).
VKDB is very rare but it can be very serious, which is why the parents of all babies in the US are offered an injection of Vitamin K for their baby shortly after birth.
Vitamin K is Given Right After Birth
All newborn babies in the US are offered this standard procedure. They are given vitamin K right after the birth as this will decrease the risk for severe bleeding. The internal bleeding can occur inside the brain, the digestive system and other intestines but can also, in rare cases, occur as visible bleedings close to the skin. This results in the child continuously bleeding due to a lack of vitamin K.
Therefore there is a US wide recommendation that all newborn babies shall receive this injection. The risk for a baby to get this type of bleeding is, as mentioned before, slim, but the consequences can be severe. There is no way to find out beforehand which baby is most likely to be affected. However, the risk increases with premature births or if the baby experiences trauma during or in correlation to birth. It has been debated whether or not this injection would have any negative consequences for the baby, but there is no evidence to confirm this. The only obvious consequence is the pain caused by the injection. Holding your baby skin to skin or offering breast/bottle whilst it is being done can help alleviate the pain a little.
You Have the Right to Make Decision
As a parent to a newborn child, you have the right to decide on medical care for your child. All healthcare is voluntary and shall be given consent from the patient or the caregiver. Officially the medical staff are obliged to ask for permission from you as a parent before giving an injection. But this does not always happen. Because of that, it is important to know that if you as a parent do not want your child to receive this injection, there are alternative methods to give vitamin K to your child, such as giving oral drops.
The oral drops are given in three doses spanning over two months. However, these drops are not standard to all clinics. So if you already know that you want to decline the injection during pregnancy, it is highly recommended that you bring it up with your healthcare provider. You can also write it down in your birth plan so the healthcare provider is aware of this and will not give the injection according to the agreed procedure.
Sources:
- Vitamin K prophylaxis for prevention of vitamin K deficiancy bleeding: a systematic review M J Sankar et al. J Perinatol. 2016 May.
- American Academy of Pediatrics, Committee on Fetus and Newborn. Controversies Concerning Vitamin K and the Newborn. Pediatrics 2003 July; 112(1):191-2.