The Role and Benefits of Vitamin K for Babies
Vitamin K is a critical nutrient that plays a key role in various physiological processes, particularly in blood clotting and bone health. For newborns and infants, maintaining adequate vitamin K levels is especially important due to their unique nutritional needs and vulnerability to certain health conditions.
What is Vitamin K?
Vitamin K is a fat soluble vitamin that is essential for blood clotting and also plays a role in creating healthy bones. It comes in two subtypes, vitamin K1 is mostly found in green leafy fruits and vegetables, and vitamin K2 is found in animal products like meat and dairy.
Why is a Vitamin K injection recommended for babies?
Vitamin K does not cross the placenta well, so babies are born with very low levels. Furthermore, breast milk contains very low levels of vitamin K, even when a mother takes vitamin supplements. Because of these factors, babies can have low vitamin K levels until they start eating foods at about 6 months of age.
The low vitamin K level increases their risk of bleeding into their intestinal tract and brain, as well as bleeding excessively after procedures or accidental injuries. Before vitamin K injections were routinely given to babies, there was a much higher incidence of vitamin K deficiency bleeding (VKDB), estimated around 0.25% to 1.7% of babies in their first six months of life. Many of those babies developed bleeding into the brain, which could cause permanent brain deficits and even death. Others developed bleeding into their intestinal tract which could require surgery and also posed a risk of permanent disability or death.
Since 1961, a simple injection into the thigh muscle has been recommended for all babies in the United States. This has significantly reduced the incidence of VKDB in infants. In fact, babies who get the injection are 81 times LESS likely to develop VKDB.
Is the vitamin K injection safe?
The vitamin K1 injection is about as safe as a medical intervention can get. You can get the injection with or without a preservative. The injection without preservative contains only a few ingredients, including:
1 mg of Vitamin K1, a fat-soluble vitamin derived from plants
10 mg of Polysorbate 80, which helps Vitamin K1 (a fat-soluble Vitamin) dissolve in liquid for the injection. Polysorbate 80 is made from natural sorbitol and plant-based oleic acid, and is used in a wide variety of foods, medicines, and vitamin supplements.
10.4 mg of Propylene glycol, which helps absorb extra water and maintain moisture in certain medicines. Propylene glycol has been recognized as safe by the FDA for use in food products.
0.17 mg of Sodium acetate anhydrous, a mixture of salt and bicarbonate, that is used to adjust the pH of the injection
0.00002 mL of Glacial acetic acid, also known as vinegar, that is used to adjust the pH of the injection
Many parents worry about some of these ingredients, not realizing that they are likely in many of the foods and products they already consume or use at home. In fact, breast milk from a healthy woman is likely to contain more toxic chemicals than a dose of the vitamin K injection. And, for such a simple intervention, the benefits and peace of mind are well worth it.
Is oral vitamin K an option?
Oral vitamin K is an alternative to the injection, but it has some limitations. Studies have shown that giving a baby vitamin K by mouth is as effective as the injection for prevention of early-onset VKDB (the kind that happens in the first two weeks of life), but may not be as good at preventing late-onset VKDB (the kind that can happen between two weeks and six months of life).
For a much more detailed discussion of this issue, including possible dosing for vitamin K drops, I recommend this article.
Can my baby get circumcised without a vitamin K injection?
Because of the higher risks of bleeding, most doctors refuse to perform circumcisions on babies who have not received a vitamin K injection. Make sure to discuss this with your pediatrician or birth hospital if you are considering this option for your infant.
Conclusion
Vitamin K is essential for proper blood clotting and bone health, making it a crucial nutrient for newborns. By agreeing to a simple and safe injection after birth, parents can help support their baby’s healthy development and reduce the risk of bleeding in those precious first months of life.
