Is a vitamin K shot necessary for newborns?
Since 1961, the American Academy of Pediatrics has recommended supplementing low levels of vitamin K in newborns with a single shot of vitamin K given at birth. Low levels of vitamin K can lead to dangerous bleeding in newborns and infants.
When should I give my baby vitamin K?
Administering one intramuscular (IM) dose of vitamin K (0.5 mg for infants weighing ≤ 1500 g or 1.0 mg for infants weighing > 1500 g) routinely to all newborns within the first 6 hours post-birth and following initial stabilization and appropriate maternal/newborn interaction, is now the recommended best practice.
Can you refuse vitamin K shot?
Even when emergency medical care is timely, the severity of the bleeding may cause permanent impairment, especially considering about half of infants with VKDB bleed into their brains. VKDB is preventable by administering the vitamin K injection and refusing the shot increases VKDB risk 81-fold.
Is there vitamin K in breast milk?
No. Breast milk is low in vitamin K. Breast milk from mothers who are taking vitamin K supplements is also low in vitamin K.
Where do you give vitamin K to a newborn?
The most reliable way to give babies vitamin K is by one injection into the muscle in the leg (intramuscular injection). One injection just after birth will protect your baby for many months. It is possible to give babies vitamin K by mouth (orally).
Is vitamin K good for babies?
Vitamin K helps the blood to clot and prevents serious bleeding. In newborns, vitamin K injections can prevent a now rare, but potentially fatal, bleeding disorder called ‘vitamin K deficiency bleeding’ (VKDB), also known as ‘haemorrhagic disease of the newborn’ (HDN).
Are all babies given vitamin K?
Yes, health experts recommend that all newborns get a dose of vitamin K at birth. Babies aren’t born with enough of this important vitamin, which is needed for blood to clot normally.
Can you get oral vitamin K for newborns?
Can Vitamin K be given orally? Vitamin K can be given to babies as a liquid by mouth. However, it is less effective as the absorption of the whole drug cannot be guaranteed.
How is vitamin K given to newborns in Victoria?
The Victorian Child Health Record is given free of charge to parents after the birth of their baby. Vitamin K is needed for blood clotting. Newborn babies are given vitamin K injections to prevent a serious disease called haemorrhagic disease of the newborn (HDN). Vitamin K can be given by mouth if preferred, but oral doses aren’t as effective.
What happens if your baby has vitamin K deficiency?
A very small number of newborn babies (between 5 and 20 in 100,000) would suffer from vitamin K deficiency bleeding (VKDB) if no prevention was available . This used to be called haemorrhagic disease of the newborn (HDN).
When was the NHMRC statement on vitamin K issued?
This pamphlet is based on the Joint statement and recommendations on vitamin K administration to newborn infants to prevent vitamin K deficiency bleeding in infancy, that was re-issued by the National Health and Medical Research Council (NHMRC) in October 2010.
How does vitamin K play a role in blood clots?
Vitamin K plays an important part in making our blood clot. A very small number of newborn babies (between 5 and 20 in 100,000) would suffer from vitamin K deficiency bleeding (VKDB) if no prevention was available (NHMRC 2010a). This used to be called haemorrhagic disease of the newborn (HDN). These babies don’t have enough vitamin K.