I have heard that when my baby is born, she should get a vitamin K shot. Why?
There’s a lot going on when your baby is born. They’re weighed and measured. Their noses are suctioned out and their vital signs are tested. They get a complete checkup by a pediatrician.
Most newborns get their first hepatitis B vaccine in the hospital, and they also routinely get a vitamin K shot.
Vitamin K is a fat-soluble nutrient that helps our bodies make blood clots. We need blot clots to stop bleeding. Vitamin K is important for keeping bones healthy, too.
Adults and older children get vitamin K from food such as green, leafy vegetables, meat, dairy and eggs. The healthy bacteria in our intestines also produce some vitamin K.
Babies, though, have very little vitamin K in their bodies at birth. This puts them at risk for bleeding. Fortunately, it’s easy to prevent vitamin K deficiency bleeding with a vitamin K shot. The injection is given in your baby’s thigh within six hours of birth.
Babies need vitamin K because they don’t get much from the mother during pregnancy. Unlike many other nutrients, vitamin K doesn’t pass through the placenta very easily. Babies’ intestines don’t have very many bacteria yet, so their bodies can’t make enough vitamin K.
Newborns who don’t get a vitamin K shot and are low on this vitamin are at risk of vitamin K deficiency bleeding. This happens when a baby’s blood can’t make clots, and their body can’t stop bleeding.
The bleeding can happen on the outside of the body. It can also happen internally. A baby could be bleeding into their intestines or brain before their parents know anything is wrong. Brain bleeding happens in about half of all babies who develop this vitamin deficiency bleeding, and it can lead to brain damage or death.
Vitamin K shots are very safe. The vitamin K from the injection is stored in your baby’s liver and released slowly over months. This gives your baby the vitamin K they need until they can start getting it from solid food and making it themselves.
Some parents may ask for oral vitamin K instead of the shot. But babies can’t absorb the oral form very well, so it doesn’t work well to prevent this deficiency bleeding. A vitamin K shot is the safest and best option for all newborns.
