Vitamin K Injections for Newborn Babies

1 in 10 000 newborn babies suffers from vitamin K deficiency bleeding. This means they may have nose or mouth bleeds, or internal bleeding which can be very serious so the policy is to give vitamin K to all newborns. The most popular way is by injection - the vitamin is carried in a preparation made from bovine bile by Roche. In the 1990s, some research was published which stated that there was a link between vitamin K by injection and childhood leukaemia.

Alternative is by mouth but I don't know how easy it is to get as policies vary in different hospitals.

More research was carried out in the UK, US, Germany and Sweden, but none of these studies found any link between giving vitamin K by injection and childhood leukaemia. A recent study in Scotland has found that 400 children aged up to 14 years showed no increased risk of leukaemia as a result of having received vitamin K by injection as babies.

I don't think I'd refuse to have vit K given but I'm really unhappy about the idea of an injection, particularly when there is the alternative oral option.

What does everyone think? Any experience of this?

Sorry I don't know much about it LS but I am sure that all mine had it when they were born. I bet you can't wait to get it over with now and put all these worries behind you can you. And then you have got all the baby injections to look forward to.................I used to hate taking them for those

when i had my son he had the vitamin k giving by mouth so did all my sisters lot and they are alright

Oh yeah I walked Loki for 2 hours this evening but this baby ain't shifting.

Thanks BML - hopefully then I can get it by mouth. I will speak to my midwife when I see her tomorrow.

i personally think that you should be given a choice whether by mouth or injection they only offered by mouth here so thats what he had
aww bless you how long you got now or has your due date passed my son was due on christmas day but decided to come new years eve instead he had no intentions of showing himself untill he was good and ready

I was due a week ago .

I think we should be given the choice and I think we are meant to be but it doesn't always work out that way and right after giving birth isn't the easiest time to challenge people, is it?

I got this from a pregnancy website:

The Department of Health published a leaflet in March 2000 which recommended to parents the following choices:

• A single injection of vitamin K given to the baby shortly after birth.

Or for breastfed babies:
• Two doses of vitamin K by mouth in the first week of life and another dose by mouth at one month of age.

Or for bottle-fed babies:

• Two doses of vitamin K by mouth in the first week of life.

Despite this guidance, a recent study published in the British Medical Journal showed that there were seven different protocols being followed by hospitals in relation to the way they were giving vitamin K.

when i had my boy i was asked if i wanted it i didnt know if i was coming or going beings i had only just given birth but my sister told them i wanted it so it was given and it was vise versa with her little ones i had read up upon it and said to my midwife that if it was offered then it was to be given.
aww bless you your babe will soon arrive your babe is just so comfy at the moment

Great idea - I've now instructed the OH to speak up if it becomes an issue.

Baby may be comfy but I'm not!

aww bless you it does get so uncomfy at the last sector my son was high right underneath my rib cage couldnt sit down cos i couldnt breathe properley i was just glad when he did show his face

All 4 of ours were given Vit K by injection at birth, even Paige who was born 9 weeks early and spent 6 weeks in special care, none of the suffered ill effects from it.