The importance of Vitamin K
Vitamin K is necessary for bone development and for the formation of blood clots to stop bleeding.
Ever wonder why newborns get a vitamin K injection at birth? This is a very important topic.
Babies are born with very little amounts of vitamin K in their bodies, because vitamin K does not cross the placenta very well. That means they cannot form the substances necessary to form blood clots - known as “clotting factors.”
Some signs of vitamin K deficiency include bleeding from gums, nosebleeds, easy/ frequent bruising, or other uncontrollable bleeding. Babies with vitamin K deficiency can have uncontrolled bleeding from simple injuries.
Without enough vitamin K, babies up to 6 months of age can suffer from a potentially fatal bleeding disorder called vitamin K deficient bleeding (VKDB). This can lead to serious and potentially life-threatening bruising and bleeding in nearly every organ of the body. 50% of VKDB cases involve bleeding into the brain and associated brain damage.
The AAP recommends that vitamin K should be given to ALL newborns as a single shot at birth to offset the risk of life threatening hemorrhage.
Getting a vitamin K shot at birth is the best way to ensure your baby has enough vitamin K. In fact, newborns who do not receive a vitamin K shot are 81 times more likely to develop severe bleeding than those who do get it.
Waiting to give your baby a vitamin K shot, may put them at serious risk of bleeding into their brain or intestines - places where you don’t notice the bleeding to know something is wrong. By the time you realize something is very wrong with your baby, valuable time may have already gone by, which can have catastrophic consequences.
We get vitamin K from our diet, while some is made by the good bacteria in our intestines.
Babies are at risk for VKDB for the first 6 months of life, because most of the vitamin K made by the body comes from the foods we eat and the bacteria in our intestines. Since most babies don’t start solids until about 6 months of age, they don’t produce enough vitamin K naturally. Additionally, breast milk contains only small amounts of vitamin K, so breastfeeding moms can’t pass enough vitamin K on to protect their babies from VKDB.
Overall, babies are more susceptible to vitamin K deficiency due to:
Low body stores of vitamin K
Insufficient quantities in breastmilk
Lack of gut bacteria in their intestines
Supplementation with vitamin K protects them from serious bleeding issues in the newborn period.
Most healthy babies do not require additional vitamin K, as much of the initial dose is stored in the body to carry them over till they can get it from their diet and own gut bacteria.
For formula-fed babies, vitamin K is already supplemented in formulas.
In older kids, vitamin K deficiency is rare as it is found in many foods and is stored well in the body.
Common foods containing vitamin K are leafy greens like kale, broccoli, lettuce, and animal products like blue cheese.
If you have concerns about vitamin K deficiency, be sure to consult your pediatrician.
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