What are the Benefits and Risks of Vitamin K for Newborns?

Vitamin K aids in the human body’s need to clot blood. In the first 6 months of life, babies have very little Vitamin K and there is very little in breastmilk. Vitamin K is given to newborns to prevent a rare but possibly deadly brain bleed. The benefits are preventing bleeding in the brain and stomach. The risks are pain at injection site, bruising and swelling. Babies are at risk for bleeding if they are exclusively breastfed and do not receive a Vitamin K shot. Babies without enough Vitamin K simply start bleeding because of their inability to clot.

There is an oral Vitamin K that has to be periodically given to a newborn until the age of 6 months or until the baby starts eating more than 50% of their food comes from solid foods where they can get Vitamin K. There is not an oral version that is FDA-approved in the United States. The injection of Vitamin K is typically given in the first week after birth and is not needed again to have the benefits. You can request a preservative-free version of the shot. Research shows that the shot does not cause leukemia. Bleeding is rare but can be deadly. Bleeds happen to 4 to 11 babies out of every 100,000 that do not receive any Vitamin K at birth.

*This information comes from Rebecca Dekker from Evidence Based Birth. None of this information or anything on this website is medical advice. Please consult a medical professional for medical advice. Thank you!

Here is a video on why newborns receive Vitamin K after birth.

Here is a video on Oral Vitamin K.