Is Vitamin K safe for children?

Vitamin K plays an important role in the body's blood clotting process. Lack of this vitamin prevents blood from clotting in the presence of an injury is the leading cause of death.

Vitamin K is an essential mineral to help normal blood clotting. Parents understand the importance of this vitamin to provide enough for their children that cannot be ignored.

Why do children need vitamin K?

Most babies' bodies contain low amounts of vitamin K. Although this vitamin has been used by the body in the first days to prevent bleeding, there are still a few infants (1/1000) still suffer from hemorrhage due to vitamin deficiency. K for good coagulation.

Without this vitamin, your baby's body may naturally bruise or bleed. This can happen in the first 12 weeks of life. Blood may occur from the nose or mouth or from the base of the umbilical cord. Vitamin K deficiency has 3 forms:

Vitamin K1: bleeding in baby body in the first 24 hours after birth;

Vitamin K2 deficiency: bleeding in the first week after birth;

Vitamin K3 deficiency: bleeding when the baby is 2−12 weeks old.

Vitamin K3 deficiency is rare but most worrying because the mortality rate is very high. If your baby is deficient in vitamin K3, it is likely that the baby will bleed internally. This situation is difficult to detect and extremely dangerous.

In more than half of late-onset cases, infants had cerebral hemorrhage and infant mortality was 1%. Some children with a deficiency of this vitamin do not have any risk factors. However, in most cases, bleeding from a lack of this vitamin can occur in a breastfed infant if:

Premature baby, before 37 weeks of pregnancy;

Women give birth by cesarean section to get pregnant;

Babies have difficulty breathing after birth;

The baby has liver problems or an unsafe delivery.

Breastfed babies with these characteristics are more likely to bleed than infants given formula because formula has a higher level of vitamin K supplementation than breast milk . Diets of vitamin K rich foods have no effect on the amount of this vitamin in milk.

Therefore, breastfeeding babies need more protection from this vitamin supplement. Your baby will get all the benefits of breastfeeding as well as protection from hemorrhage. Breastfeeding at birth and when the baby is hungry will help the body increase the amount of vitamin K. Mother's colostrum contains more of these vitamins than breast milk produced in the next period and breastfed whenever the baby needs. helps maximize the amount of nutrients and vitamin K your baby's body absorbs.

How should parents supplement vitamin K for their babies?

Doctors recommend this supplement to your baby by way of an injection. This is the most effective method to protect a newborn from bleeding. Vitamin K injections can be painful for your baby and leave small bruises, but it only takes a few seconds.

If you do decide to give your child vitamin K orally then make sure your child gets all the doses. Health experts have shown that, if supplementation is not enough, children are prone to bleeding due to a late onset of vitamin K deficiency. Chances are that the first few weeks of busy first-time work as a parent make you forget about the dosage for your child so it's important to take notes so you don't forget it.

The amount of vitamin K your baby needs depends on whether he or she is bottle or breastfed. Babies will need:

3 drops of vitamin K directly orally if your baby is breastfed . During the first week of birth, parents need to add 2 drops and the other 1 when your baby is one month old;

If you are bottle-feeding, you can give your baby two doses directly in the first week of life. Refer to the steps for successful bottle feeding .

Vitamin K is indeed very important in helping the blood clotting process normally, to prevent your child from losing too much blood if injured. Parents need to pay attention and learn all the necessary information about this mineral to be able to fully supplement the baby!