Benefits of Vitamin K for Newborns

Every newborn needs to get vitamin K by injection. The benefit of vitamin K is that it helps the blood clotting process and prevents bleeding that can occur in babies.

Newborns have very little vitamin K in their blood. their body. Though vitamin K is needed in the process of blood clotting. That is why babies who are deficient in vitamin K are prone to bleeding. If not prevented, this condition can harm the baby.

One ​​of the causes of low levels of vitamin K in a newborn's body is the undeveloped good bacteria that produce vitamin K in the baby's intestines . In addition, this condition also occurs due to vitamin K intake that is not properly absorbed by the placenta when the baby is in the womb.

A deficiency of vitamin K in the body can trigger the appearance of bruising wide due to minor injuries. Not only that, vitamin K deficiency can also cause small wounds to continue to bleed.

To meet the needs of vitamin K, newborns are usually given vitamin K injections. With age, vitamin K can be obtained from bacteria in the intestines and foods consumed daily, such as spinach, broccoli, soybeans, meat, eggs, liver, and fish.

Benefits of Vitamin K in Newborns

The benefits of vitamin K for newborns are preventing bleeding in various organs of the body, such as the brain, stomach and intestines. Bleeding due to vitamin K deficiency is called vitamin K deficiency bleeding (VKDB).

The baby's risk of developing VKDB is higher if he has certain medical conditions, such as biliary atresia, hepatitis, chronic diarrhea, and trypsin deficiency. This risk does not only occur in the first days since the baby's birth, but until the baby can consume solid food or when he is 6 months old.

If the bleeding occurs in the brain, the baby is at risk for permanent brain damage. In addition to the brain, the baby can also experience bleeding in other parts of the body, such as the gastrointestinal tract, nose (nosebleeds), to the umbilical cord.

Infants who experience heavy bleeding often times need blood transfusions or even have to undergo surgery.

How to Meet the Needs of Vitamin K in Newborns

Bleeding due to vitamin K deficiency can be easily prevented. The trick is to give a vitamin K injection into the baby's thigh muscle as soon as he is born.

Sometimes the vitamin K injection can be delayed up to 6 hours after the baby is born so that the mother can perform early initiation of breastfeeding. After the injection, most of the vitamin K is stored in the liver and used in the blood clotting process.

The administration of vitamin K can be done in other ways, namely dripping vitamin K supplements in the blood. drop form. However, its absorption is poor when compared to vitamin K given by injection.

Therefore, by far the most common administration of vitamin K to newborns is is through injection.

In addition to injections, vitamin K intake in newborns can also be obtained from breast milk. Busui can provide exclusive breastfeeding to meet your little one's vitamin K needs, even though the amount of vitamin K contained in breast milk is only small.

Just like adults, babies may experience pain at the injection site. To relieve the pain your baby feels during an injection, ask your doctor or midwife to give the injection while the baby is breastfeeding.

Vitamin K has been shown to be safe and important for newborns. If you have questions about the administration and benefits of vitamin K, consult your doctor again for further explanation.

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