Benefits of Vitamin K for Newborns

Every newborn baby needs to get vitamin K by injection. The benefits of vitamin K are to help the process of blood clotting and prevent bleeding that can occur in infants. Newborns have very little amount of vitamin K in their bodies. Even though vitamin K is needed in the process of blood clotting. That is why, babies who lack 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 the body of newborn babies is the lack of good bacteria that produce vitamin K in the baby's intestine. In addition, this condition also occurs due to intake of vitamin K which is not well absorbed by the placenta when the baby is in the womb. Lack of vitamin K in the body can trigger the appearance of extensive bruising only because of minor injuries. Not only that, lack of vitamin K can also cause small wounds to continue bleeding. To meet the needs of vitamin K, newborn babies are usually given an injection of vitamin K. After increasing age, vitamin K can be obtained from bacteria in the intestine and food 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 is to prevent 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 risk of a baby getting VKDB will be 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 birth of the baby, but until the baby can consume MPASI or at the age of 6 months. If bleeding occurs in a part of the brain, the baby is at risk of permanent brain damage. In addition to the brain, bleeding can also be experienced by infants in other body parts, such as the gastrointestinal tract, nose (nosebleeds), to the umbilical cord. Infants who experience heavy bleeding often need blood transfusions or even have to undergo surgery.

How to Meet the Need for Vitamin K in Newborns

Bleeding due to lack of vitamin K can be prevented easily. The trick is to give vitamin K injections into the baby's thigh muscles immediately after he was born. Sometimes injections of vitamin K can be delayed up to 6 hours after the baby is born so that the mother can initiate breastfeeding first. After being injected, most of the vitamin K is stored in the liver and used in the process of blood clotting. Provision of vitamin K can be done in other ways, namely dripping vitamin K supplements in the form of drops. However, the absorption is not good when compared with vitamin K given by injection. Therefore, by far the most common administration of vitamin K to newborns is by injection. Apart from injection, intake of vitamin K in newborns can also be obtained from breast milk. Busui can provide exclusive breastfeeding to meet the needs of Little K vitamin, even though the amount of vitamin K contained in breast milk is only small. Just like adults, babies may experience pain in the injection site. To alleviate the pain the baby feels when injected, ask your doctor or midwife for an injection to be given while the baby is breastfeeding. Vitamin K is proven safe and important for newborns. If you have questions about the administration and benefits of vitamin K, consult your pediatrician again.