Medical Reasons For Vitamin K For A Newborn

If you're the parent of a newborn, you can't help but wonder about all the injections and treatments your baby gets. One of the advantages of living in a developed country is having access to good medical care. But it's surprising that even a healthy infant gets subjected to so many interventions before he or she is even a few days old. For example, a vaccine for hepatitis B, an ointment to prevent eye infections and an injection of vitamin K are often administered before your baby is even fully clothed for the first time.

Coagulation Factors Need Vitamin K

Coagulation factors are specialized proteins produced in your liver and released into your bloodstream. They help to form a blood clot if you become injured. Without fully functional coagulation factors, you can bleed excessively following even minor injuries. Hemophilia is one example of a disorder caused by a deficiency of coagulation factors. The Linus Pauling Institute states that several coagulation factors require a modification of their molecular structures before they can function properly and this modification cannot occur without vitamin K.

Infants Are Deficient in Vitamin K

As an adult, you get plenty of vitamin K from your diet, and bacteria in your intestine produce some of this important nutrient. However, according to "The Merck Manual of Diagnosis and Therapy," the intestinal tract of a newborn infant is essentially sterile. It takes several days or even weeks before a baby's gut is colonized with the same vitamin K-producing bacteria that reside in your gastrointestinal tract. Babies are not born with adequate levels of vitamin K, because the placenta does not transmit it well. In addition, an infant's liver is immature, so its ability to synthesize proteins, including coagulation factors, is relatively impaired. Finally, breast milk is not a good source of vitamin K.

Birth is Traumatic

Labor and delivery are not just challenging for new mothers. Birth is a traumatic event for infants, too. As your baby's head descends through the birth canal, it gets compressed and reshaped to allow delivery. The brain sometimes becomes subjected to significant pressure and molding. As the body follows, it undergoes further twisting, stretching and bending. Sometimes, these mechanical forces injure soft tissues and increase a baby's chances for bleeding.

Vitamin K Prevents Bleeding in Infants

Without enough vitamin K-dependent coagulation factors in their bloodstreams, newborns can bleed excessively. Most of the time, such as when a baby undergoes vacuum delivery and develops a hematoma in its scalp, the bleeding proves relatively minor. However, other bleeding episodes, such as hemorrhage from the liver or into the brain, can become life-threatening. Administration of vitamin K to all infants within the first few hours of birth helps to prevent such catastrophes.