Photo by Spencer Selover from Pexels
This is one of those posts no one likes to talk about, but I think it’s important. Everyone wants to believe that their doctors have their best interest when it comes to their child’s health and well-being. But, that doesn’t always mean they’ve done the research beyond their standard practice.
Paid Off?: Does Your Pediatrician Have Your Child’s Best Interest at Heart?
[Many thanks to Jenny of Mom Life in the PNW for giving permission to reshare a large portion of her post – vital information for parents.]
I knew when I gave birth to my daughters that I was going to decline the Vitamin K shot because it’s 20,000 times more than what babies need and it can cause all sorts of problems for infections to occur. I got a ton of flack by the nurses when I told them I wasn’t doing the vitamin K shot; they acted like I was committing child abuse.
Yes, I believe there may be instances where a newborn may need it if there are bleeding issues, but my daughter was completely healthy and normal with no visible signs of trauma after coming out of the birth canal unassisted. My mind may have changed IF there were issues, but there were not. I also believe the body is capable of doing what God intended it to do. The body is a powerful thing that can heal itself.
Dr. Suzanne Humphries explains how the body has already compensated for this concern. 4 min.
Another Relevant Testimony on Vit K given during HB 2664 (See full text here)
Babies were designed with lower levels of vitamin K at birth for a protective reason.
Let’s consider them:
- First, your newborn’s digestive system isn’t fully developed at birth which is why we give babies breast milk (and delay solids) until they are at least 6-months-old, and why breast milk only contains a small amount of highly absorbable vitamin K. Too much vitamin K taxes the liver. Low levels of vitamin K at birth just…makes…sense.
- Secondly, cord blood contains stem cells, which protect a baby against bleeding and perform all sorts of needed repairs inside an infant’s body. But, here’s the kicker — in order for a baby to get this protective boost of stem cells, cord-cutting needs to be delayed. When delayed, the extra blood volume allows the stem cells to easily travel and perform their functions. Imagine that, a baby has his/her own protective mechanism to prevent bleeding and repair organs.
- Third, a newborn might have low levels of vitamin K because its intestines are not yet colonized with bacteria needed to synthesize it and the “vitamin K cycle” isn’t fully functional in newborns.
But … pediatricians consider lower levels of vitamin K a … “defect” … so they want to give Vit. K which results in blood nearly 100 times thicker than an adult’s.
Baby’s blood thickened with synthetic vitamin K, causes a situation where any stem cells from the cord blood have to move through sludge, not nicely greased blood vessels full of blood which can allow stem cells easy access to anywhere. Maybe one day it will dawn on the medical profession that not only are cord blood stem cells important and useful to the newborn baby, but that a baby’s blood is slightly thinner for a reason.
Any fetus which gets being wrung out like a wet towel while traveling down a narrow drain pipe can incur damage in any part of the body, including in the brain, and needs an built-in repair kit. And stem cells cross the brain blood barrier. In fact, stem cells can go … anywhere!!!
Amazing don’t you think? God’s design has solutions for situational problems.
——-
Here’s the black box warning label for the Vit. K shot straight from the FDA website. So is the Vit. K injection really completely “safe”?
How Vitamin K Causes Jaundice:
“But the big thing about manufactured vitamin K is that it contains benzyl alcohol—9 milligrams (mgs) of benzyl alcohol. So doctors are injecting these babies, who are minutes old, with a shot that contains alcohol that targets their liver, the organ which is necessary for them to detoxify. One of the acknowledged side effects of synthetic vitamin K shots, along with shock and cardiac or respiratory distress, is—you guessed it—jaundice.” (source)
The vitamin K1 injection is synthetic, an unnecessary intervention, and a painful experience for your baby. Oral Vitamin K is used in Europe and is much safer.
If you would prefer not be harassed, intimidated and forced to defend your lifestyle during one of life’s most precious moments (the birth of your child), my advice would be to skip the hospital drama.
Have your baby at home or at a freestanding birth center instead.
20 Foods That Are High in Vitamin K
Optimizing Vitamin K levels in the newborn
- Reducing physical trauma during birth/ trauma caused by medicalized birth (forceps or vacuum birth)
- Initiation of early breastfeeding (colostrum is high in Vit. K)
- Delayed cord clamping (early cord clamping can deplete the newborn of its clotting factors)
- Avoid antibiotics (interference with newborn gut flora and Vit. K producing bacteria)
- Optimize maternal Vit. K intake whilst breastfeeding with green leafy veggies
- Optimize maternal gut flora (Vit. K producing bacteria) with probiotics
How Toxic Are Vitamin K and Hepatitis B Injections?
The Question of Vitamin K for Newborns
Jacque’s Update: Facebook and social media platforms are cracking down on Conservative/holistic health content. Many of you have complained that you never see our content in your news feeds on social media. There are 2 ways to fight back — by joining my FREE newsletter (Click here) and by sharing this with a trusted friend(s).
Related