For all my pregnant ladies!! I posted in my story a few days ago, but I feel like it's SUCH an important topic that it deserves a permanent post. This is about ALL the things we are told to do, but never hear about safer alternatives, better choices, etc. Now, most of you know we are currently planning to deliver at a birthing center. That ALONE removes a lot of the scary conventional hospital birth. Let me be clear. Hospital births are not "WRONG", but alot of women see increased levels of stress and quite honestly just can't get comfortable. But more on that later.
TODAY'S topic is Vitamin K. Now, if you aren't a momma or a dad, you may not know that one of the standard things most places (including birthing centers) do is that RIGHT after birth (or shortly after birth), your new little is getting all cleaned up (more on that later too), and they often get a series of "treatments". One of these is a Vitamin K injection. Again, it's not "wrong", but can we minimize the trauma this little one has ALREADY gone through just in leaving that safe squishy tummy? YES, we can. Enter Vitamin K1 drops. (See pictured, Biotics Research Bio-K-Emulsion).
So why is the Vitamin K injection given in the first place? There are two DIFFERENT Vitamin Ks. K1 and K2. One is predominantly plant-based (K1), and one we can really only get from animal proteins (K2). Our human bodies cannot convert K1 to K2, but our happy cows can! Now, the injection is K1. But it's not ONLY K1. Different pharma companies add different ingredients to their injections and while I haven't seen any recent formulas listing aluminum or formaldehyde, they DO list certain ingredients like dextrose (aka sugar). Not to mention, it's SYNTHETIC K1. So, instead, I'm opting for these drops. K1 is ALLLLL about blood clotting. As in, stop the heavy bleeding. And let's face it. Newborns aren't born with what's considered a "safe" amount of K1. So how to use the drops? Some momma's just add a drop to their nipple right after birth before your little starts latching. Amounts vary, but I've mostly seen recommendations for drops once a week.
Dosing: 2mg at birth, followed by 1 mg every week up to age 13 weeks. For this bottle, that means 4 drops at birth (the equivalent of the injection), and 2 drops every week thereafter. That's IT. And that initial dose alone has been proven to be JUST as effective as the injection, without all the extra garbage.
Ultimately, momma's have to make the best decision that is right for THEM. What is most important to me is that you feel EDUCATED in your decisions. Let me know if you have any questions! You can always comment here or reach out via my contact page!
