Beware of baby bleeding due to lack of vitamin k & bull; hello healthy

Babies need various vitamins, minerals, and various other nutrients to support their growth and development. In the womb, all these nutrients are obtained from the mother's body, and at birth, these nutrients are obtained from breastfeeding. But did you know that babies born are prone to vitamin K deficiency which can cause bleeding and even death?

What does Vitamin K do for the body?

Vitamin K is a fat-soluble vitamin that plays a role in the blood clotting process, prevents bleeding, and helps in the synthesis of protein in blood plasma, bones and kidneys. Basically, vitamin K is divided into two types, namely, vitamin K1 and vitamin K2. Vitamin K1 can be found in a variety of green leafy vegetables, while vitamin K2 is found in beef, cheese and eggs. In addition, vitamin K2 can actually be produced by bacteria in the body's digestive system. Vitamin K deficiency can cause various things, such as bleeding and disorders of bone health.

Why do newborns suffer from vitamin K deficiency?

Newborn babies are very susceptible to vitamin K deficiency. When in the womb, babies do not get enough vitamin K, because vitamin K from the mother is difficult to pass through the placenta. In addition, newborn babies do not have a collection of good bacteria in their digestive system, so they cannot produce vitamin K on their own. In addition, the vitamin K content in breast milk is not large enough, so even babies who are breastfed can experience vitamin K deficiency.Therefore, newborns are prone to bleeding due to vitamin K deficiency, which is often referred to as vitamin K deficiency bleeding (VKDB).

Bleeding due to vitamin K deficiency in newborns can result in death

When a baby bleeds due to a lack of vitamin K, aka vitamin K deficiency bleeding (VKDB), the baby's body will not stop bleeding because the body is unable to clot blood due to vitamin K deficiency. This bleeding can occur in various parts of the body, inside or outside. Bleeding will be difficult to detect when it occurs in the body or in one of the baby's organs. However, usually babies with VKDB experience bleeding in the digestive system or brain which can result in brain damage, even death. This bleeding can occur from a newborn until the baby is able to eat complementary foods when they are 6 months old. At that time, food that enters the baby's body for the first time will "activate" the good bacteria in the digestive system and then trigger them to produce vitamin K.

Various levels of baby bleeding due to vitamin K deficiency

The incidence of VKDB is divided into groups, depending on the level of deficiency that occurs and the age of the baby when experiencing VKDB, namely:

• Initial VKDB, occurs in infants aged 0 to 24 hours after birth. In this group, the level of vitamin K deficiency was severe and the risk increased if the mother took several drugs that treat seizures.
• Classic VKDB, occurs 1 to 7 days after birth. Symptoms that can be seen are bruises appearing on the baby's body and bleeding that most often occurs in the intestine.
• VKDB is late, namely bleeding occurring 2 to 12 weeks after birth, but it can also occur until the baby is 6 months old. Of the total babies who experience this type of VKDB, it is known that 30-60% of them experience bleeding in the brain.

Early and classic types of VKDB are bleeding that often occurs in infants, at least 1 in 60 to 1 in 250 newborns can experience this. Although, the risk of VKDB is greater in babies whose mothers take drugs during pregnancy. While late VKDB occurs less frequently, the chances of it occurring are 1 in 14 thousand to 1 in 25 thousand new births. In addition, newborns who did not receive additional vitamin K injections immediately after birth had an 81 times higher chance of developing VKDB compared to babies who received injections.

Symptoms of internal bleeding in the body of a newborn

Unfortunately, most cases of VKDB do not cause any symptoms and signs, so parents must be more vigilant and pay attention to their babies always. However, here are the symptoms and signs that may occur in babies who have VKDB:

• There are bruises, especially around the baby's head and face
• Nosebleed or experiencing bleeding in the umbilical cord
• The baby's skin turned pale from before
• After 3 weeks of life, the whites of the eyes turn yellow
• Passing dark black, sticky stools
• Vomiting blood
• Seizures and frequent vomiting, hemorrhage may be suspected in the brain.

How to prevent babies from bleeding due to vitamin K deficiency?

According to the American Academy of Pediatrics and the Indonesian Ministry of Health, prevention of bleeding due to vitamin K deficiency can be done by administering additional vitamin K injections shortly after birth.