What happens if breast milk is deficient in vitamin K

It is true that vitamin K is insufficient in breast milk, but all children will be injected with vitamin K after birth, and the baby's intestines can synthesize it by themselves, and healthy full-term children generally do not need to worry about vitamin K insufficiency.

In order to give you a clearer understanding of vitamin K, we will introduce it in detail below.

Q: Is vitamin K deficiency associated with bleeding?

A: Yes, vitamin K plays an important role in the blood clotting pathway, which helps some clotting factors to be active and play a role in blood clotting. If vitamin K is deficient, these clotting factors cannot be activated properly, and coagulation dysfunction will occur, resulting in bleeding.

If the bleeding occurs within the skull, it is a very dangerous intracranial hemorrhage.

A: Vitamin K1 (phylloquinone): Consumed from food. It is better absorbed when ingested with fat. It is abundant in leafy greens (e.g., kale, spinach, kale), soybean oil, and canola oil.

Vitamin K2 (menaquinone): Produced by gut bacteria, but only a small amount is absorbed. The activity is 60% of vitamin K1.

Q: What causes newborns to be prone to vitamin K deficiency?

A: During pregnancy, the mother delivers only a small amount of vitamin K to the fetus.

In the first few days of life, the newborn's gut has not yet acquired the bacteria that produce vitamin K.

Breast milk is indeed deficient in vitamin K.

The liver of newborns is immature and cannot use vitamin K effectively

Q: How can I prevent bleeding caused by vitamin K deficiency in my newborn?

A: Intramuscular injection of vitamin K1 into newborns after birth is the most effective way to prevent vitamin K deficiency.

American Academy of Pediatrics: All newborns should receive intramuscular vitamin K1 after birth.

The same is required by the diagnosis and treatment routine in our country.

Causes of vitamin K deficiency in babies.

Vitamin K allows blood circulation in newborns to flow normally. During the first physical examination after the birth of the baby, the doctor will specially guide the parents to help the baby supplement vitamin K, so that the vitamin K can enter the baby's body and brain. Because vitamin K cannot be formed by the human body, in the future, babies will also need to take vitamin K through their diet.

So what kind of problems will happen if your baby is deficient in vitamin K?

a) Inadequate intake.

Milk contains less vitamin K, and the vitamin K content in human milk is only 1 4 of the content in cow's milk, and the bacteria in the intestines of breastfed infants synthesize less vitamin K, so infants who are simply breastfed without complementary foods are susceptible to this disease. In addition, children grow and develop rapidly, have a greater need for vitamin K, and are more likely to have insufficient intake.

ii) Absorption disorders.

Diseases of the liver, gallbladder and pancreas, such as obstructive jaundice, and chronic diarrhea caused by any cause, can affect the absorption of fat-soluble vitamin K in the intestine.

iii) Use of barriers.

Impaired liver function due to any cause, such as viral infection, can cause impaired synthesis of vitamin K-dependent factors.

iv) Synthesis reduction.

Long-term oral administration of broad-spectrum antibiotics or sulfonamides reduces vitamin K synthesis due to inhibition of intestinal bacteria.

v) Use of anticoagulant drugs.

The anticoagulant drug dicoumarin inhibits carboxylase in the liver and reduces the production of vitamin K-dependent factor. Salicylic acid is a degradation product of dicoumarin, and also has a similar effect to dicoumarin, so vitamin K should be supplemented when applying high doses of salicylate** for rheumatism.

Symptoms of vitamin K deficiency.

Vitamin K deficiency, also known as acquired prothrombin, refers to bleeding due to vitamin K deficiency that leads to low activity of vitamin K-dependent clotting factors and can be corrected by vitamin K. Presence of underlying disease causing vitamin K deficiency, bleeding tendency, and vitamin K-dependent coagulation factor deficiency or reduction characterised by it. Vitamin K deficiency often presents with the following symptoms.

1.Mucosal bleeding such as purpura, ecchymosis, nosebleeds, gum bleeding, etc.

2.Visceral hemorrhage, such as hematemesis, black stool, hematuria and menorrhagia, can cause intracranial hemorrhage in severe cases.

3.Bleeding from a wound after trauma or surgery.

4.Neonatal hemorrhage is more common in the first 2 to 3 days after birth, and often manifests as umbilical cord bleeding, gastrointestinal bleeding, etc. Bleeding is usually mild, and bleeding from muscles, joints, and other deep tissues is rare.

Most mothers don't need to be nervous, and now in regular hospitals, after the child is born, the doctor will give the child a vitamin K injection, "as common as a preventive injection". However, in some small hospitals, especially in rural and remote areas, vitamin K injections are often neglected due to lack of knowledge. "It costs less than a dollar for an injection, but if a child has vitamin K deficiency, the consequences are unimaginable.

Director Wei reminded that after the birth of the child, remember to inject the child with vitamin K injections, and it is best to supplement the injection after the full moon for children who are simply breastfed. In addition to this examination, children with frequent diarrhea or hepatitis syndrome should be given prophylactic vitamin K1 injections to prevent vitamin K deficiency in children.

The advantages of breastfeeding are many, but there are also disadvantages. The most important nutritional deficiency in breast milk is vitamin K deficiency. Vitamin K is a nutrient that is necessary for the normal life of the human body.

Lack of vitamin K in the body will cause bleeding, this is because the synthesis of certain coagulation factors (factors 2, 7, 9, 10) with coagulation must have the participation of Vison cobiotic K, if the body is deficient in vitamin K, the synthesis of these coagulation factors will be reduced or can not be synthesized, resulting in hematemesis, blood in the stool, mucosal bleeding, wound bleeding, blood in urine, and even intracranial hemorrhage. With the rapid development of medical science, considerable attention has been paid to bleeding caused by vitamin K deficiency in breastfed infants in recent years. According to Japan's 1980 national survey, the incidence of vitamin K deficiency in infants accounted for 1,4000 births, while the incidence of vitamin K deficiency in infants who were breastfed was as high as 1,1700.

Secondary infantile vitamin K deficiency often has obvious liver damage, bile excretion disorders, prolonged diarrhea, and long-term antibiotic use, while idiopathic infant vitamin K deficiency does not have the above triggers. Vitamin K deficiency in infants is more common in breastfed infants, especially idiopathic infants, with 80 to 90% of patients being breastfed. Intracranial hemorrhage occurs in about 90% of cases.

Patients with intracranial hemorrhage, 1 4 recovered, l 4 died, 1 2 had sequelae (cerebral palsy, mental retardation, convulsions, etc.).

The amount of vitamin K in the breast milk of this sick child has been reported to be about half that of normal breast milk. Therefore, when breastfed infants have bleeding, they should immediately go to the hospital to find out the cause, and in time, in order to prevent infant vitamin K deficiency, breastfed infants should also add complementary foods in time, especially foods rich in vitamin K, such as liver, eggs, beans, vegetables, etc. Care should also be taken to avoid long-term antibiotic use.

In general, vitamin K is produced by E. coli in the body. Therefore, in addition to the period of 1-2 months, vitamin K can be naturally supplemented.

However, babies who are just 1 to 5 months old have not yet fully developed their large intestine, so breastfeeding alone will cause a deficiency of vitamin mina.

Five-month-old breastfed babies should also add complementary foods in time, especially foods rich in vitamin K, such as liver, eggs, beans, vegetables, etc.

That is to say, the mother's positive posture diet book may be lacking, so you have to supplement it first, if it is not good, is it not secreted in the breast milk, then you have to add another to the baby.

Breastfeeding has incomparable advantages, but breast milk also has some deficiencies, such as vitamin D, vitamin K, and less iron. The vitamin K content of breast milk is low, only 1 4 of cow's milk, and during pregnancy, it is difficult for vitamin K in the mother's body to pass through the placenta, and the vitamin K content of umbilical cord blood is only about 1 30 of maternal blood, resulting in low basic vitamin K concentration in neonatal umbilical cord blood. Therefore, breastfed infants cannot get enough vitamin K, and attention should be paid to timely supplementation.

Breastfeeding alone, especially if the breastfeeding mother is deficient in vitamin K, the baby may be affected by vitamin K deficiencyBleeding from the digestive tract, mucosa and intracranial areas. Vitamin K deficiency bleeding caused by breastfeeding often occurs between the first 24 and 3 months of life and is often referred to as late-onset bleeding. The main clinical manifestations are ** hemorrhage, hematemesis, hematochezia, prolonged bleeding at the puncture site, often combined with intracranial hemorrhage and pulmonary hemorrhage resulting in death, and severe intracranial hemorrhage will have sequelae.

In order to prevent this disease, all neonates should be given routine intramuscular vitamin K injection: in the first and second months of life, and vitamin K 1 mg in the first and second months of life to prevent late-onset vitamin K deficiency.

High-risk infants, such as preterm infants, chronic diarrhea, and long-term total intravenous nutrition, should receive intravenous vitamin K once a week: 0 5~ lmg。

Older infants do not develop vitamin K deficiency because the gut microbiota is established and the amount of vitamin K in the diet is sufficient.

In order to ensure the healthy growth and development of infants, the occurrence of late-onset vitamin K deficiency in infants should be actively prevented during breastfeeding, and the main measures are as follows:

Newborns should be fed early after birth, which can promote the formation of intestinal flora and facilitate the synthesis of vitamin K;

Nursing mothers should eat more foods containing more vitamin K, such as green vegetables, soybeans, liver, egg yolks, etc., to increase the content of vitamin K in breast milk;

Master the correct feeding method, the second half of breast milk contains significantly more vitamin K than the first half of breast milk, so the baby should be fed on one side before the other;

If the mother has hepatobiliary disease or takes drugs that interfere with vitamin K production, vitamin K supplementation should be taken orally. Relevant experts recommend taking vitamin K 20mg orally every day from two weeks before childbirth;

Although breastfeeding is the main factor in vitamin K deficiency in infants, it is not the only factor. When children suffer from hepatobiliary diseases, diarrhea and infectious diseases, vitamin K intake, absorption and utilization will be insufficient.

Vitamin deficiency during breastfeeding is actually not too terrible, as long as you discuss with the doctor, they will give you some nutritional supplements for the relevant situation, and after communicating with the doctor, the doctor will explain to you accordingly. As long as you go to a regular national hospital or a provincial hospital, you can do it.

Breast milk is a natural nutritious product, it not only has the most suitable nutrients for the growth and development of infants, but also has the immune function of anti-infection that cannot be replaced by other dairy products, and improves the resistance of infants.

All in all, everyone should know that breastfeeding has many advantages, but several disadvantages. One of them is that the content of vitamin K is small, only 1 4 of milk, which can not meet the needs of infant growth and development, and the baby has fewer bacteria in the intestine and the amount of vitamin K synthesized is also small.

Infants under 3 months of age are susceptible to delayed intracranial hemorrhage, which is caused by poor coagulation due to vitamin K deficiency, and the incidence is highest in infants who are exclusively breastfed. Many babies lose their lives or are left with severe sequelae due to intracranial hemorrhage.

The three months after giving birth is a critical time to prevent the disease, so the obstetrician should give vitamin K-11 mg injections daily for three days after giving birth. At the same time, mothers should also take vitamin K-10 milliyuan shen sui grams every 10 days, and take it 10 times.

Green leafy vegetables are also rich in vitamin K, but there is a custom of maternal taboo, that is, mothers can not eat raw and cold food during confinement, resulting in less vitamin content in breast milk, which shows that we should let lactating mothers take in comprehensive nutrition, eat more green leafy vegetables and fruits, so that milk nutrition is comprehensive.