Explain why newborns do not have significant amounts of vitamin K at birth. What are the benefits and concerns of this deficiency, and what is the standard of care given at birth to prevent vitamin K deficiency symptoms?


?Newborns do not have a lot of vitamin K at birth because it does not easily cross the placenta. Additionally, vitamin K producing bacteria are not present in the digestive tract, nor does vitamin K exist in breast milk in high amounts. This is advantageous to the infant during the stressful birthing process, as it prevents the blood from clotting, which can cause infant to have serious complications, and possibly die. However, after the baby is born, the risk of hemorrhagic disease is high, so to prevent the baby from bleeding out, the baby is given a shot of vitamin K immediately after birth.

Nutritional Science

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