Baby Health
Newborn Medical Care
Vitamin K Injection
The Canadian Pediatric Society advises that all newborns have an injection of vitamin K within six hours after birth. This injection helps prevent hemorrhagic disease of the newborn. Hemorrhagic disease of the newborn is a bleeding problem that occurs during the first few days of life. Babies are born with low levels of vitamin K, an important factor in blood clotting. In the newborn, the low level of vitamin K is the main cause of hemorrhagic disease.
If you do not want your baby to receive the injection, talk with your health care provider. Giving vitamin K by mouth may be an option. However, the recommended way to give vitamin K is by injection. Oral vitamin K needs to be given at birth and twice more over four to eight weeks.
Eye Treatment
The Canadian Pediatric Society recommends that all newborns receive treatment to prevent an infection of gonorrhea or chlamydia. These infections can get into the baby’s eyes during birth. An eye ointment is usually used to treat a baby’s eyes. If not treated, these infections can cause blindness.
Treatment can be delayed for about one hour after birth. This allows for parent‑infant contact, for the baby to be skin‑to‑skin with the mother, and for breastfeeding.
Early Disease Screening
Newborn screening is a quick blood test that finds babies who may have one of a number of treatable rare disorders. In British Columbia, there are about 40 babies born each year (1 out of every 1,000) who are found to have one of these rare disorders. Early treatment of these disorders can prevent mental delays, growth problems, health problems, and sudden infant death.
A small sample of blood is needed to screen your baby. Your baby’s heel is pricked and a few drops of blood are taken and put onto a special card. Your baby may cry, but taking the blood sample does not cause any harm. You can help by holding and breastfeeding your baby while the blood is being taken.
The blood sample is usually taken between 24 and 48 hours after birth. This will be done before your baby leaves the hospital (or, if you had a home birth, your midwife will do the screen at home).
For more information about newborn screening, talk to your health care provider or visit the BC Children’s Hospital website.
