True Story: A friend of mine just had a baby via emergency c-section and is currently still in the hospital recovering while her baby is in the NICU.
This mother has been through more than any human being could ever imagine having to go through over a lifetime and is still one of the sweetest, strongest women.
She chose to decline the vitamin K shot for her baby because as you can see from the package insert there are clear warnings and because the hospital she is in couldn't pressure her into changing her mind, they then called CPS on her.
Yes, you read that right. CPS was called on her for declining something she has every legal right to decline and every logical reason to decline.
Thankfully another friend of mine, Erin Crawford, was able to be at the hospital when the hospital social worker came in. And ya know what? The hospital was scared of the facts Erin was presenting. So much so.. they brought in the head of nursing, the attending physician, and the hospital administrator to the room to discuss what she was presenting to them.
After 40 minutes of talking to them, the head of nursing and the attending physician ADMITTED they had no idea the Vit K shot has a black box warning (strictest warning put on the labeling of drugs by the FDA when there is reasonable evidence of an association of a serious hazard.)
The hospital lawyer ADMITTED the consent and refusal forms that are given to patients when declining said drugs do not fully inform the patient and are illegal, apologized profusely and promised to revise the forms.
They then could do nothing else but promise to leave this poor mother alone.. which is great! But this shouldn't have happened to begin with and it happens ALL the time.
First of all, why is CPS being called on parents for no reason other than harassment?
Second of all, why didn't the doctor and nurse know that the Vit K shot they were not only recommending but harassing a patient into giving her newborn baby... has a black box warning? Shouldn't doctors know every detail about every drug they prescribe?
Thirdly, why is the hospital giving consent and refusal forms that do not adequately inform patients to the risks associated with every drug they are consenting to?
Fourthly, why is the Vit K shot being given to EVERY SINGLE newborn baby when it clearly states on the package insert that it should only be given when the serious risk involved is considered justified?
Some info to consider about Vit K:
"In order to absorb vitamin K we have to have a functioning biliary and pancreas system. The reason we give breastmilk (and delay solids) until they are atleast 6 months, and the reason breastmilk only contains a small amount of highly absorbable Vit K, is because infants digestive systems are not fully developed at birth and too much Vit K could harm the liver and cause brain damage. As baby ages and the digestive tract, mucosal lining, gut flora, and enzyme functions develop, baby can process more Vit K. So it makes sense that they have low levels of Vit K at birth. (and we don't need to inject them with a high amount of synthetic Vit K.)
Cord blood contains stem cells, which protect a baby against bleeding and perform all sorts of needed repairs inside an infants body. In order for a baby to get this protective boost of stem cells, cord-cutting needs to be delayed and the blood needs to remain thin so stem cells can easily travel and perform their functions.
Babies are born with low levels of Vit K compared to adults, but this level is still sufficient to prevent problems.
Several clinical observations support the hypothesis that children have natural protective mechanisms that justify their low vitamin K levels at birth. I don't know about you, but we should probably figure out why that is before we inject now and worry about it later.
Do you know why Vit K is pushed on parents and their children? Because pharmaceutical companies don't like to lose money, doctors don't like to be questioned, the American Academy of Pediatrics dare not change its recommendations." -Pediatrician
Edited to note: For those of you questioning whether VIT K is administered subcutaneously or intramuscularly, it was confirmed by the doctors at this hospital as well as birth professionals in the comments on this post that standard practice is intramuscular.
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