Our midwife, Joan Bryson, emphasized the importance of not skipping vitamin K completely. I had read a lot of information about the K shot not being a good thing but was on the fence about whether we needed to administer vitamin K at all. I like to believe that a proper diet rich in all the fat-soluble vitamins (including K) will be all we need. I took vitamin K as a supplement while pregnant and drank nettle tea. I also ate lots of wonderful aged raw cheese from summertime grass-fed cows' milk--all important things to do to make sure as much vitamin K as possible passes through to the developing baby. (The food highest in K, natto, was not readily available to me and also seemed extremely unappetizing, but if you like it then the more power to you! It's very rich in vitamin K.)
It seems that Joan and the other NYC home birth midwives have encountered more than their fair share of cases where parents either skipped the K completely or didn't administer all the doses of the oral drops as they should have, and the baby developed infant hemorrhagic disease. According to international statistics these cases are extremely rare-one in 10,000 or so, but in her experience it happens MUCH more frequently than that (perhaps because our diets are poor in this important fat-soluble nutrient). Joan told me about seeing a baby who needed a brain shunt--his little head shaved from the operation. How horrible!
But since there is speculation that the K shot is associated with childhood leukemia I definitely didn't want to go that route. I settled on the oral K drops from Birth With Love. At $31.00 it is a much higher price than the $14.00 injectable K, but well worth the extra cost.
Aside from ensuring healthy blood clotting will take place if the baby is cut or bruised, vitamin K is crucial for developing a proper bone structure, including a handsomely broad face with high cheekbones--which in turn will ensure proper development of the jaw and plenty of room for all the teeth to come in straight. For a wealth of fascinating details on how proper nutrition can make our kids beautiful (and healthy!) see the book Deep Nutrition: Why Your Genes Need Traditional Foods.
