Article on Vitamin K for newborns

Here is a great article with sources on some risks of the Vitamin K injection after birth. It also gives alternatives to the shot, like my last post. I personally didn't give my baby the shot or the oral dose. I breast fed her directly after birth and practically all day and night for the first couple days. In the article, it mentions that there is a natural form of Vitamin K in colostrum. It is interesting to note that babies started having trouble with Vitamin K levels when hospitals routinely and immediately separated mom and baby for hours if not days after birth and weren't allowed to breast feed right away. After a couple days, mom's colostrum is gone and along with it the Vitamin K. After reading up on it, I think that Vitamin K shots or doses aren't necessary if my baby gets lots of immediate colostrum, but each parent has to make their own decision. Read this article and choose for yourself.

Article via Giving Birth Naturally.

Oral Vitamin K

Here is the site to order oral Vitamin K for babies after birth. Oral Vitamin K can be given instead of the routine shot. It is non-toxic, plant-derived, and fat soluable. It is believed by many natural birth practitioners that oral Vitamin K is a kinder, gentler way to administer this vitamin. It can even be taken by the nursing mother instead of the baby.

Here are some cool facts about babies:

•Babies are born with very poor vision.
•Babies are born with the ability to hold their breath.
•Babies are born without proper kneecaps.
•A study of 7000 mothers found that those who ate fish at least once per week had babies who scored higher in verbal skills at 15 months than those whose mothers ate no fish.
•Babies do not normally shed tears until 2 to 6 weeks.
•Babies are born with 300 bones, but by adult we have only 206 in our bodies.
•A newborn baby’s head accounts for about one-quarter of it’s entire weight.
•A fetus in the womb can hear. Tests have shown that fetuses respond to various sounds just as vigorously as they respond to pressures and internal sensations.


Facts taken from Cool Facts About Babies.

Miso Soup- the original Ramen noodle

I heard about how Miso soup is packed with all these vitamins and minerals on the radio a while back. Then my daughter and I were eating at the local sushi restaurant a few weeks ago and she couldn't get enough of the Miso soup! So I researched it and found out it is a powerhouse of nutrition. I bought a tub of the miso paste at Harmons, our local grocery store, and now use it for a quick lunch or dinner. Oh, and it's so packed with isoflavones that 2 - 3 bowls a week for mom is supposed to prevent breast cancer. I now consider this my ramen noodle soup substitute. It's just as fast and let's be honest, way better for your kids. How does no MSG sound? I'm loving that. Serving suggestions? I drop a whole egg in at the end to add protein and bok choy for more cancer-fighting power. But I love this picture of the long, wavy noodles. Trying that today for lunch. So here's to hot soups on chilly fall afternoons with your kids. Cheers!