As a mum-to-be, you surely know that you need the right proportions of carbohydrates, proteins, fats, minerals and vitamins to stay healthy and take care of the baby in your womb. Now though, vitamins are required only in small doses. Every mineral plays a key role in determining the wellbeing of you and your baby. For example, your body needs vitamin K to produce a clotting factor that helps your blood clot normally, in case of cuts or injuries. This fat-soluble vitamin also affects bone metabolism by controlling the level of calcium in your blood. Hence, its deficiency can pose many problems.
- A deficiency of Vitamin K can lead to a decrease in the bile flow in the gallbladder of a pregnant woman, mainly in the third trimester. As you might know, the bile fluid is produced by the liver for digestion purposes. And, a reduced flow leads to depression, fatigue, loss of appetite, dark urine, and severe itching.
- Vitamin K Deficiency Bleeding or VKDB is another problem that newborns might face. This can cause excessive internal bleeding in vital organs like the brain, stomach or intestines. In some cases, the situation might be fatal.
- After birth, the newborn might also bleed from the area where the umbilical cord is removed, beneath the skin. His nose or gums might appear injured as well. If an injection is administered, the site might bleed more than usual. You might notice blood in the baby’s urine or stool too.
- Vitamin K deficiency can also affect the immune system and cause digestive and cardiovascular issues in the mother and child.
- Since vitamin K aids your healing process post labor and childbirth through timely blood clotting, its deficiency can slow down the process. So, the new mother might lose more blood than usual.
- Vitamin K helps in bone development and prevents acid from harming the teeth. And pregnant women are more prone to dental issues if there is a deficiency. A deficiency can hamper the proper development of the skeletal system in the fetus.
- A deficiency of vitamin K will also affect the mother’s ability to absorb proteins. And this, in turn, can affect the muscular development of the fetus.
Pregnant women can usually get the required dose of vitamin K from green leafy veggies like spinach, mustard greens and lettuce. You can also get it from non-vegetarian sources like eggs, fish, meat and liver. However, if your doctor suspects that you are not getting enough vitamin K from your meals, he might suggest a supplement.
Author Bio: Prapti Chauhan is a professor of Genetics in Bangalore. She has contributed to several online research papers. However, she passionately develops contents on pregnancy, childbirth, childcare, baby stem cell collection, umbilical cord lining and more.
