The Newborn Vitamin K Shot Ingredients

What is in the newborn Vitamin K shot

There are so many decisions for new parents to make. One of the first is whether or not to give Vitamin K to their newborn baby. If the answer is yes, the next decision is whether to give oral or injectable Vitamin K. This article is a review of the ingredients in two of the brands of injectable Vitamin K for newborns.

Where to learn more about Vitamin K and Newborn Hemorrhagic Disease

To learn more about the reasons to give Vitamin K and the likelihood of a newborn baby developing Newborn Hemorrhagic Disease I recommend reading:

Vitamin K Evidence Based Birth, Evidence on The Vitamin K Shot in Newborns, https://evidencebasedbirth.com/evidence-for-the-vitamin-k-shot-in-newborns/, 2019.

Two Brands of Vitamin K Shots

Two brands of Newborn Vitamin K injections that are readily available to homebirth midwives are Pfizer and International Medical Systems. (International Medical Systems is a U.S. company). A list of ingredients for both of these is listed below.

Preservative-Free Vitamin K

The parents who choose to give a Vitamin K shot sometimes ask for a preservative-free Vitamin K shot. The Vitamin K shot made by International Medical Systems does not contain alcohol or any other preservative.

A List of Ingredients for Two Brands of Vitamin K

Vitamin K Phytoniadone Injection- Made by International Medication Systems (a U.S. company)

This one is also known as “Preservative Free Vitamin K”

1 mg of Vitamin K1 (phytonadione), a fat-soluble vitamin derived from plants

10 mg of Polysorbate 80, which is an emulsifier and helps Vitamin K1 (a fat-soluble Vitamin) dissolve in liquid for the injection. Polysorbate 80 is made from natural plant-based sugar, sorbitol, and plant-based oleic acid is used in a wide variety of foods, medicines, and vitamin supplements, and is included in the Handbook of Green Chemicals. The one-time vitamin K shot contains 10 mg of polysorbate 80 (about 3 mg/kg for a 7-pound baby), and there is no reason to believe that this amount is harmful to newborns

10.4 mg of Propylene glycol, which helps absorb extra water and keep the vitamin K in solution. Propylene glycol has been recognized as safe by the FDA for use in food products. According to the World Health Organization, propylene glycol is safe to consume in amounts up to 25 mg/kg of body weight per day. The vitamin K shot includes 10.4 mg of propylene glycol or about 3.3 mg/kg for a 7-pound newborn Any cases of severe side effects from propylene glycol are from decades ago and were related to very high doses.

0.17 mg of Sodium acetate anhydrous, a mixture of salt and bicarbonate, is used to adjust the pH of the injection.

0.00002 mL of Glacial acetic acid, also known as vinegar, is used to adjust the pH of the injection

Vitamin K Phytoniadone Injection made by Pfizer

1 mg of Vitamin K1 (phytonadione), a fat-soluble vitamin derived from plants

35 mg Polyoxyethylated fatty acid derivative, solvent, and emulsifier made by reacting ethylene oxide with castor oil and used to dissolve the vitamin K into liquid form. Used in many drugs. Very rarely, this ingredient has caused an anaphylactic reaction in patients receiving large doses by intravenous infusion, but there are no reported cases of this effect in newborns receiving the intramuscular vitamin K shot with this ingredient.

18.75 mg Hydrous dextrose, this is simply sugar. (Which is also used when a newborn has hypoglycemia-low blood sugar.)

4.5 mg Benzyl alcohol, preservative. A very small amount is used to prevent bacterial contamination in the shot. You would need to give approximately 100 times higher amounts of benzyl alcohol on a daily basis in order to cause any side effects

It May contain hydrochloric acid to adjust the pH.

More detail about the individual ingredients in Vitamin K Injectables

To read more about the individual ingredients in Newborn K look at this blog article, The Science of Mom, Are the Ingredients in the Newborn Vitamin K Shot Safe? https://scienceofmom.com/2015/11/09/are-the-ingredients-in-the-newborn-vitamin-k-shot-safe/, 2015.

Talk to Your Midwife

Midwives are an excellent resource to discuss Newborn Vitamin K. New parents can ask the midwife about the pros and cons of Vitamin K at their prenatal appointments.

Diana Tobey

I had an unexpected change in my birth plan late in my third trimester with UCSD’s birth center and I was so stressed out about who would deliver my baby because none of their OB/GYNs were available. Thankfully, the universe conspired to bring me into Brooke’s midwifery practice. Everyone from my doula to my chiropractor recommended her, so I was ecstatic that she could take me on as a client! It turned out that Brooke was one of the most experienced and beloved midwives in San Diego. She actually helped to get the UCSD birth center started, was one half of the extremely well reviewed Mother to Mother midwifery, and now runs her own private practice where she supports mothers across their entire journey (including postpartum for regular OB/GYN needs) and trains new midwives (such as Brigid, who was also amazing). All that experience translated to an incredible intuition on what to do during pregnancy and labor, with the confidence to support you through any issues that might come up. I experienced an early rupture of membranes and Brooke guided me through it with natural remedies and without any pressure to speed things up, while checking on our vitals to make sure we were both healthy. As we entered the second day, she recommended a chiropractor who could help to naturally induce labor, and that worked like a charm! I had a speedy labor with no complications and no tearing, and welcomed my new baby safe and sound in my own home. It was a beautiful experience and I’m so thankful to Brooke and her team for making it happen! If you are considering a natural home birth and are low risk, I highly recommend Brooke and her team. When I first got pregnant, I knew I wanted a more natural birth (I had my first child in a freestanding birth center), so I thought UCSD was the best of both worlds: a birth center with the backing of a hospital in case anything went wrong. In practice, I felt like my pregnancy was treated and managed more like a disease; it seemed like decisions were made to avoid legal risks rather than based on the actual risk level of my pregnancy. Of course, complications can emerge anywhere, whether you decide to go with a hospital or home birth, but personally I wish I could go back in time and choose Brooke from the start! Oh and Brooke also has an amazing person on her team (Maureen) who helped us submit paperwork for state disability and insurance, and luckily we were able to recoup a significant portion of the fee from our insurance. That was the cherry on top! - 5/14/2024
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Diana Tobey

- 5/14/2024

I had an unexpected change in my birth plan late in my third trimester with UCSD’s birth center and I was so stressed out about who would deliver my baby because none of their OB/GYNs were available. Thankfully, the universe conspired to bring me into Brooke’s midwifery practice. Everyone from my doula to my chiropractor recommended her, so I was ecstatic that she could take me on as a client! It turned out that Brooke was one of the most experienced and beloved midwives in San Diego. She actually helped to get the UCSD birth center started, was one half of the extremely well reviewed Mother to Mother midwifery, and now runs her own private practice where she supports mothers across their entire journey (including postpartum for regular OB/GYN needs) and trains new midwives (such as Brigid, who was also amazing). All that experience translated to an incredible intuition on what to do during pregnancy and labor, with the confidence to support you through any issues that might come up. I experienced an early rupture of membranes and Brooke guided me through it with natural remedies and without any pressure to speed things up, while checking on our vitals to make sure we were both healthy. As we entered the second day, she recommended a chiropractor who could help to naturally induce labor, and that worked like a charm! I had a speedy labor with no complications and no tearing, and welcomed my new baby safe and sound in my own home. It was a beautiful experience and I’m so thankful to Brooke and her team for making it happen! If you are considering a natural home birth and are low risk, I highly recommend Brooke and her team. When I first got pregnant, I knew I wanted a more natural birth (I had my first child in a freestanding birth center), so I thought UCSD was the best of both worlds: a birth center with the backing of a hospital in case anything went wrong. In practice, I felt like my pregnancy was treated and managed more like a disease; it seemed like decisions were made to avoid legal risks rather than based on the actual risk level of my pregnancy. Of course, complications can emerge anywhere, whether you decide to go with a hospital or home birth, but personally I wish I could go back in time and choose Brooke from the start! Oh and Brooke also has an amazing person on her team (Maureen) who helped us submit paperwork for state disability and insurance, and luckily we were able to recoup a significant portion of the fee from our insurance. That was the cherry on top!
Morgan Seagraves

I moved to San Diego when I was around 23 weeks pregnant and found Brooke to be our new provider for our third pregnancy. I had 2 previous unmedicated hospital births, and I was looking for a more holistic experience with a home birth. Brooke (and her assisting midwife, Brigid) could not have been more perfect for what I was looking for. She was happy to discuss any of my fears regarding home birth and put my husband and me at ease with the first facetime call we had since we were initially long distance. My birth was a wonderful experience, and I felt very held and cared for before, during, and after for those first postpartum weeks. They gave me all the tools to prepare for a home birth.These women are passionate about supporting a mother through pregnancy and birth and beyond, and I am so happy I found them! - 4/25/2024
read moreread less

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Morgan Seagraves

- 4/25/2024

I moved to San Diego when I was around 23 weeks pregnant and found Brooke to be our new provider for our third pregnancy. I had 2 previous unmedicated hospital births, and I was looking for a more holistic experience with a home birth. Brooke (and her assisting midwife, Brigid) could not have been more perfect for what I was looking for. She was happy to discuss any of my fears regarding home birth and put my husband and me at ease with the first facetime call we had since we were initially long distance. My birth was a wonderful experience, and I felt very held and cared for before, during, and after for those first postpartum weeks. They gave me all the tools to prepare for a home birth.These women are passionate about supporting a mother through pregnancy and birth and beyond, and I am so happy I found them!
Eti Chall

Brooke Ray was my midwife for my two children and I highly recommend her. Professional, warm, great communication and fantastic professionally. She is knowledgeable and experienced and I refer everyone to her. The best! - 4/10/2024
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Eti Chall

- 4/10/2024

Brooke Ray was my midwife for my two children and I highly recommend her. Professional, warm, great communication and fantastic professionally. She is knowledgeable and experienced and I refer everyone to her. The best!