Health Capsule

Infants require vitamin K so their bodies can form blood clots. Clotting is the natural process that prevents excessive bleeding. However, newborns have very low levels of vitamin K at birth. They do not begin producing adequate amounts on their own until they start eating solid foods.

In the United States, most newborns receive a vitamin K injection shortly after delivery. Without this shot, babies face a risk of dangerous bleeding in the brain or other parts of the body during their first six months. Although such cases are uncommon, they can be life-threatening and may result in death. A recent study, however, shows that fewer parents are choosing this preventive treatment.

The study reviewed data from more than 5 million babies born in the U.S. between 2017 and 2024. In 2017, just under 3% of newborns did not receive the vitamin K shot. By 2024, that figure had risen to roughly 5%.

Researchers are unsure why more families are declining the injection. Additional research is needed to determine whether the drop in vitamin K use is contributing to a rise in bleeding complications among infants.

“Some parents may believe that vitamin K is not necessary,” says Dr. Kristan Scott of Children’s Hospital of Philadelphia. “But choosing to skip the vitamin K shot is essentially taking a serious risk with a child’s health, bypassing a simple and proven step that protects newborns from potentially severe outcomes.”