Many parents have questions about the vitamin K shot that newborn babies receive after birth. As a faculty physician with the University of Nevada Reno Family Medicine Residency Program, I routinely do newborn hospital rounds. Recently, more parents are refusing to give the vitamin K shot to their newborns. This is concerning because vitamin K helps protect babies from dangerous bleeding. And, the vitamin K is soooo safe!

Vitamin K is not a vaccine. It is a vitamin that helps blood clot normally. Babies are born with very low levels of vitamin K. This is because very little vitamin K passes from the mother to the baby during pregnancy and newborns do not yet have the healthy intestinal bacteria that helps make vitamin K. Breast milk is healthy for babies, but it naturally contains only small amounts of vitamin K and breastmilk often has not even “come in” until the newborn is 3 to 5 days of age. Because of this, all newborns are at risk for vitamin K deficiency.

Without enough vitamin K, babies can develop a serious condition called Vitamin K Deficiency Bleeding, also called VKDB. This can cause bleeding in the stomach, intestines, skin, or brain. Bleeding in the brain can lead to seizures, brain injury, or death. Research shows that babies who do not receive the vitamin K shot are 81 times more likely to develop late VKDB than babies who receive the shot. For parents who refuse giving Vitamin K, I urge them that if their newborn appears groggy, listless, does not feed on schedule they should be alarmed and should bring their newborn into the emergency department urgently for an evaluation of a brain bleed.

The American Academy of Pediatrics recommends that every newborn receive a vitamin K shot shortly after birth. This has been used safely for decades. The shot greatly lowers the risk of dangerous spontaneous bleeding.

This issue is also important when families ask about circumcision. Before vitamin K shots became standard, baby boys who did not receive vitamin K had much higher rates of bleeding after circumcision. Studies showed untreated male infants had about a sixfold increase in post-circumcision bleeding. Because of this risk, I do not perform circumcisions on male newborns who have not received vitamin K.

Parents naturally want to make the best choices for their children. Asking questions is important. I encourage families to speak openly with their doctor about vitamin K so they can make informed decisions based on science and safety. The vitamin K shot is a simple step that can help protect newborn babies during the first months of life.