A large national study published today in JAMA followed more than 5.2 million babies born in U.S. hospitals from 2017 to 2025. It looked at what happened to newborns who did not get the vitamin K shot at birth.

What the researchers found:

• More families are skipping the shot. Babies who did not get vitamin K rose from 3.1% in 2017 to 6.8% in 2025.
• Babies who missed the shot had more bleeding in their first 6 months: 288 per 10,000 babies, compared with 186 per 10,000 who got it. That is about 1.5 times the risk.
• Brain bleeding was about 2.4 times more common: 33 per 10,000 compared with 13 per 10,000.
• For about every 114 babies who skip the shot, one additional baby has a bleeding event.

Why it matters: babies are born with very low vitamin K, and breast milk contains little of it. Vitamin K helps blood clot. Without it, some babies develop vitamin K deficiency bleeding, which can affect the brain or gut, sometimes weeks after birth with no warning signs.

At BirthEzy, we recommend vitamin K for every newborn. It is one shot, given once, and it has protected babies for more than 60 years. If you have questions, bring them to your prenatal visit with Dr. Bola Sogade. We are happy to talk them through with you.

Physician led. Midwife attended.

Source: Scott K, Handley SC, Lo JY, et al. Nonreceipt of Newborn Vitamin K and Risk of Bleeding. JAMA. Published online November 5, 2026. doi:10.1001/jama.2026.21764

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