(WTAJ) — More parents are becoming reluctant to give their newborns the Vitamin K shot at birth with an estimated 2,500 babies in Pennsylvania now going without it every year.
Vitamin K helps blood clot whenever we get hurt, but babies aren’t born with enough to stop the bleeding on their own, according to experts at Geisinger.
Without the shot, babies are at a one in 60 risk for spontaneous bleeding that could kill them. Dr. Michele Neff-Bulger, the medical director over the newborn nursery at Geisinger Medical Center in Danville said that’s a higher risk rate than Sudden Infant Death Syndrome, which impacts one in 1,000 newborns.
Addressing kids’ fears: Global tragedies’ mental health impact
Neff-Bulger said with one shot of vitamin K at birth, that risk rate is reduced to only one in 100,000.
“Babies don’t come packaged with enough vitamin K, okay?” Neff-Bulger said. “Like we’re born without enough and our guts make vitamin K but not until we start eating solid food so that’s around six months. And even if breastfeeding moms eat more vitamin K, it doesn’t help. Or even during pregnancy, if you eat more it doesn’t help because it doesn’t cross through the placenta.”
Get the latest news, weather forecasts and sports stories delivered straight to your inbox! Sign up for our newsletters.
Neff-Bulger said there are no risks to the vitamin K shot except it might hurt a little just like any other shot. She said parents should discuss the shot and any concerns they may have with their doctor and can read up about the risks and benefits of any childhood shot from the American Academy of Pediatrics and HealthChildren.org.
Copyright 2026 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
For the latest news, weather, sports, and streaming video, head to WTAJ – www.wtaj.com.