A growing number of parents in the United States are refusing the standard vitamin K shot given to newborns, raising concerns among pediatricians about a potentially dangerous increase in life-threatening bleeding.
An exclusive analysis of health records by Reuters found that the number of newborns who did not receive the vitamin K injection within 24 hours of birth rose sharply during the first half of 2026.
The findings have alarmed pediatricians, neonatologists and critical care specialists, who say growing distrust of vaccines and other routine medical treatments could put more babies at risk.
Vitamin K Refusals Rise Sharply
Health data company Truveta analyzed records covering more than 1 million births across the United States.
The analysis found that the percentage of newborns who did not receive vitamin K within a day of birth increased by more than 57% between January and June 2026.
By the end of June, 8.1% of newborns had not received the shot. Six months earlier, the figure stood at 5.2%.
The refusal rate during the first half of 2026 was also 2.5 times higher than the average recorded between 2019 and 2024. Compared with 2025, the rate was 1.4 times higher.
Why Newborns Need Vitamin K
Babies naturally have very low levels of vitamin K when they are born. The vitamin plays an important role in blood clotting.
According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, newborns remain vulnerable to vitamin K deficiency bleeding for several months after birth.
Without the preventive injection, babies face a substantially higher risk of serious bleeding in the brain or digestive system.
The CDC says newborns who do not receive the shot are 81 times more likely to experience life-threatening bleeding during their first six months.
Serious bleeding can have devastating consequences. About one in five infants who suffer such bleeding dies.
Without vitamin K prophylaxis, the condition occurs in approximately one out of every 59 births.
Pediatricians Fear a Growing Health Risk
Doctors treating newborns say the increase in refusals is particularly troubling because vitamin K has been used for decades as a preventive treatment.
Dr. Nia Heard-Garris, a pediatric physician scientist at Lurie Children’s Hospital in Chicago, described the trend as frightening.
She said doctors are working hard to protect newborns and do not want to see preventable cases of severe bleeding return.
Other pediatric specialists have expressed similar concerns as more parents question routine newborn interventions.
Mistrust Fuels Concerns
Doctors say the rise in vitamin K refusals is occurring amid broader concerns about trust in the US healthcare system.
Health Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. has repeatedly questioned established vaccine policies and other medical recommendations.
In January, Kennedy announced changes involving routine recommendations for the hepatitis B vaccine and five other childhood vaccines. A court later put those changes on hold.
President Donald Trump renewed calls for the changes in an executive order issued on August 10.
Medical experts say such political debates can create confusion for parents who are already uncertain about routine newborn care.
Kennedy denied playing a role in declining support for vitamin K during a Congressional hearing in April.
Health Officials Defend Vitamin K Information
The US Department of Health and Human Services said it continues to provide information about vitamin K to parents and healthcare professionals.
HHS spokesperson Grace Davis Jamison said the department and the CDC are reviewing available information on vitamin K refusals and related bleeding cases.
She also argued that declining trust in public health institutions began before the current administration and increased during the COVID-19 pandemic.
The agency said it wants to rebuild trust while respecting individual choice.
Hospitals See More Parents Refusing the Shot
The increase has also affected pediatric practices.
Dr. Amanda Furr, chief medical officer of Zarminali Pediatrics, said refusals have become common enough that the organization now stocks vitamin K shots at all of its primary care practices.
The organization operates 45 pediatric practices across 13 states.
Two other doctors told Reuters that they have also started offering the injection in their practices.
A Warning From Nashville
Doctors have seen the consequences of vitamin K deficiency bleeding before.
In 2013, Sarah Coggins was a medical student at Vanderbilt Children’s Hospital in Nashville when several babies developed severe bleeding linked to vitamin K deficiency.
Coggins treated one of those infants. The child suffered permanent brain damage.
Now a neonatologist at Children’s Hospital of Philadelphia, Coggins said the experience has stayed with her.
She believes many pediatricians have similar stories that demonstrate the dangers of refusing the preventive shot.
Baby Girls Face Higher Refusal Rates
Researchers have also identified a notable difference between male and female newborns.
A study involving three hospitals affiliated with the University of Pennsylvania health system found that baby girls were twice as likely as boys to experience vitamin K refusal.
The national Truveta analysis supports that pattern.
In June 2026, 8.9% of newborn girls had not received the vitamin K shot within 24 hours of birth. Among boys, the rate was 7.3%.
Doctors are now concerned that the difference could eventually lead to more vitamin K deficiency bleeding among girls.
Coggins said the possibility is not merely theoretical and that the issue has become a serious concern for pediatric specialists.
Circumcision Adds Another Concern
Doctors say some parents who initially refuse vitamin K later change their minds when they want their sons circumcised.
Many hospitals will not perform circumcision on newborn boys who have not received vitamin K because the procedure can increase bleeding risks.
Dr. Brad Scoggins of San Juan Health Partners’ Pediatrics in Farmington, New Mexico, said his practice follows a strict policy.
For his patients, parents who decline vitamin K cannot proceed with circumcision.
Doctors Warn of Wider Impact
Pediatricians say vitamin K refusal often appears alongside rejection of other newborn interventions.
These can include the hepatitis B vaccine and antibiotic eye ointment, which doctors may recommend shortly after birth.
Brad Scoggins said some parents place all these treatments in the same category when making healthcare decisions for their babies.
As refusals continue to rise, pediatric specialists fear that preventable newborn complications could become more common.
For doctors, the central concern is straightforward: protecting infants from a rare but potentially devastating form of bleeding before it happens.
