Boone Health experts urge parents to get vitamin K shot for newborns

July 15, 2026

Without vitamin K, babies are 81 times more likely to develop a bleeding disorder

Vitamin K doesn’t get a lot of time in the spotlight, unlike its colleagues A, C or D. But vitamin K is crucial in keeping newborns safe from excessive bleeding. Specifically, it helps the liver make clotting factors – specific proteins used to clot blood.

Because babies are born with very low levels of vitamin K, they are at significant risk for unpredictable internal bleeding. Without a Vitamin K shot, babies are 81 times more likely to develop “vitamin K deficiency bleeding” (VKDB), and according to the Centers for Disease Control, 1in 5 babies with VKDB will die.

“It is critical that parents accept the vitamin K shot for their babies,” said Dr. Lana Zerrer, chief medical officer at Boone Health. “This has been the standard of care for decades, and we know that years of research demonstrates how important these simple shots are for the tiniest of humans.”

However, misinformation on the internet and other sources is complicating the situation. This is leading to parents being wary of the naturally occurring vitamin and refusing to have the shot administered to their children. This can be a deadly decision.

VKDB can cause bruising or bleeding from mucosal surfaces, such as the nose or mouth; the stomach and gastrointestinal tract; incision sites; or in the brain, which is known as an intracranial hemorrhage. These bleeds can be catastrophic.

“As a newborn intensive care physician with decades of experience, I can attest to the effectiveness of a single shot of vitamin K after birth,” said Dr. Timothy O’Connor, a pediatrician who is board certified in neonatal-perinatal medicine and cares for the babies in the neonatal intensive care unit (NICU) at Boone Hospital. “I have experienced numerous infants over the decades with devasting bleeding that cannot be stopped, often leading to death or long-term disabilities. Oral supplements are not suitable substitutes as absorption from the intestine is not predictable, and a multi-dose regimen is required and often not completed putting the infants back at risk. Similar to decreased vaccine use leading to increases in preventable infections, decreased use of the tried-and-true prevention method, a single vitamin K injection, is already leading to an increase in bleeding outcomes, often tragic, and completely preventable.” 

According to Boone Health experts and dozens of outside researchers, administering one shot of vitamin K to a newborn will remove the vast majority of concerns about blood clotting, ensuring that parents can focus on bonding with their newest family member and celebrating important milestones.

In 2025, of the more than 1,400 babies born at Boone Hospital, 97.3% received the vitamin K shot. So far, in 2026, that percentage has risen to 97.5%. However, Zerrer, O’Connor and the Boone Health obstetrics team want that number to be 100% every year.

With the various discount pharmacy coupons that exist, vitamin K shots can be purchased as low as $25-35 without insurance.

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