Parents Rejecting Newborn Care: Vitamin K Shots & Rising Medical Mistrust
Half the newborns Dr. Tom Patterson saw at a hospital in Idaho one day in March did not receive a vitamin K shot, a routine preventative measure administered to infants for decades to prevent potentially fatal bleeding. On another recent day, more than a quarter of the newborns under his care were denied the shot by their parents.
“When you glance at a child who’s innocent and vulnerable — and a simple intervention that’s been done since 1961 is refused — knowing that baby’s going out into the world is super worrisome to me,” said Patterson, a pediatrician with nearly three decades of experience and president of the Idaho chapter of the American Academy of Pediatrics.
Doctors nationwide are expressing alarm that skepticism, fueled by rising anti-science sentiment and medical mistrust, is extending beyond vaccine hesitancy to encompass other established, routine preventative care for newborns. A recent study published in the Journal of the American Medical Association analyzed over 5 million births and found that refusals of vitamin K shots nearly doubled between 2017 and 2024, rising from 2.9% to 5.2%. Research indicates parents who decline vitamin K are also more likely to refuse the hepatitis B vaccine and erythromycin eye ointment, used to prevent potentially blinding infections. Rates for the hepatitis B vaccination at birth have decreased in recent years, and doctors report an increase in parents refusing the eye medication.
“I do feel these families care deeply about their infants,” said Dr. Kelly Wade, a neonatologist in Philadelphia. “But I hear from families that it’s hard to make decisions right now because they’re hearing conflicting information.”
Numerous social media posts are questioning medical advice regarding safe and effective measures like vitamin K and eye ointment. The situation is further complicated by actions taken during the Trump administration, which repeatedly undermined established scientific consensus. A federal advisory committee, comprised of members appointed by Health Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. – a prominent anti-vaccine advocate prior to his appointment – recently voted to end the longstanding recommendation for universal hepatitis B immunization at birth. A federal judge temporarily blocked the committee’s decisions on Monday.
Dr. David Hill, a Seattle pediatrician and researcher, identified a common thread linking anti-vaccine views and growing opposition to other newborn protective measures: the belief that “natural” is inherently superior to medical intervention. “Nature will allow 1 in 5 human infants to die in the first year of life,” Hill said, “which is why generations of scientists and doctors have worked to bring that number way, way down.”
Vitamin K is crucial for blood clotting, and newborns are born with low levels of it, as their intestines cannot produce enough until they begin consuming solid foods around six months of age. “Vitamin K is important for helping the blood clot and preventing dangerous bleeding in babies, like bleeding into the brain,” explained Dr. Kristan Scott of the Children’s Hospital of Philadelphia, lead author of the JAMA study. Prior to the widespread use of vitamin K injections, approximately 1 in 60 babies suffered from vitamin K deficiency bleeding, which can also affect the gastrointestinal tract. While the condition is now rare, research demonstrates that newborns who do not receive a vitamin K shot are 81 times more likely to develop severe bleeding compared to those who do.
Hill recounted the case of a toddler whose parents opted out of the vitamin K shot. The child suffered a stroke as an infant, resulting in severe developmental delays and ongoing seizures. At a February meeting of the Idaho chapter of the American Academy of Pediatrics, doctors reported eight deaths from vitamin K deficiency bleeding in the state over the preceding 13 months, according to Patterson.
Infections prevented by other routine newborn measures can also have severe consequences. Erythromycin eye ointment protects against gonorrhea contracted during birth, which can lead to blindness if left untreated. The hepatitis B vaccine prevents a disease that can cause liver failure, liver cancer, or cirrhosis. Even if a pregnant woman tests negative for gonorrhea and hepatitis B, Dr. Susan Sirota, a pediatrician in Highland Park, Illinois, noted that no test is foolproof, and infection can occur after testing, potentially exposing the baby.
Parents cite various reasons for declining preventative measures, including fears of adverse effects and a desire to avoid pain for their newborns. “Some will just say they want more of a natural birth philosophy,” said Dr. Steven Abelowitz, founder of Ocean Pediatrics in Orange County, California. “Then there’s a ton of misinformation. … There are outside influences, friends, celebrities, nonprofessionals and political agendas.” Abelowitz noted that his practice serves a community with an even mix of Republican and Democratic voters, and that mistrust is present across the political spectrum.
Social media platforms contribute to the spread of misinformation, promoting myths and unregulated vitamin K drops that doctors warn are poorly absorbed by infants. Doctors in multiple states report that parents refusing vitamin K shots often also decline other recommended procedures. Sirota, in Illinois, described a case where a family refused a heel stick to monitor glucose levels in a newborn at high risk for potentially life-threatening low blood sugar. While care refusals are not new, Wade, in Philadelphia, stated they were rare until recently.
Dana Morrison, a Minnesota doula, declined the vitamin K shot for her son twelve years ago, opting for oral drops instead, motivated by a desire to preserve bonding time with her baby and minimize interventions. Her daughter’s birth two years later was more complicated, resulting in a bruised leg, and she subsequently chose to have her daughter receive the vitamin K shot. Reflecting on her experience, Morrison stated she would have chosen to administer the shot to her son as well.
Doctors emphasize the importance of respectful communication with parents. “If I walk into the room with judgment, we are going to have a really useless conversation,” Hill said. “Every parent I serve wants the best for their children.” Dr. Heather Felton, a pediatrician at Norton Children’s in Louisville, Kentucky, addresses parents’ specific concerns, explaining the rationale for the vitamin K shot and the risks of foregoing it, and reports that most families ultimately choose to proceed with the injection. Patterson, in Idaho, often clarifies misconceptions, such as the belief that the vitamin K shot is a vaccine, and finds these conversations can be effective, particularly as he often doesn’t have an established relationship with the parents he sees in the hospital.
“I end every discussion with parents with this: ‘Please understand at the end of the day, I’m passionate about this because I have the best interest of children in my mind and heart,’” Patterson said. “I understand this is a hot topic, and I don’t want to disrespect anybody. But at the same time, I’m desperately saddened that we’re losing babies for no reason.”