Vitamin K shots stop internal bleeding in newborns. So why are some parents refusing them?

FatCamera/Getty Babies aren’t born with enough vitamin K, which is essential to clot blood. This is why it’s recommended in Australia that all newborns receive a vitamin K injection at birth. Without it, they’re at risk of vitamin K deficiency bleeding, a rare but life-threatening condition. However, two large studies from the United States and Sweden have found a rising proportion of newborns with no record of receiving the shot. Neither study recorded why. Australia has no comparable…