Vitamin K Shot: Separating Science from Social Media Myths

The PedsDocTalk Podcast

Dr. Mona Amin

Medicine, Health & Fitness, Kids & Family, Parenting

5 • 1.4K Ratings

🗓️ 28 May 2025

⏱️ 34 minutes

🔗️ Recording | iTunes | RSS

🧾️ Download transcript

Summary

Why do newborns get a vitamin K shot—and why has it become the center of so much misinformation online? If you’ve ever hesitated about this newborn standard, this is the episode that brings clarity and calm. In this episode, I welcome Dr. Jessica Knurick who has a PhD in Nutrition Science to break down the real reason this shot is recommended at birth, the science behind preventing Vitamin K Deficiency Bleeding (VKDB), and where social media gets it wrong. From safety concerns to conspiracy theories, we’re cutting through the noise with evidence, history, and a healthy dose of common sense. We discuss: Why the vitamin K shot is critical for preventing dangerous bleeding in newborns. The science behind VKDB and how misinformation spreads online. Evidence-based answers to common myths about vitamin K shot ingredients and safety. To connect with Dr. Jessica Knurick follow her on Instagram @drjessicaknurick, check out all her resources at https://www.jessicaknurick.com/ We’d like to know who is listening! Please fill out our Listener Survey to help us improve the show and learn about you! 00:00 – Intro and Welcome 01:45 – How Dr. Knurick Got Involved in Vitamin K Education 03:00 – “Eyes and Thighs” and What’s Actually in That Bundle 04:10 – What Does the Vitamin K Shot Actually Do? 09:35 – Is VKDB Really That Rare? Let’s Do the Math 12:00 – Real Clinical Cases of VKDB 14:55 – A Pediatrician’s Perspective on Preventable Harm 17:05 – Why Babies Bleed Without Trauma 20:20 – Shot vs. Oral Vitamin K: What the Data Says 23:00 – Compliance, Safety, and Why Simplicity Matters 25:10 – Advice for Parents Feeling Overwhelmed by Conflicting Info 28:00 – Final Thoughts and Where to Find Dr. Knurick Our podcasts are also now on YouTube. If you prefer a video podcast with closed captioning, check us out there and subscribe to PedsDocTalk. We love the sponsors that make this show possible! You can always find all the special deals and codes for all our current sponsors on the PedsDocTalk Podcast Sponsorships page of the website. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Transcript

Click on a timestamp to play from that location

0:00.0	So why are babies low in vitamin K in the first place? Well, vitamin K can't cross the placenta efficiently.
0:06.1	And so there's not, even if the mother supplements vitamin K, even if the mother's vitamin K stores are high,
0:12.0	the baby is still going to be born low with vitamin K because they're not getting those nutrients through the placenta.
0:16.6	Yeah. They don't have the bacteria in their gut microbiome yet. That still has to be developed. So they're kind of born with sterile gut microbiomes. And so they don't have the bacteria in their gut microbiome yet. That still has to be developed.
0:21.8	So they're kind of born with sterile gut microbiomes.
0:24.2	And so they don't have those bacteria creating vitamin K or synthesizing vitamin K like
0:28.3	we do as adults.
0:29.5	Welcome to the show.
0:30.8	It's me, Dr. Mona, your pediatrician, confidant, and mom friend here to help you cut through
0:34.8	the noise of parenting in the digital age. You're listening to the Peds Doc Talk podcast where we mix evidence with empathy and real
0:41.6	life experience with a little myth-busting magic.
0:44.7	Today we're talking about a shot that's not even a vaccine, but still somehow ends up getting
0:49.2	tingled in anti-vaccine debates.
0:51.9	Yep, we're talking about the vitamin K injection, a simple, effective,
0:56.2	life-saving shot that has become weirdly controversial online. But don't worry, we're setting
1:01.2	the record straight. And joining me today is someone who really doesn't need an introduction.
1:05.4	Dr. Jessica Nurek is a nutrition scientist and one of the clearest voices out there when it comes
1:10.6	to making sense of public health, nutrition, and wellness trends the clearest voices out there when it comes to making
1:11.0	sense of public health nutrition and wellness trends. She's brilliant. She's grounded and she's generously
1:16.3	sharing her time with me to talk us through the facts about vitamin K because that's just who she is.
1:22.1	And if you're new here, welcome. And if you've been tuning in for a while, thank you for being part
1:26.3	of what makes this one of the top 30 parenting podcasts in the United States. Be sure to subscribe,
	...

Please login to see the full transcript.

Previous episode | Next episode

Disclaimer: The podcast and artwork embedded on this page are from Dr. Mona Amin, and are the property of its owner and not affiliated with or endorsed by Tapesearch.

Generated transcripts are the property of Dr. Mona Amin and are distributed freely under the Fair Use doctrine. Transcripts generated by Tapesearch are not guaranteed to be accurate.