They entered the world with cries, passed tests and made it to well-baby checkups. Yet, without warning, their tiny bodies began to fail.

In Maryland, a seven-week-old boy suffered sudden seizures; in Alabama, an eleven-pound girl stopped breathing repeatedly; in Kentucky, a baby became lethargic after vomiting; and in Texas, a newborn bled around her belly button before succumbing to rare but potentially fatal conditions linked to vitamin K deficiency bleeding.

Desperate attempts at resuscitation were made by doctors. In one case, a tube was inserted into the airway, an IV connected, blood transfusions given, and in another, a needle was inserted into the skull to reduce pressure on the brain. Yet none of this could save these infants.

Autopsies revealed findings that typically occur in adults with severe bleeding or stroke-like conditions, suggesting the babies’ deaths were linked to vitamin K deficiency bleeding which can be prevented by a simple, inexpensive shot given at birth but is now being declined across the country for various reasons.