DefinitionHemorrhagic disease of the newborn is a bleeding disorder that usually develops shortly after a baby is born.Alternative NamesVitamin K deficiency bleeding; VKDBCauses, incidence, and risk factorsA lack of vitamin K causes hemorrhagic disease of the newborn. Vitamin K plays an important role in blood clotting.Babies usually have low levels of vitamin K for a variety of reasons. Vitamin K doesn't move easily across the placenta from the mother to the baby. As a result, a newborn doesn't have much vitamin K stored up at birth. Also, there isn't much vitamin K in breast milk.Your baby may develop this condition if:A preventive vitamin K shot is not given at birth (if vitamin K is given by mouth instead of as a shot, it must be given more than once and it may not be as effective)You