{
  "id": 18917245,
  "title": "An 11-Day-Old Baby Couldn’t Stop Bleeding. For Hours, the ER Didn’t Provide a Critical Vitamin Shot.",
  "url": "https://urgent.news/2026/11/08/an-11-day-old-baby-couldnt-stop-bleeding-for-hours-the-er-didnt",
  "topic": "culture",
  "section": "Culture",
  "published": "2026-11-08T10:00:00.000Z",
  "source": {
    "name": "ProPublica",
    "slug": "propublica",
    "url": "https://www.propublica.org/article/vitamin-k-shot-texas-lonestar-emergency-room-nicole-malouf"
  },
  "original_language": "en",
  "account": "Eleven-day-old Gwen Biesenbach's parents, Stephanie and Eric, took her to their local ER after noticing her belly button bleeding profusely. The emergency room was just a mile from their Texas home. Gwen's pediatrician, Nicole Malouf, had seen many cases of bleeding umbilical cord stumps before. She applied a special gauze to stop the bleeding, but Gwen continued to bleed through her pajamas. Stephanie informed the doctor that Gwen had been experiencing some minor bleeding after her umbilical cord stump fell off, as she and Eric had opted against the standard vitamin K shot for their newborn. Instead, they had been administering oral vitamin K drops, which they believed provided sufficient protection. Malouf tried an alternative gauze treatment, but when that was unsuccessful, she resorted to using silver nitrate, a chemical that cauterizes blood vessels. For nearly three hours, Malouf attempted to stop the bleeding using seven different methods, yet Gwen's condition only worsened. The ER staff, including her husband, a doctor, and a nurse from a local hospital, were all unable to find a solution. In the end, Gwen was transferred to a nearby hospital with pediatric specialists and a neonatal intensive care unit. However, just as the transfer was confirmed, Gwen bled through another dressing. The situation had become dire, and despite the efforts of the medical team, Gwen's life could not be saved.",
  "summary": "The post An 11-Day-Old Baby Couldn’t Stop Bleeding. For Hours, the ER Didn’t Provide a Critical Vitamin Shot. appeared first on ProPublica .",
  "key_points": [],
  "editors_take": null,
  "illustration": null,
  "coverage": {
    "outlets": 1,
    "also_reported_by": []
  },
  "ai_generated": true,
  "disclaimer": "Summaries, key points and the editor’s take are written by software from other outlets’ reporting and may contain errors — always check the linked original."
}