In spite of the pain, childbirth can be a beautiful experience when everything goes smoothly. When something goes wrong it can be terrifying for both mother and her spouse or partner. Postpartum hemorrhage is a rare but serious complication that occurs after a mother gives birth to her child and needs to be treated immediately to avoid maternal fatality.
What is Postpartum Hemorrhage?
According to the March 15, 2007 issue of the peer reviewed medical journal American Family Physician, postpartum hemorrhage occurs in up to 18% of all births and in up to 3% of vaginal births. Postpartum hemorrhage occurs when a woman loses at least 500 ml of blood or more after the delivery of her infant. This may occur immediately after the birth or hours later.
When the hemorrhage does not occur immediately, a woman may feel fine after the delivery of her child and then all of a sudden experience a sudden gushing of blood later on.
Causes of Postpartum Hemorrhage
There are a number of risk factors that can make a woman more susceptible to a postpartum hemorrhage. These include:
- Placenta detaching from the uterus too soon
- Placenta covering the cervix
- A very large baby or too much amniotic fluid in womb
- Pregnancy with more than one baby
- High blood pressure due to pregnancy
- Long labor
- Infection
- Obesity
- Medications to induce labor
- Medications to stop labor
- Requiring forceps or vacuum extraction to deliver baby
- Having many previous births
Other causes of postpartum hemorrhage include:
- Placenta not being delivered intact and some pieces left inside uterus
- Tear in cervix, vaginal tissues or uterine blood vessels
- Problems with placental attachment in uterus prior to delivery
- Blood clotting disorders
Treating a Postpartum Hemorrhage
Immediate treatment of postpartum hemorrhage is necessary to preserve the life and health of the mother. Postpartum hemorrhage can cause blood pressure to drop dangerously low, can lead to shock and even death if a woman bleeds out.
The treatment of postpartum hemorrhage depends on the severity of the bleeding, the cause and how easy it is to get the bleeding to stop. A blood transfusion may be necessary when too much blood is lost. According to the University of Virginia Health System some common treatments include:
- Giving a woman medication to stimulate contractions in the uterus and expel any leftover placental pieces
- Massaging the uterus to stimulate contractions
- Surgically removing leftover membranes or placental pieces by doing a D&C
- Packing the uterus with gauze or sponges for 24 hours
In most cases postpartum hemorrhage can be controlled by the above measures. In severe cases doctors may be forced to perform a hysterectomy if bleeding cannot be controlled any other way. Doctors do not want to remove the uterus unless they absolutely have to and this is done only as a last resort to prevent the death of the mother.
Most women make a complete recovery from postpartum hemorrhage and go on to have more children. A pregnant woman should notify caregivers of a prior hemorrhage as she is at some risk of recurrence.
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