After a vaginal delivery or C-section , some mothers experience postpartum hemorrhaging. When more than cc of blood loss occurs, it is considered a postpartum hemorrhage. Many maternal deaths during deliveries occur because of postpartum hemorrhaging. A mother that gestates a fetus beyond 20 weeks has a risk of developing postpartum hemorrhaging. Sometimes doctors do not adequately account for this risk, or fail to notice the signs.
The result can be injuries or death to the mother. Around 1 in to 5 in women suffer postpartum hemorrhaging. Postpartum hemorrhaging is more common with C-sections.
It can happen after a placenta is delivered, but it can also occur later. After a baby is delivered, the uterus usually contracts and expels the placenta, and the contractions place pressure on bleeding vessels where the placenta attached. Sometimes postpartum hemorrhaging is caused by a tear in a uterine blood vessel, a cervical tear, blood clotting disorders, a hematoma, placenta problems, a pregnancy with multiples, or an overly distended uterus.
Symptoms of postpartum hemorrhaging include decreased blood pressure, increased heart rate, decrease in red blood cell count, and swelling and pain in the vagina and nearby where bleeding is caused by a hematoma.
Tests can involve measuring red blood cell count, clotting issues in the blood, pulse, and blood pressure. A doctor should locate and stop the cause of bleeding as soon as possible. The appropriate response to postpartum hemorrhaging could include uterine massage, removing pieces of the placenta, exam of the uterus and vagina, or a Foley catheter that can place pressure on the uterine bleeding. Sometimes it becomes necessary to conduct a laparotomy, which is surgery to open the abdomen to find the source of bleeding.
