How to Recognize the Symptoms of a Postpartum Hemorrhage

The postpartum stage is the time period immediately after a woman gives birth. This can also be called postnatal. A postpartum or postnatal hemorrhage is severe bleeding caused by giving birth or birth's aftereffects. The consequences range from serious to fatal. This guide explains how to recognize a postpartum hemorrhage.

Instructions

Recognize the Symptoms of an External Postpartum Hemorrhage

• 1

  Monitor the mother closely after childbirth. There might have been some trauma during delivery. Birth may have caused an open wound and continuous bleeding. Physical trauma during birth is the most common cause of a postpartum hemorrhage.

• 2

  Keep note of any vaginal bleeding. Some vaginal bleeding is to be expected after childbirth, but if the discharge seems too severe or if the color is bright red, the bleeding may be abnormal. When you're unsure, it's better to risk interrupting your doctor.

• 3

  Speak with a doctor when the patient's recovery time appears longer than normal. If there is still vaginal bleeding long after childbirth, the mother might be suffering from uterine atony. Uterine atony is the inability of the uterus to contract normally. In these cases, the process will have to be finished manually in a hospital.

Recognize the Symptoms of an Internal Postpartum Hemorrhage

• 4

  Be on the lookout for any type of unusual discomfort, even without the presence of blood. Just because there is no visible blood does not mean that the patient is not bleeding. An internal postpartum hemorrhage is rare, but it is very dangerous.

• 5

  Monitor the mother's temperature. A fever in the postpartum stage can be a sign of a bigger problem. In the case of an internal hemorrhage, a fever can be one of the earliest symptoms. A fever can also be only a fever; err on the side of caution.

• 6

  Recognize the importance of discomfort or pain in the patient's abdomen. If the mother experiences abdominal pain, it does not mean that she has an internal postpartum hemorrhage, but it can be one of the signs. Get her checked immediately to be sure.