Blood Loss-how Long Did It Take to Get Back to Normal?

Updated on July 28, 2010
C.W. asks from Cleveland, TN
7 answers

When I had my DD I had a postpartum hemorrhage that drained 1/2 my blood (according to my doc) before they could stop the bleeding. My doc. said that technically I should have had a transfusion, but she didn't want to risk giving me blood when I was on so many medications (I had about 8 different IV drips because of issues I was having) so she just pumped me full of fluids and put me on an Iron supplement. Well, it is 3 months later, and I am still having blackouts and dizzy spells. it got a lot better... when I first got home I couldn't even walk across the room without having to stop and let the spell pass... now it's only when I am standing up from a sitting position, or (this is the one that scares me) when I stand back up from picking up my daughter. I am terrified that I will drop her! I haven't yet, but there have been some close calls. Sometimes it will randomly hit me when I am just standing. It kinda freaks me out, because I am home alone with my daughter from 2:30-at least midnight every day. I wouldn't be so worried if it was still getting better, but it has been the same for the last month now. I am still taking my iron pills, along with prenatals (I am breastfeeding) but I still have issues. I asked my doc. and she said that it is normal for my "recovery" to have plateaued because my body went into "overdrive" to fix itself, but once it got out of the crisis stage it started focusing on other things. has anyone else been through this before? how long before you were back at 100%?

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A.J.

answers from Dallas on

*big hugs*
I'm having trouble with low blood pressure right now from a new prescription I just started and it sucks. I understand your fear with dropping your daughter or blacking out. I fell in the kitchen this morning and woke up seconds later to my kiddos asking if I was ok.

Up your calorie intake, always have a snack and bottle of water by your bed to take BEFORE you stand up, ask your pharmacist to run a prescription review on the meds you are taking to make sure that they aren't causing low blood pressure and dampening your healing process.

If you continue to breastfeed which is best for your baby, then you will continue to have a hard time bouncing back without help. There should be something your doctor can do to help. Is it too late for a transfusion? It may help speed your body's natural defenses.

I've also heard that drinking aloe vera juice helps. Again, ask your dr but I know the bottle doesn't list any warnings about taking while pregnant or nursing and most of the stuff at the health food store does.

Good Luck!

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J.T.

answers from Victoria on

i am by no means any type of doctor. but that just does not sound right. please get a second opninon on the subject!!!!! congrats on your baby girl. hope you feel better quickly.

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B.

answers from Augusta on

This happened to me when I had my first.
it took prob 6 months before I was back to normal.
keep your fluids up and your iron up. and move slower it will help.
Also put a bed rail on your bed and co sleep so you don't have to get up in the middle of the night. Make sure you are eating as well it can be stressful and sometimes you get so busy with the baby you don't eat , eat at least a piece of bread with peanut butter on it every couple of hrs. The proteins will help.
Have your dr check your blood sugar. It could be low.

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S.A.

answers from Houston on

It sounds like a second opinion is called for - it makes no sense for your Dr. to say "you should have had a transfusion" and then not give you one because of medications.... if anything then you should have had one because the loss of blood would affect the amount of medication that was getting to the right places. You being this out of balance (literally and physically) means your baby may not be getting the right nutrients from breast feeding. Perhaps also ask about a B-12 vitamin or shots because that will boost energy levels a bit until you get evened out.

Good luck and congrats on your baby.
blessings,
Stacy

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I.G.

answers from Seattle on

Have you explored other treatment options than wait and see plus Iron?
I would get a second opinion...
In the meanwhile make sure you don't only rely on supplements but make sure you are taking in enough foods and liquids.
You may also consider getting medication to combat the Anemia for example epoetin. It's not well researched in breastfeeding women, but it has been used on newborns (preemies) and is not believed to harm a breastfed infant.
Good luck!

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S.C.

answers from El Paso on

Sounds like you are experiencing positional drop in your blood pressure. It may not have anything to do with your blood loss, but you really should seek a second opinion. The dizzy spells might also be from an inner infection in your ear. I experienced that after a kidney stone bout...it took 7 days before my doctor put me on Prednisone for 4 days. That helped a lot! Hope you feel better soon!

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A.A.

answers from Waco on

I lost about 3/4 of the blood in my body after an ectopic pregnancy/rupture. I was not given a transfusion for the same reasons. My vitals remained stable so my doctor didn't want to risk it as long as I could handle the blood loss. It was a VERY LONG recovery, but I think he told me that your body could build back up the blood loss in about 6-8 weeks. If you are 3 months out, you may want to have another conversation with your doctor. I did have panic attacks and PTSD for months after this, but I always attributed it to the trauma of the "event". It probably took me about a year to feel "normal" again. HTH!

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