Postpartum Hemorrhage 1

Postpartum Hemorrhage

Codi Beard

Department of Nursing, Jackson College

NRS 211: Care of Women and Neonates

Sarah Holda RN, MSN, NP-C

September 24, 2021

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Abstract

I will be discussing postpartum hemorrhage. This will include defining the term, and

talking about the causes, treatments, and the nursing interventions needed.
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Definition

The first step is to define the term. What is postpartum hemorrhage? Postpartum

hemorrhage, as defined by Stanford Children’s hospital, is “more bleeding than normal after the

birth of a baby. About 1 in 100 to 5 in 100 women have postpartum hemorrhage. It is more likely

with a cesarean birth. It most often happens after the placenta is delivered, but it can also happen

later. “The bleeding is from the uterus, after the delivery and the placenta is pushed out.

Causes

There are several reasons why postpartum hemorrhage can happen. The first is that after

the placenta is pushed out with contractions, that the contractions are not strong enough to close

off the blood vessels in the uterus. The other cause could be tearing of the cervix or blood

vessels, bleeding into hidden tissue areas in the pelvis, blood clotting, or placenta issues. The

reasons that these causes arise to a patient is because of placenta absorption, placenta previa, a

larger than normal uterus, if there is more than one baby born, high blood pressure, higher

number of previous births, long labor, infection, overweight, using different tools during labor,

or being Asian or Hispanic background. Although there are many causes of postpartum

hemorrhage, as stated above, it is rare.

Symptoms and Diagnose

There are not a lot of symptoms of postpartum hemorrhage. Many of the symptoms are

observable, such as uncontrollable bleeding, low blood pressure, tachycardia, low red blood cell

count, swelling and pain in the vaginal area, or pain where the bleeding is from. Although you

may be able to observe these symptoms there are lab tests that can be done to help diagnose

postpartum hemorrhage. The lab tests that may be done can include red blood Postpartum
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Hemorrhage 4 cell count, or clotting factors in the blood. Also, you would want to monitor the

pulse rate and blood pressure.

Risks and Treatment

If left untreated this can cause death. Loss of blood can create low blood pressure which

can shut down many of the needed systems in the body to function. There are a few treatments

for postpartum hemorrhage, depending on the cause. One of the treatments is medication or

uterine massage. The next treatment is to remove some of the placenta to stop the bleeding.

Another is going to the area that is bleeding and repairing it. Another way to stop bleeding is use

a Foley Catheter. The catheter is placed so that the balloon will apply pressure to the blood

vessels to stop the bleeding. Another treatment is to tie off or seal the blood vessels with sutures.

Finally, a hysterectomy is the last treatment option because it is surgical, and it would be

removing the uterus.

Conclusion

Although this can be a very benign issue, if left untreated it can be deadly. According to

the Department of Health and Human Services there are challenges that clinicians face with this

disorder. “The lack of a clear definition and consistent terminology can delay timely diagnosis

and appropriate intervention.” While the clear terminology may be a problem, the disease is

treatable, and clinicians can work together to solve these issues in postpartum. The most positive

treatment is to reassure the patient and to speak clearly and calmly.

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References

Stanford’s Children Health, (n.d.), Postpartum Hemorrhage,

https://www.stanfordchildrens.org /en/topic/default?id=postpartum-hemorrhage-90-P02486

Department Health and Human Resources, (n.d.), Management of Postpartum Hemorrhage,

https://effectivehealthcare.ahrq.gov/products/hemorrhage-postpartum/research-protocol