On September 2, 2020, I gave birth to my son via C-section, and little did I know, this wouldn't be the end to my challenges.
I had several problems during pregnancy but despite them, we had a healthy baby boy. What I didn't realize, was that my days following the birth of our son was going to be just as challenging.
I struggled with iron deficiency without anemia for a long time. My mother and grandmother are both anemic, but despite my family history, I was diagnosed with low ferritin, not specifically anemia. I knew that during pregnancy I needed to be mindful of my iron intake and ability to maintain my vitamins for baby's (and my) sake, but I had no idea that there was such a risk with postpartum hemorrhaging after birth...hell, I didn't even know what that really was.
This photo was of me, feeling absolutely exhausted. I was so tired and in pain, uncomfortable and trying to nurse, while trying to just make it through each minute. This was in the begging of my monitoring for excessive bleeding.
Each time the nurse came in to give me my fundal massage, I apparently was bleeding a lot. The nurses did a great job of maintaining their composure to make sure I wasn't worried, but me being me and previously working in the medical field, I wish they had at least informed me of what was happening, and I'll explain why later. But in also checking my bleeding (pad), weighing it to see how much blood I've lost and doing the massage, the concern began to rise.
[New Moms: A fundal massage is the massage you're given to help, typically in conjunction with the medication Oxytocin, to help shrink your uterus and is said to help postpartum hemorrhaging. This is performed by your nurse or OB, and is done by one hand being placed on your fundus (the top part of your uterus, farthest from your cervix and is the "hollow part of the organ"), while the other supports your uterus by the nurses other hand (fingers) being placed in your vagina. Let me just say that this is FAR from pleasant. This is not an enjoyable massage and for me, was quite painful. Some nurses were more gentle, making the pain less sharp, while other nurses were more aggressive and "stronger", making the pain and pressure more painful for me.]
Once a concern for my bleeding became apparent, they started me on iron pills and did blood tests every 4 hours or so to monitor it's effectiveness. There were moments where the nurses and doctors looked at me with concern as my levels would drop, and I became pale - lips and face was losing color quickly.
Eventually, on the day I was supposed to be discharged, I was approached by the nurses and my OB and it was explained to me that because my levels weren't stable, I needed to have a blood transfusion.
They explained to me all the risks - risks it won't work, risks of blood-related infections, etc. They did their best to comfort me and tell me the process of screening and cleaning their blood donations was "spot on", and that infections were rare.
As I signed the waivers and nodded in agreement and expressing understanding, in my head was "What if my body rejects this donation?" and "I had never thought this could happen, what if this doesn't work?".
Generally, I tend to have a pretty optimistic perspective on things, and I was trying to see the silver lining here and just say, "This story will help someone someday". But in reality, I was really nervous about receiving this.
After the first unit of blood, I was feeling better. I needed to wait a few hours to test how and if this helped, but I was feeling like myself. After testing and waiting for the results, we found that the first unit helped, but did not help enough, so I needed another round.
I did not like my IV - It became loose, the blood started leaking out from the entry point, and the nurses made the drip fast, so it was cold and painful going through my veins. Bleh.
If there's anything I can recommend to any new moms, it's, it's:
Speak up: Don't be afraid to ask for explanation for your treatment. Ask what the medications are for, say that the massage hurts and if they can apply it with less abrupt force. If you're feeling off, say something. It may not be anything, but it can be something.
Rest: You just birthed a human. Ask the nurses for help if and when you and your partner need rest.
Stay on schedule with medications: If you're in pain and they are giving you pain medication, say something if you're sore or don't feel good.
Ask for clarification or explanation on why they're doing what they're doing. Nurses are fantastic people but sometimes, like anyone who works, you kind of just get into a flow of things and sometimes forget that others don't know what you know. Don't be shame to ask questions.
Again: Speak up on everything. I wish I had been educated on what the fundal massage was, and that I had spoken up about re-adjusting my IV because that shit hurt and I don't think blood coming OUT of the entry is supposed to happen. Regardless, I have a healthy baby boy and everything that I went through was completely worth it, and I would do it again if it meant he would be happy and healthy.
If you're reading this and are a concerned mama in any way, just know that you are doing an amazing job, and you are the mama to that beautiful baby, and you do what's best for you and your baby.
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