A young mother in her late twenties started bleeding a few days heavily after her C-section. Her family got on the phone straight away because what she needed was blood, and there wasn’t any sitting ready with her name on it.
One relative had already donated during the original surgery, so he couldn’t go again so soon. Calls went out to friends, colleagues, anyone reachable. Some were willing but not eligible. Others were too far to get there in time.
A match was eventually found. She stabilised. Good ending, genuinely. But it came down to a phone tree working out on a random Tuesday, and that’s a fragile thing to hang a life on. Her story is why this conversation belongs before delivery, not after.
What postpartum haemorrhage actually is?
Postpartum haemorrhage(PPH) is heavy bleeding after childbirth. It’s one of the leading causes of maternal death globally, and in Nigeria it accounts for roughly 23 to 30 percent of maternal mortality.
Here’s the part worth holding: PPH is manageable when caught fast and blood is available. The bleeding usually isn’t the unsolvable part. The gap between needing help and getting it in time is where things most often go wrong, and knowing what to watch for narrows that gap considerably.
Signs that something isn’t right
Some bleeding after delivery is expected. What isn’t expected is bleeding that gets heavier rather than tapering, or bleeding that just doesn’t seem to be slowing down.
Get help immediately if you notice:
– Soaking through more than a pad an hour, or passing clots larger than a golf ball
– Sudden dizziness or your legs feeling like they won’t hold you
– Heart racing without obvious reason
– Skin going pale quickly, or feeling cold and clammy
– A general sense that something has shifted, even if you can’t name what
That last point deserves its own sentence. Your instincts about your own body count as information. If something feels off, say it out loud to whoever is nearest and don’t wait until you’re more certain.
Who carries a higher risk going in
Some moms enter delivery with a higher baseline chance of postpartum haemorrhage and knowing that early means your care team can plan rather than react in the moment.
Worth mentioning to your provider if any of these apply to you:
– A previous C-section or uterine surgery
– Placenta previa or placenta accreta in this pregnancy
– Anaemia that hasn’t fully resolved before labour
– Heavy postpartum bleeding in a previous pregnancy
– Carrying multiple fetuses
– A very long or particularly difficult labour
Having one of these doesn’t mean PPH will happen. It means the conversation should happen earlier than your delivery day.
Questions to bring to your next appointment
Most of this won’t come up unless you raise it yourself. So raise it, ideally before your third trimester is done rather than in the delivery room when there’s already a lot happening.
Some things worth asking:
– What does your hospital actually do when heavy bleeding starts after delivery
– How quickly can blood be available if a transfusion is needed
– Based on my specific history, what puts me at higher risk
– What should I watch for at home in the first two weeks
– When should I come back in versus just calling
Write these down before you go. It’s easy to forget in the room.
Your family needs to know some of this too
Recovery doesn’t happen in isolation. Make sure at least one person close to you knows the basic warning signs before the baby arrives. Know which emergency facility you’d go to if something felt wrong at home, and how long the drive realistically takes.
If anyone in your circle is eligible to donate blood, encourage them to do it regularly rather than only thinking about it during a crisis. Nigeria’s voluntary donations grew over 30 percent between 2024 and 2025, which is real progress. Supply still doesn’t fully meet demand, though. That shortfall shows up in actual emergencies for actual families.
You can’t control everything about how delivery goes. Nobody can. But walking in knowing what PPH is, what it looks like, and what to ask means you’re not starting from scratch if something shifts unexpectedly.
Ask the uncomfortable questions early. If something feels wrong after you’re home, trust that feeling enough to act on it quickly.
More on birth safety and postpartum recovery at firsttimemomsacademy.com.
