What causes a primary PPH?
The severity of a postpartum haemorrhage
Preventing a PPH
How is a PPH treated?
Rare complications
Support measures after a PPH
The average expected blood loss for a woman after giving birth vaginally is approximately 200 to 400 mls, ranging from as little as 50 mls to as much as 550mls and still being regarded as within normal limits. A Caesarean birth usually involves a blood loss of at least 500 to 600mls. About 91 to 94% of women will experience a blood loss that is 'normal'.
After a vaginal birth, the amount of blood loss is recorded by your caregiver as an 'estimated blood loss' or 'EBL'. This is because it is not actually collected and measured, but visually estimated by the caregiver. In actual fact the amount estimated can be fairly inaccurate. It is well known that estimates of blood loss can vary by as much as 35 to 50%. Your caregiver will estimate if the amount of blood loss looks 'normal' or 'too much' and place a figure on their visual estimation.
A postpartum haemorrhage (or PPH) is when the woman bleeds more than the 'expected amount' from the vagina and / or uterus after the baby is born. It can also include an excessive amount of blood loss during and / or after a Caesarean operation. In Australia the definition of a postpartum haemorrhage is blood loss of approximately 600 mls or more, although the woman can be classified as having a 'haemorrhage' if she loses less blood than this but is quite physically affected.
A postpartum haemorrhage happens after the baby has been born, either before or after the placenta has been expelled from the uterus. There are two types of postpartum haemorrhages. These are:
Primary postpartum haemorrhage
Secondary postpartum haemorrhage
Primary postpartum haemorrhage
A primary postpartum haemorrhage is defined blood loss of over 600 mls within the first 24 hours after the baby is born (or if the woman is quite physically affected after a 'normal' blood loss).