April is C-section Awareness Month. While the average blood loss for a vaginal birth is about two cups, the average blood loss with a cesarean (C-section) delivery is one quart. The uterus has one of the greatest blood supplies of any organ in the body. In every cesarean delivery, large blood vessels are cut as the surgeon opens the wall of the uterus to gain access to the baby. Occasionally, C-sections cause postpartum hemorrhaging, atony, lacerations, and placental accreta, all dangerous forms of blood loss.
Because of this, it is extremely important that hospitals have an adequate blood supply for blood loss during childbirth. Recently, LifeStream received a request from one local hospital for 14 pints of O positive blood for a mother undergoing a C-section. There is always a need, which is why volunteer blood donors are always needed. Without blood donors, hospitals would not have the product needed to save lives daily.