Will I have another PPH?

Hi ladies,

When I had DD in May I had a PPH of 1600mL. As she is my 3rd bub everyone assumes that I am done with having babies... especially since I had such a 'hard time' having them (PE and c/s with DS1, but completely problem free VBAC with DS2). However, I am really not feeling like I am done, and I don't think DH would require much convincing.

So my question is for those who had a PPH and went on to have another bub, did you bleed again? Would I be putting myself at risk of further complications in the birth? My ob didn't seem concerned at the prospect of me having another baby, just said he would see me if I decided to have number 4.

TIA

Not necessarily hun. It depends entirely on your birth, body and labour. If you have a long or traumatic birth, it can affect your bleeding. If you have any other health issues that can affect it. There are so many things which will affect the outcome. You can't guarentee anything when it comes to pregnancy labour or birth!

I think it often depends on the reason for the PPH. I had one with my firstborn, but it was because the cord had detached from the placent befor the placenta could be delivered - and that only happened because the cord had formed on the very edge of the placenta (which is highly unusual). So the liklihood of a repeat in circumstances is highly unlikely.

Maybe you should have a chat with you doctor the next time you go in and see what they say. Certainly, if there are extra risks, they could take steps to minimize these risks, and handle any situation that might occur.

There is no way of knowing if you will have another one or not. I had one with my 3rd baby, but after doing a fair amount of reading I came to the conclusion that it was syncto induced and not just 'one of those things' like my Dr told me. I went on to have another baby and no PPH. Once you have a 4th baby though there is a slightly higher risk of having a PPH - but that risk is apparently for all women and not just those who've had a previous one.

I've been told fron my ob, a woman who has experienced pph, has a higher risk of having it again - but it still isnt certain.

Dd I has severe pph, 3 blood transfusions and emergency surgery.

Ds I had pph. No blood transfusions, but did feint from being so dizzy etc.

I've been told I will not be accepted to the birth centre for number three, as my history would suggest another pph. But that certainly snt going to stop me from having another :)

Hth

I had 2 PPH's for 2 different reasons and a birth with no problems between them.

Birth 1 was no problems.
Birth 2 I had a retained placenta and small PPH. Placenta had to be removed manually under GA.
Birth 3 was no problems.
Birth 4 I had a secondary PPH of approx 1.5lt 2 hours post birth. For some reason my uterus relaxed when it needs to stay tight and hard. Possibly the result of fatigue which can happen after a fast and intense labour of less than 2 hours.

My OB was good at dispelling my fears of it happening again should I choose to have bub #5. He said something along the lines of that it is possible it can happen again but it's not a given and he wouldn't be worried so I shouldn't be either ;)

Thanks ladies,
I figured it was probably all pretty uncertain. I did mean to ask my ob specifically at my 6 week check but it slipped my mind. As I said, he smiled and said he would see me if I had another one... he knows I had a PPH so surely he would have suggesting no more if it was very risky? I guess sometimes just hearing people go on about what a hard time I have had starts to get to me. :shrug:

i had a long drawn out birth with dd1. drugs etc. 1200ml bleed, torn cervix, rushed to theatre to fix it etc was horrible. DD2 much quicker, not drugs, made the midwife check i was fully dilated before i did any pushing, turns out my cervix needed a little help at 91/2 cms. probably got 'stuck' the first time. normal loss the second time. its scary and i did freak out a bit the second time, but i had done so much to try and prevent PPH that it helped to know id done everything i could.

I'd really like to know too. Because of a large PPH with DD, I've been 'risked out' of te public homebirth program here.
I reckon it was because it was a fairly long labour

I think mine was related to my high blood pressure and deteriorating placenta. It took a bit to get the placenta out. I had no bp problems with DS2 and no problems at all with labour and delivery. If it is related to bp with me then it is a matter of wait and see. I think I should wait and see if I do really want to have number 4 before I worry too much. :p