What is excessive uterine bleeding?
Excessive means too much. Some bleeding after you deliver a baby is normal. More than 2 cups of blood loss after vaginal delivery is excessive uterine bleeding.
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The most common reason for too much bleeding is your uterus stays stretched out and isn't contracting (squeezing) like it's supposed to
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Doctors treat too much bleeding by massaging your belly and giving you medicines to help your uterus contract
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Doctors may give you a blood transfusion
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Rarely, you'll need surgery
What causes too much bleeding during delivery?
What can doctors do to stop me from bleeding too much?
Before you go into labor, doctors take steps to prevent or to prepare for bleeding after delivery.
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They check you for risks of bleeding, such as having too much amniotic fluid or a bleeding disorder
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If you have an unusual blood type, doctors make sure that your blood type is available
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They try to deliver your baby as slowly and gently as possible
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After delivery, doctors watch you for at least 1 hour—they make sure your uterus has contracted and check for bleeding
How will doctors know if I am bleeding too much?
What happens if I start bleeding too much?
Doctors will:
Pressing on your belly helps the uterus contract and shut off bleeding. There are several different medicines doctors may give in your IV or as a shot in your arm.
If bleeding continues, doctors may do surgery including:
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Scraping the inside of your uterus to remove any leftover pieces of the placenta (afterbirth)
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Putting a balloon inside your uterus to cut off blood flow
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Packing the inside of your uterus with gauze
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Putting in stitches around the bottom of your uterus
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Blocking major veins that bring blood to your uterus
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As a last resort, a hysterectomy (removing your uterus)
