OK so this has been mentioned to me today as my iron levels are still going down rather than up :rolleyes:

Just wondered if anyone has had experience of a transfusion during labour????

I have three children already and with all three went only for gas and air. I am not into having any drugs and although I realise I will have to have a transfusion if my consultant deems it nescesary I wondered how restrictive it was and any other help advice infor people can give.

I am hoping that things wont get too that point but would like to be prepared. (got appointment on 10th with consultant - due on 16th... am hoping for an early delivery so baby can make its appearance before people satrt making decisions for me! :) )

:help: Any advice experiences anyone :help:

If your iron levels are so low, would they not consider inducing you early so that you don't have to have the transfusion? Oh I hope it doesn't come to that hun :(

tbh I would rather avoid induction at all costs - although obv if it was a serious health issue for the baby or myself I would go for it.

It is not a def ... yet... but everyone just seems so vague. My midwife today was lovely and even rang through to jessops to get the opinion of midwives who regularly work the hospital wards as she doesnt. I just hate the though of being restricted during labour - not that I usually leap up and jog around or anythin but I wondered how intrusive / restrictive it is! I was on the verge of a transfusion after delivering my last one but managed to avoid getting to that point luckily.

I think I may have to eat my pineapple tonight and have a curry - need this baby to make a quick appearance so that they cant get their hands on me!!!
:D

I didnt have a transfusion during labour but Was anemic with all three of my children and Heamoraged with my first two. When I had my son I had to have a transfusion after having him but only had to have saline with my daughter. You could ask to have everything prepared for a transfusion ie a canular in your hand and the bloods matched ready but not have them unless it becomes an emergency. I had to have this as I was an extreme high risk again but then through having an amazing student midwife I didnt heamorage at all. I was meant to be under the consulant care team but never made it there.

Hold off with the pineapple and curry!

What are you doing at the moment to increase your iron levels?

Basically, the issue is that if your haemaglobin (Hb) count is low and you bleed during labour and birth they could fall to a level where it becomes dangerous for you and your baby, so when you go into labour you will be advised to have a blood transfusion if your Hb is low enough, whether that be tomorrow or a week on tuesday! Though I can see your reasoning that the count will fall lower the longer you wait.

A blood transfusion is given as a drip through a canula into a vein, usually on the back of your hand, and when it is being given to 'top up' Hb is generally given over four hours (though policies may vary between different hospitals). Where it is being given because a patient is bleeding and needs blood volume replacing quickly it can be given over 15 minutes or so.
For the duration of the transfusion you will need to have blood pressure and temperature monitored every 15 minutes or so as theres a risk of allergic reaction.
All that said, apparently after you've had a transfusion you feel full of beans and raring to go, just what you need after labour and birth!

I am doing all humanly possible to increase iron levels at the moment but have been anaemic from the early stages and was with my other three pregnancies - its just for some reason they seem to me more concerned this time than they have been previously even though my levels are still higher atm than they were when I delivered my last little girl.

I realise that they will still check the levels whenever I go into labour - would just rather not go though with the now two consultants appts I have for 2 separate issues!! :rolleyes:

I am hoping all will be well and things wont go down the transfusion route - just want to have an idea of what to expect should it come to a transfusion.

Thanks to you both for the help you have given above. Dont fancy the being checked every 15 mins! Pity the nurse that gets that job - I shout at them if they come back after half an hour!!! :o

You could ask to have everything prepared for a transfusion ie a canular in your hand and the bloods matched ready but not have them unless it becomes an emergency. Thanks for that - I will quiz the consultant about that option when I go next week.... sounds a good plan to me.

Thanks again for the advice and info..... really helps when you know what to expect. :)

Eat more oranges, the vit c helps boost the iron absorption. Have you had your B12 checked? Often iron tablets fail to work because of the lack of B12, I've suffered with this for 2/3 pregnancies

Nothing has come back about B12 which I was surprised about. Have been drinkimg orange - avoiding caffne esp with meals etc etc. Doesnt help that i am vegetarian so dont eat red meat. ah well .... will see how things go

I'm like waxy, I never had a transfusion during labour but had to have one immedietely after having my first child. I would imagine its just the same, in that its a canula in the hand. You will be able to move but will have a stand on wheels to drag around with you :) Hopefully you can get the levels up first though!

Nothing has come back about B12 which I was surprised about. Have been drinkimg orange - avoiding caffne esp with meals etc etc. Doesnt help that i am vegetarian so dont eat red meat. ah well .... will see how things go

I'm a veggie but didn't have problems with iron/hb. Try dried apricots, they are a fantastic source of iron, make apricot flapjack, yumyumyumy.

They don't routinely check B12 you have to request it

They don't routinely check B12 you have to request it

I went back for an extra test that was called a B12 - did question nurse about it and she said well thats what it says on the screen! (my surgery are a little unhelpfull!!) and then was told everything was fine - however at that time was also told iron levels were fine when they had actually dropped from 10.4 to 9.1!!! :o I now get the midwives to ring direct to the heamotology (sp?) dept to check results for me as I do not trust my docs to give correct info!

May enquire about this though again next week at consultants appt - thanks.

Try dried apricots, they are a fantastic source of iron Yup I have been eating apricots for months!! I love tham but am getting a bit tired of them!!!! :hihi:

Apparently after some research I found out that thyme has a very high iron content which I wasnt aware of with my other pregnancies.

I think half my trouble is I think I muct have naturally low iron levels so it doesnt take much to knock them down! Not long to wait now though hopefully. Would have eaten the pineapple and curry last night but remembered that we are hoping to visit the NAPA group tomorrow with my girls - so will hold off on the curry till Sat. teatime! :D

I went back for an extra test that was called a B12 - did question nurse about it and she said well thats what it says on the screen! (my surgery are a little unhelpfull!!) and then was told everything was fine - however at that time was also told iron levels were fine when they had actually dropped from 10.4 to 9.1!!! :o I now get the midwives to ring direct to the heamotology (sp?) dept to check results for me as I do not trust my docs to give correct info!



Hmmm that sounds familiar. With my son I went into jessops because I was extremely dizzy and fainting, they said oh we will phone you if anything is wrong. I heard nothing at all till I went into labour. Oh you were very anemic werent you? er was I they never told me. Yes you should have been taking iron. well not I lotI can do now is there. I then heamorreaged ended up in high dependency having a five pint transfusion manually pumped into me because I went unconciuos.

Hmmm that sounds familiar. With my son I went into jessops because I was extremely dizzy and fainting, they said oh we will phone you if anything is wrong. I heard nothing at all till I went into labour. Oh you were very anemic werent you? er was I they never told me. Yes you should have been taking iron. well not I lotI can do now is there. I then heamorreaged ended up in high dependency having a five pint transfusion manually pumped into me because I went unconciuos.

Yes I am becoming very paranoid as to wether I am getting the correct info thorugh or not. Not through fault of the midwives - the many many of them!! - that I have seen btw. Sounds like you had a bit of a traumatic time through mis information.
I think I am driving the midwives at the clinic mad asking them to ring through to various department while I am in the room to collect results direct! Ridiculous that we should have to do it but if you dont it does seem you get told all is well when it isnt. Anyway - going to stay calm and not rant on too much about it :mad:

Yes I am becoming very paranoid as to wether I am getting the correct info thorugh or not. Not through fault of the midwives - the many many of them!! - that I have seen btw. Sounds like you had a bit of a traumatic time through mis information.
I think I am driving the midwives at the clinic mad asking them to ring through to various department while I am in the room to collect results direct! Ridiculous that we should have to do it but if you dont it does seem you get told all is well when it isnt. Anyway - going to stay calm and not rant on too much about it :mad:

Rant away it will make you feel better or join the throwing stuff thread. :hihi: