After experiencing postpartum hemorrhage (PPH) during the delivery of her first child, Lisa McCarty feared the same complication happening again. Her fears came true when she developed abdominal pain a week after giving birth to her second child, suspecting another retained placenta.
The World Health Organization (WHO) recently released a roadmap to address PPH, the leading cause of maternal death globally, claiming the lives of approximately 70,000 women each year.
During the delivery of her first child, McCarty underwent a 45-minute procedure to manually remove her placenta, leading to excessive blood loss and necessitating an emergency dilation and curettage (D&C). Despite assurances from her doctors during her second pregnancy, McCarty’s intuition and research indicated a higher likelihood of experiencing PPH again.
Her anxiety manifested in panic attacks and nightmares about the possibility of bleeding out on the delivery table. Despite therapy sessions, her fear persisted. When delivering her second child, she once again faced a prolonged procedure to remove the placental tissue, intensifying her anxiety.
Moving forward, the need for improved awareness and proactive measures to address PPH becomes evident, as stories like McCarty’s underscore the critical importance of understanding and addressing this life-threatening complication.
