Where There Is No Doctor 2011 265
To help prevent or control heavy bleeding, let the baby suck the mother’s
breast. If the baby will not suck, have someone else suck or gently pull and
massage the mother’s nipples. This will cause her to produce a hormone (pituitrin)
that helps control bleeding.
If heavy bleeding continues, or if the mother is losing a great deal of blood
through a slow trickle, do the following:
♦ Get medical help fast. If the bleeding does not stop quickly, the mother may
need to be given serum blood in a vein (a transfusion).
♦ If you have ergonovine, oxytocin, or misoprostol, use it, following the
instructions on the next page. (Use oxytocin or misoprostol instead of
ergonovine if the placenta is still inside.)
♦ The mother should drink a lot of liquid (water, fruit juices, tea, soup, or
Rehydration Drink—p. 152). If she grows faint or has a fast, weak pulse or
shows other signs of shock, put her legs up and her head down (see p. 77).
♦ If the mother is losing a lot of blood, and is in danger of bleeding to death, try
to stop the bleeding like this:
Massage the belly until you
can feel the womb get hard.
If the bleeding stops, check every
5 minutes to make sure the womb stays
hard. If it does not, massage it again.
As soon as the womb gets hard and bleeding stops. stop massaging.
Check it every minute or so. If it gets soft, massage it again.
♦ If the bleeding continues in spite of massaging the womb, do the following:
Using all of your weight, press down with both
hands, one over the other, on the belly just
below the navel. You should continue pressing
down a long time after the bleeding stops.
♦ If the bleeding is still not under control:
Press both hands into the belly above the
womb. Scoop it up and fold it forward so the
womb is pressed hard against the pubic bone.
Press as hard as you can, using your weight
if your muscles are not strong enough. Keep
pressing for several minutes after the bleeding
has stopped, or until you can get medical help.
womb
bone
Note: Although some doctors use it, vitamin K does not help stop bleeding related to
childbirth, miscarriage, or abortion. Vitamin K is only helpful for babies. Do not give
to adults.