A majority of women donate blood periodically. There is nothing more noble than saving the life of a person. But is it safe to donate blood when you are pregnant? Your worries are obvious. It is not safe to donate blood in pregnancy. You need to wait till you deliver the baby. Let us look more into it.
How Safe Is To Donate Blood In Pregnancy?
No. Doctors do not advise pregnant women to donate blood in pregnancy. Even if you are healthy and perfectly fit for donation of blood, you will still not get a green signal from the blood bank during pregnancy. This is because of the safety needs of the pregnant woman and baby. In attempt to save someone’s else life, you can put the life of your baby at risk.
During pregnancy, your body synthesizes 50 percent more blood in the body to ensure optimum nutrition, and health. The reason why you should not donate blood in your pregnancy is that you need extra blood for sound development of your baby. A good supply of blood is essential to sustain his life in the womb.
Another reason why you should not donate blood in pregnancy is that it can make you anemic. By donating blood, you may lack the necessary amounts of blood needed by your body. This can impair the development of the baby.
When Do You Need To Do Blood Donation In Pregnancy?
Ideally doctors do not advise a pregnant woman to donate blood. It is expected that pregnant women should wait for at least 6 weeks after giving birth. It can only happen in special circumstances when your doctor think you may require a blood transfusion to identify chances of a high-risk delivery.
You may be instructed to bank some blood for your use when you require it. This blood is fed into the women, when she loses excessive blood via bleeding at the time of the delivery. So, the blood you donate, is stored for your future use. This form of blood donation to save you from become anemic just after delivery is acceptable and is safe.
In such cases, before doctor advise you for blood donation, he will perform necessary lab tests to ensure that you are healthy to donate blood.
For How Much Time You Need To Wait To Donate Blood?
You aren’t advised to do blood donation till you breastfeed your baby. The blood bank authority would delay blood donation till your newborn is off breast milk. Breastfeeding infants rely on breast milk to a lot of extent for meeting the nutrition requirements of the baby. Blood donation can deny them of the vital nutrients. The 9-month period of waiting is ideal to refill the iron levels in the blood.
How Can You Contribute By Donating Blood After Pregnancy?
There are a few options available for women to donate blood after pregnancy. You can donate blood to assist others by donating umbilical cord blood post-delivery of your baby. If you can’t collect your umbilical cord blood at any private bank, then you can even donate it to a public cord blood bank. It will aid in improving the health of people who are in need of it.
Blood that is left inside the placenta, and umbilical cord post-delivery have stem cells, that can be used for the treatment of people suffering from life-threatening ailments, that includes sickle cell disease, immunity system disorders, and leukemia.
What Are The Cases In Which You Are Not Eligible To Donate Blood?
These are some of the cases when doctors generally prevent blood donation.
- You are pregnant.
- You suffer from cold, and cough.
- You are on any medication.
- You have got any infection.
- You have performed cosmetic treatment like tattoo in the past 4 months.
- You have HIV Aids, Hepatitis A, hemophilia and Hepatitis B.
- You have got a “human pituitary extract” as a part of fertility program.
Conclusion
Blood donation is one of the best ways by which you can save the life of a needy. However, it is not safe to perform it in pregnancy. It does not indicate that you are weak, and incapable of doing something good, but it is a responsibility to ensure the safety, and life of a person.
Now it is the time to slow down, and take good care of yourself. Be a little selfish for yourself. You can donate blood later on but not during the nine months of pregnancy. Be healthy, and safe and enjoy this time.