Give for Texans – Sarah’s Story

Donors deliver for North Texas mom and her newborn twins

Blood and platelet donors can be lifesavers for mothers having difficult deliveries.

In the United States, transfusions are needed in one out of every 83 births. About 4% of women have postpartum hemorrhaging, or excessive bleeding following delivery; in cesarean deliveries, the average amount of blood loss is approximately one quart.

Sarah Becker from Plano shared her experience as a new mom and transfusion recipient:

“I’ve been a platelet donor for years, but recently had a C-section for twins and subsequently hemorrhaged. As I was losing consciousness, I heard the nurses confirming a blood transfusion for me.

I received one unit of blood immediately. They monitored me for 24 hours; I still wasn’t where I was supposed to be, so they gave me another unit. 

Since the transfusion, all three of us are doing well. Thankfully, the twins were always healthy. That was my main concern as a new mom, that they were born healthy.

The first couple days after the birth were interesting as we learned to navigate new parenthood and I didn’t have a lot of energy because of the blood loss. In those early days, we were very tired; it’s hard to tell what was because of blood loss and what was because of lack of sleep.

Thankfully, we transitioned well and I had a good amount of energy by the time we came home from the hospital.

Blood is something we take for granted, but can be so critical when you suddenly need it. Donating doesn’t take long and is something easy to do that helps those in need. The incentives, like gift cards and shirts, are great, but the feeling you get when you know you played a part in saving someone’s life is invaluable.

Sometimes it’s hard to visualize how critical a role you play when you are at a donation center and not at a hospital, but convenient locations make it easy and the staff are nice and helpful.

Donating blood or platelets is also a good mental health break. It’s time where you can relax and unplug, though it’s nice many locations have Wi-Fi.

I’m so thankful to have received donated blood so I could have the energy to meet my newborn babies.

Without transfusions, I wouldn’t have been able to be there for my twins. I don’t know if I would have lived through childbirth without receiving blood.

With the transfusions, I was able to hold both of my girls on their birthday and that is a memory you don’t forget.”

You can make a lifesaving difference by donating at a Carter BloodCare donor center or mobile blood drive near you. Help patients in need by calling 800-366-2834 today.

Your experience as a Carter BloodCare donor or transfusion recipient can save lives by motivating others to donate. Please share your experience and Tell Us Your Story.