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oniony t1_j5b6mrg wrote

>If after 20 minutes the bleeding has not stopped, then a condom attached to a catheter is inserted into the uterus and then inflated.

Say what?

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-justlooking t1_j5baqj0 wrote

It is used as a uterine tamponade - the mother is bleeding from where the placenta was attached in the uterus. The uterus usually contracts after delivery to close the blood vessels but long labors sometimes cause uterine atony - the uterus is tired and won't contract so the mother hemorrhages. The inflated condom balloon puts pressure against the blood vessels where the placenta was attached inside the uterus to stop the bleeding. Commercially, a Bakri Uterine Tamponade Balloon is used - this is a much cheaper and easily accessible option.

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allnadream t1_j5cyjdc wrote

Honestly, it sounds better than the treatment I received in the U.S. for the same thing - The doctor and 2 nurses pushing all their body weight on my uterus, to force it to contract and stop the bleeding. To be fair, it worked, but it was extraordinarily painful.

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-justlooking t1_j5dcr5p wrote

They'd be doing this as well to contract the uterus while waiting for the misoprostil to work, or bimanual massage.

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allnadream t1_j5divbt wrote

Well, nuts. Obviously, I'm glad to be alive, but this was the worst part of labor and the most painful. Still way better than being dead though.

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ChronicallyxCurious t1_j5dywjk wrote

You must've been hemorrhaging a bunch holy shit! Glad you're still alive and well, that sort of complication a few generations ago would've been fatal.

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