Postaprtum Bracelet Program
After giving birth, women can face serious health risks, including infection, heavy bleeding, heart problems or even organ failure. That’s why MountainView Regional Medical Center created a postpartum bracelet program.
Before leaving the hospital, maternity patients are educated about the program and given a teal, silicon bracelet that reads, “Recently Gave Birth/Still At Risk.” New moms are encouraged to wear the bracelet for six weeks after delivery, when the risk for postpartum complications is highest.
Wearing this bracelet could mean the difference in getting the right care during an emergency. Similar to a medical alert bracelet, the postpartum bracelet acts as a signal to first responders that a person recently had a baby, even if the patient is unable to communicate. With this knowledge, the emergency medical team can then consider postpartum complications along with traditional complications for a better diagnosis.
For example, what may appear like a seizure could be related to postpartum eclampsia and the treatment a patient receives makes a difference.
Some of the postpartum conditions the bracelet can alert emergency medical personnel to include:
- Hemorrhage
- Postpartum depression and/or anxiety
- Postpartum psychosis
- Deep vein thrombosis (DVT) and/or pulmonary embolism
- Postpartum eclampsia
- Cardiomyopathy
- Sepsis
MountainView Regional Medical Center’s postpartum bracelet program is optional.