At the time of pregnancy your body undergoes various changes. So, you must understand that during this period you have to take an extra care about yourself and your baby. You might be a regular blood donor but during pregnancy you must not opt for donating the blood. The reason behind is that at the time of pregnancy you will need all your blood for the growth and nutrition of the baby.
During pregnancy your body produces more than 50% of the production of blood at normal time. But your body will need this extra blood for maintaining the life of baby inside the mother’s womb. Despite of the restriction if you decide to donate your blood then it may lead to severe issues. In fact, the pregnant woman is advised that they must not donate blood till they are breastfeeding their baby. This is stated by American Red Cross Society.
Generally would be moms must wait for nine months of pregnancy and till the time they are breastfeeding. This is because the baby is completely dependent upon the nutrients which they get from breast milk and if the pregnant woman donates blood then the baby will lack in getting the important nutrients.
There are various issues that occurs due to blood donation of a pregnant lady. It may cause deformities in the child and vitamin deficiencies. The most specific problem that occurs due to blood donation is the chances of experiencing iron deficiency. This causes anemia to the mother. Anemia might further exaggerate various issues such as pre-mature delivery, low birth weight of baby and many more. Thus, the Red Cross Society restricts the pregnant women from donating blood.
On the other hand, the woman might have donated blood before she came to know about pregnancy. But as this is earlier stage and the body is still prepping itself for the pregnancy, a woman can donate blood. Thus, donation of blood before the confirmation of pregnancy will not develop any kind of issues during this early phase.
Sometimes doctors might ask the pregnant woman to store the blood during pregnancy. At this point some of the things are tested before donating the blood such as hemoglobin, blood pressure and temperature. This is because if the woman is anemic, she can experience excessive bleeding during the pregnancy or delivery. At this point a woman might require blood infusion and storing of her own blood will reduce the hassle of finding for the blood of same group.
Finally, on a concluding note it can be said that donating blood during pregnancy is not a safe practice and is strictly restricted by Red Cross Society. The reason behind is that it is harmful for both the pregnant mother and the baby.