PPH - what are people's experiences?

[rubles]

After reading some other posts on mumsnet recently I have been thinking about how bad a pph can be.
I have only had 'experience' of one - when present at my sister's birth and she had a retained placenta and I think she lost 1.5-2L. I remember it being quite calm and taking a while during which they discussed the situation and decided to transfer to hospital (she was at home). Then an ambulance came and she was taken on a stretcher to hospital (not blue lighted though).

What have been other people's experience? Are there different degrees of urgency according to how fast the bleeding is taking place?

BTW, I had an emergency section under GA and no sign of a PPH.

Had a 2ndary PPH 3 nights after giving birth - knew it was coming so went on all fours to the bathroom & it blocked the loos up, it was overflowing onto the floor ... DH rushed me into hospital, with DS, got readmitted for 4 nights on antibiotics but no transfusion.

THis came after a failed induction (which lasted 5 days, like CD, pleased to see I am not the only one); then long labour, followed by rush into theatre as not dilating, for em C/S but ended up delivering by ventouse + episiotomy in theatre. He was 10lb 5ozs. Total of 9 nights in hospital.

This time I am having an elective.

I had em cs under GA (after failed ventuose and failed forceps attempts) due to foetal distress. I'd had an epidural but there was no time to top it up and I needed GA. Not a pleasant experience - felt as if i was in an episode of casualty.

I had a PPH after day 5. Was still in hosptial which was fortunate as we would have needed new carpets had it happened at home....I lost about 600ml blood and was rushed back to the labour ward for investagtions. I'd had a small tear (from the forceps attempt I think) and they thought that the bleeding was coming from there. Personally I thought it seemed like an awful lot of blood for a "small" tear. I was asked how my pain threshold was as they were going to attempt to repair it with no anaesthetic Thankfully one of the midwives intervened and pointed out that I had been through a lot in the last few days. I was taken to theatre and had to sign a consent form for transfusion and hysterectomy. I was begging them in theatre not to give me another GA and while all this debate was going on the bleeding stopped.
If i have another dd or ds I would almost ceratinly have an elec cs as I wouldn't want to go through the terror I had with ds. I do woory that I might have another pph, and also have a worry that they don't really know what caused the first one - they insist that it was from ruptured stiches on my small tear, but it seemed like such a lot of blood and afetr 5 days??

forgot to mention I also had syntocinon for slow progression

i had a PPH, didnt even know until my second pregnancy!!
I lost around 700ml, and kept the needle in my hand (had a drip through the labour), incase i needed a transfusion. Luckily I never, but i was on iron tablets for months!!