Blood thinners-please help!

[Moonchild5]

Has anyone ever had to inject blood thinners during pregnancy? My partner normally does it it for me with no issues when he does it it’s sometimes more stingy than other times & sometimes leaves a mark sometimes doesn’t but I’ve had to do it myself twice & the first time I left a huge bruise & second time tonight it started bleeding more than it ever has like a big drop of blood spurted out. I don’t know what I’m doing wrong I’ve asked at the hospital & they said you can’t really do it wrong but when nurses have done it there’s no pain, mark or bleeding. I squeeze my thigh, dart it straight in, inject, pull straight out then let go of my thigh. Don’t know where I’m going wrong.

I don't think you're doing anything wrong but sometimes you get unlucky and hit near a tiny blood vessel that can sometimes cause more bleeding or bruising.

I found that holding an ice-pack against the skin I was going to inject for 60 seconds before I jabbed it in helped to take the sting out of them, but I still hated doing them and asked my other half to do lots of them.

@Moonchild5 I'm on them, sometimes they are really really painful and bleed or leave huge bruises! Other times I barely feel it, I think it's just where it hits or how it goes it, I had the same in last pregnancy too x

That’s reassuring I feel like I’m butchering myself the nurses do them so well I don’t feel a thing & they do it so quickly. I feel a bit lightheaded after this one is that normal I feel like I’m getting dizzier by the day.

I find that one side of my tummy doesn't hurt and the needle slides in easily and the other side is the opposite. It's really weird! I've bruised myself only once (so far!) and I think it was because I pulled the needle out a bit and then pushed back in.
I find it's less stingy if you inject slowly. Are you putting the needle the whole way in? It's easier to keep things controlled if you do (less bruising)
I also think nurses are a bit firmer with the initial stab which helps

Yeah I do put the needle all the way in I was told you’re supposed to. I feel I put it in pretty quickly because I either do it fast or not at all because I’ll start over thinking. When the nurses do it they do it so fast & it’s not actually stingy it’s actually only stingy afterwards when my partner does it & he probably injects the liquid the slowest.

That's interesting, how many times have the nurses done it for you?

Just a couple of times I was in hospital for a day last week. They gave me them twice while I was in & once before that when I very first started them before I got sent home with them

Interestingly (I just had a Google) it says that injecting slower is less likely to cause bruising, but injecting quicker is likely to cause less pain.
You could try numbing the area first with an ice cube?

That’s strange because the nurses do it fast & there’s no bruise or pain. I bleed & bruise when I do it & I do it fast & it’s a hit or miss wether my partner bruises me or not & he does it the slowest that’s why I thought I was doing it wrong cos I spurt with blood & bruise badly when I do mine. No idea but makes me nervous every time I get it wish a nurse or someone with more experience could do it for me

Tbh I think bruising is a side effect of blood thinners. Are you having one injection a day? Also have you tried gripping the skin differently? How many weeks are you? Is there a reason you aren't doing it in your belly? Could you try that?

Lots of questions, sorry!

Oh yeah I understand that just it doesn’t happen when the nurses do it so thought I was doing it differently. I’ve tried watching videos etc I feel like I’m doing it right don’t know how many different ways I can grab my skin lol. I have one a day yeah & I’ve always done it in my thigh I’ve only needed them while being pregnant & wouldn’t feel comfortable doing it in my stomach & I’m 26 weeks

I inject Clexane (Lovenox) and it took me a while to get the timing right. I do it in my stomach (did they say you HAVE to do your leg? Normally it goes into fat, not muscle.). I watched a ton of videos, search for the name of your medicine and the word "injection" and you will find other pregnant women showing how they do it.

I hold the ice cube there for two minutes under a flannel so it doesn't numb my fingers. I then very quickly dry the area, wipe it with sanitising gel, pinch the fat and put the needle in, then inject it within 10 seconds, let go for five seconds, then pull it out. That to me is the balance where it doesn't hurt much. Any slower and the numbing wears off, any faster and it stings. Oh, and move to a new spot each day so that you aren't injecting into the bruises.

I had to do it twice a day while pregnant. That was 4 years ago and I've only just finished and moved onto tablets (I've got a blood disorder).

Bruising is common, bleeding is common. You get used to it. Some nights it wouldn't bleed at all, some it would. Normal.

Bruising it always bruises more if you're too slow and cause yourself pain. If it's quick and painless, straight in, doesn't bruise as much. Makes sense if you think about it.

I’ve had LOTS of blood thinning injections (history clots in my lungs) and they’re nippy and stingy regardless in my experience! Also being on the thinners means you’re more likely to bruise anyway

No but doctor said most pregnant women prefer to do it in their thigh & I’ve always done it in my thigh don’t like the thought of injecting my stomach plus my bumps quite big don’t really have anywhere to pinch as such my stomach is quite stretched out. I have watched videos & feel like I’m doing it right & am aware it’s normal to bruise & bleed etc just only happens when I do it & just want to be able to do it a bit better just wondered others people experiences to see if there was a way I could do it without this happening because I have anxiety & don’t trust myself as it is just wanted to make the experience a big better if I could

I get anxious & need to do it fast or I talk myself out of it & start panicking so that’s strange that’s it’s the ones I do that’s bruising. I don’t watch if the doctors ever do it at the hospital I’m going to watch next time if they ever do it again before I come off them & see