Actually, I was told by my midwife that there are studies showing that the use of pitocin during labor seriously increases risk of postpartum hemorrhage. I asked because I am a redhead and I did have significant blood loss following the birth of my first child (using pitocin to augment)
Second birth, no pit, no significant blood loss.

I am blonde and I had to take lots or iron and even vitamin K to keep from excessive bleeding. I just don’t clot well.

I dunno if it’s something about red hair. I think it’s more about clotting factors.

I’ve heard the thing about red heads bleeding more too, but I don’t know if it really is true.

I had red hair as a child, my brother has read hair, my mother, grandmother, and two of my kids. My hair has gone more blonde after my late 20′s.

I hemmorhaged in my first 3 births–the third was at home. But I’m still alive, and had NO BLEEDING with my 4th & 5th births where I insisted on delaying cord clamping until the placenta delivered. There is research to support this approach.

It’s one of those old wive’s tales that’s kind of true, but not the way people think.

The gene that causes red hair may also make *some* redheads’ pain receiving nerves more receptive to pain. More pain = higher blood pressure = possibility of more blood loss.

Not necessarily true of all redheads, though — simply having red hair doesn’t predict whether you’re more or less likely to hemorrhage.

I’ve actually read this somewhere reputable (but I can’t remember where right now). Mama Wrench is right — it’s not necessarily true of all redheads. I have auburn hair, pretty close to red during the summer, and I had no problems with bleeding at 4 homebirths.

Maybe, although I’ve never heard it. Also I have dark red hair and had no bleeding issues/bled less than expected after three pregnancies (two home births). So, as others stated, not true for all.

I am a strawberry blonde – I had all 4 of my children at home. I did hemorrhage with my first pregnancy. That coupled with other issues forced a transport for both me and baby – both fine now. I needed 2 shots of pitocin and a shot of methergen (sp) to stop my bleeding before the ambulance arrived. I was told the same thing about redheads bleeding at the hospital, but the ironic thing is the OB who stitched me up said I didn’t hemorrhage at all, just bled from my tear. So NOT TRUE!! Anyhow, I had all 3 subsequent babies at home too, and we’re all still alive. Be cognizant of the fact that red heads can bleed more, take preventative dietary measures, talk about hemorrhage control with your midwife. Don’t worry about dying.

If that were true, then I would have serious bled to death with all three of my homebirths! Bleeding is commonly due to the manual removal of placenta rather than waiting for a physiological third stage. I had very little postpartum bleeding. After first birth, two hours and 11 minutes to deliver placenta. After second an hour and five minutes. Third took 42 minutes. I am a natural redhead with extremely fair skin and I burn in the sun within 10 minutes without protection.

Really? I’m going to set up a ladder at my front door during my next pregnancy!

If you look at a dead person, your baby will be stillborn. I had a great aunt refuse to let my mom go to a funeral when she was pregnant with me because of this one…

Don’t buy everything needed for the baby before the birth or else the baby won’t survive. My aunt swore this one was true because she had everything for her daughter before birth and ended up with an infection that killed the baby soon after she was born. (which was caused by her water breaking a long time before labor started and doctors refusing to do anything) Several UK ladies on a forum I belong to also mentioned not buying the stroller or at least not having it at your house before the birth.

I can’t see past the blinding WIIIIIIIINNNNN!!!!

If Mom orgasms first, its a boy, if Dad does, its a girl.

If mom was on top during sex, its a girl, if Dad was, its a boy.

If mom eats watermelons she’ll have a boy, apples make a girl.

If mom is startled by a snake, she must bite the hem of her skirt or the baby will be mute. If she is started by a spider, same deal or Baby will be stillborn. (Because the spider strangles the baby maybe? I never understood those two)

Suspending a wedding ring on a strand of hair over the swollen belly will predict sex, but only if the child is legitimate.

Lay a pair of scissors or a knife beneath the birthing bed to “cut away” the pain of labor.

Don’t let baby see their relection of their “spirit twin” will steal their soul.

If a twin dies before birth, you must name it and speak to it for the first year of the other baby’s life, or it will haunt its twin for life.

A baby born in caul is lucky on a ship and will never drown. Also they can see spirits, kill vampires with a stare and cure cursed persons. (Theoreticly, they can also curse healthy people, but when i asked about this my uncle said it was true, my aunt said is certainly was not and not to give my cousin (who was born in caul) any ideas!)

Umm… I’m running out of these.

Oh! If the baby cries and coughs in its sleep, its being strangled by a malicious spirit. Let the cat into the room and it will scare away the spirit and give Baby peace.

A smiling baby who laughs or babbles when alone is playing with ghosts/angels. Don’t inturrupt or you’ll chase Baby’s friends away and their luck as well. A baby who does this is likely to be lucky and happy in life.

A baby who is born with their hand beside their brow will be a soldier and save lives. Beside the face and they will be sweet spoken and gentle. holding the cord means they will be a doctor/midwife and save other babies.

(All of these are used with love and affection to my aunt and uncle, or my father who knows billions of superstitions. Exceot for the last one. I can’t remember who told it to me, but its stuck around.)

I had an old Chinese lady nearly smack a cup of ice out of my hand on a NYC street in the middle of my 8th month of pregnancy during a heat wave in July. She said eating ice was bad for me because I would make a baby too big to deliver. I was HUGE and did have a ten pound baby but I’m sure the ice didn’t have anything to do with it.

This is, I think, the most important point. Whether or not redheads bleed more than other women aside, this nurse thinks that a home birth midwife is a hippie/witch with no medical knowledge and no recourse for handling a hemorrhage. I wonder how shocked she’d be to learn that home birth midwives are equipped to deal with hemorrhage. Probably wouldn’t believe it. It is sad how completely uneducated about the true nature of home birth most medical professionals are.

I hemorrhaged with both of my home births, and both times my midwives handled it seamlessly. It came to my attention after that it probably would have been much worse in hospital with pitocen, due to uterine fatigue. I have clotting issues due to my blood type and high blood pressure, so induction very well could have killed me.

My midwife runs a birth center and had a birth recently where a client lost 4 quarts of blood…and they still stabilized her enough to get her to the hospital safely, and she was okay.
(mom had an undiagnosed placenta accreta).

Then you’re 4x as likely than a natural redhead…

And you’re probably an unfit parent because you dye your hair. Obviously.

LOL. Jane, you are slipping. I mean I understood when my poor hubby made the “hemlock” mistake in our first pregnancy, but you?

We do hope the nurse is NOT giving hemlock to any patients. But in my local area we had a nurse who had killed something like 20-30 patients with deliberate drug over-doses. None in maternity, but still…

There’s many different things that can cause you to bleed more easily. I have hypermobility. It’s well known that bendys like me tend to need more pain meds and epidurals don’t usually work. I am also very fair skinned. I’m also not reading that she’s calling you red-headed or Scandinavian, just it’s a list…her fair skinned….her Scandinavian…and her red-haired ladies …..

Ignore your skin color and hair color. Right now you’ve got both a personal and a family history of hemorrhage: consider yourself at risk of hemorrhage. Also make sure all anesthesiologists know you need extra care because you seem to resist it more. This has nothing to do with hair and skin color because it’s just you.

Now. I would suspect it has less to do with one’s specific hair and skin color as it does with the overall genetics of a given population. For example, let’s say there’s a gene that happens to turn up more often in Scandanavian people that makes them more prone to bleeding. Not necessarily dangerous, but just as a trait. And let’s say that there’s a gene that happens to turn up more often in Scandanavian people that makes them more likely to have red hair and fair skin. Well, given that, you’d probably find many people with the gene for bleeding would also have the genes for red hair and fair skin — just because they belong to the same overall population.

Now add in care providers who have an observer bias. A woman bleeds a lot and they check her hair. Red hair! Proof! Another woman bleeds a lot and she’s got black hair. Well, whatever, you take care of the hemorrhage. Another woman doesn’t bleed, so they barely notice the hair color. And then another woman shows up and bleeds kind of on the marginal side, and has red hair — PROOF!

See? It doesn’t necessarily mean redheads bleed more or that redheads resist anesthesia, but maybe there’s one factor that potentially relates to all three characteristics.

But still, your own personal history now overrides any prejudices about your haircolor or skin color. Please use caution.