ALBANY, N.Y. (NEWS10) — This week on Women’s Health Wednesday we’re taking a closer look at the importance of blood donations, especially the life-saving transfusions after giving birth. Christina Arangio and Stephanie Rivas were joined by Sarah Bovee Hines, a local mother who suffered a massive hemorrhage when she was in labor.  Hines survived thanks to the readily available transfusion she received.

An estimated 3% of women who give birth need a life-saving blood transfusion following delivery. Recent birth data shows that’s more than 100,000 moms yearly. After delivering Jameson in March of 2022, first-time mom Sara Bovee Hines’ received a massive transfusion of 8 units, enough blood to replace a person of Sara’s size’s entire blood volume. 

She has since taken up the charge to raise awareness about giving blood to help other mothers in the delivery room. Hines recently organized a blood drive specifically centered around this issue to help keep the Red Cross’s blood supply stocked. She has also started an online blog detailing her journey since giving birth and how she’s using her experience to help move the conversation forward.

You can hear more about her story in the interview above.