Postpartum Bracelet Program at Northwest Health
Having a baby is a major health event which can have an effect on a person’s health even after leaving the hospital. That’s why Northwest Health created the postpartum bracelet program. Before leaving the hospital, maternity patients are given a silicon bracelet to wear for up to a year postpartum. Wearing this bracelet could mean the difference in getting the right care during an emergency.
Similar to a medical alert bracelet, the postpartum bracelet conveys to emergency personnel that a person had a baby within a year, even if the patient is unable to communicate. With this knowledge, the ER can then consider postpartum complications along with traditional complications for a better diagnosis.
For example, what may appear like a seizure could be related to postpartum eclampsia and the treatment a patient receives makes a difference.
The postpartum bracelet program is optional, and each postpartum patient receives education about the program at Northwest Medical Center – Bentonville and Willow Creek Women’s Hospital. Patients then get a bracelet to take home and choose if they’d like to wear it.
Some of the postpartum conditions the bracelet can alert emergency medical personnel to include:
- Hemorrhage
- Postpartum depression and/or anxiety
- Postpartum psychosis
- Deep vein thrombosis (DVT) and/or pulmonary embolism
- Postpartum eclampsia
To learn more about the program or to speak with an OB patient navigator, call:
- Northwest Medical Center – Bentonville: (479) 553-1262
- Willow Creek Women’s Hospital: (479) 684-3204