How is blood loss during and after delivery measured?

• A. Estimated by weight of towels
• B. The number of saturated pads (correct)
• C. Visual estimation
• D. Blood pressure

Answer: (B)

Measuring blood loss after delivery is about turning what's happening into a simple, repeatable quantity. The most practical approach is to count how many pads become fully soaked. Each saturated pad serves as a unit of blood loss, giving a straightforward way to track progression and raise concern if the count rises quickly. This approach is more reliable than relying on visual estimation, which can be biased and inaccurate. Weighing towels or pads can be more precise, but counting saturated pads is quicker and often sufficient in real-world care. Blood pressure by itself isn’t a direct measure of how much blood has been lost—the body can compensate for a while, so it’s a helpful indicator of the patient’s status but not a direct gauge of blood loss.