Postpartum Bloodwork: Understanding Normal Levels After Delivery

Question
Hi! I am trying to find out what you would consider normal levels for bloodwork postpartum. I delivered with LOTS of pain and complications - my blood pressure was all over the place from very low to very high and I had constant tachacardia during my entire delivery. I had a sudden onset of VERY intense abdominal pain and found it very difficult to breath just as I began pushing. This pain never let up and I became so dizzy and began vomiting so the doctor pulled the baby out with a vaccum. I came to about 5 minutes later and forgot I had a baby and was just in SOO much pain. My blood tests showed LOTS of abnormal numbers and I'm just wondering if you think I should go back to the ER or something as I am still in a LOT of pain and they discharged me after 48 hours. My bp went from 95/50 right after delivery to 189/120 about 15 minutes after delivery and my heart rate went from 120 up to 193. They gave me something and it went back to 'normal' hr of 120's over 70's, but hr never came back down below 120. My WBC went from 17.2 to 19.0 since delivery, RBC from 3.91 to 3.46, HGB from 12.2 to 11.1, Hematicrit from 36 to 31, neutrophils from 88% to 94% and lymphocites form 6% to 4%. Basically, all the numbers on my blood tests are 'outside of normal range' and getting farther outside the range and my doctor seems unconcerned with any of it. Are these pretty normal numbers for postpartum? Does delivery really make your blood that far from normal? Sorry, I'm probably rambling, but I'm really NOT FEELING WELL at all and I'm starting to get pretty scared. Any help you can give me would be greatly appreciated.

Answer
It is very normal for your blood pressure and heart rate to be elevated during a normal delivery. Childbirth can be one of the most painful and stressful, yet unequivocally the most meaningful, experience a woman will ever encounter. When your body is in severe pain or absolute distress, it is very normal for your vital signs to be abnormally high. With your lab work, I am not seeing any critical lows that would indicate a postpartum infection or other complications. Typically healthcare professionals begin to become concerned when your Hemoglobin drops below 8 and your hematocrit drops below 20-25. The H&H portion of bloodwork is important to monitor after childbirth as it lets the physicians know if you have lost too much blood after childbirth. If you are not presenting with a fever or any other signs of infection, I would recommend scheduling an appointment with your OB to discuss your concerns with him/her.

I would like to say, in closing, that it is completely normal for you to have abnormal labs after childbirth. Your body not only has to adjust to the lack of extreme hormones that you were accustomed to having for 9 months, but has to try it's best to overcompensate for the amount of trauma that childbirth puts the body through. I do hope that you get to feeling better, try using a heating pad on a lower setting for cramping, sitz baths and tucks pads for vaginal tearing or incisions combined with rest. I do hope you get to feeling better soon. Please do not hesitate to follow up with me or let me know if I can be of any further assistance.