Postpartum Bracelet Alerts Medical Personnel of Health Risks

9/26/2025

KIRKVILLE, MO - Northeast Regional Medical Center (NRMC) is extending care beyond the maternity ward to new mothers with postpartum bracelets which could make the difference in getting the right care during an emergency.

“Think of it as a type of medical alert bracelet,” said Cynthia Green, BSN, RNC-OB, director for women’s services at NRMC. “The idea is for patients to wear the bracelet for up to a year postpartum so if they need emergency treatment and are unable to convey that they have had a baby within the last year, this will alert providers to consider postpartum complications.”

“People forget that having a baby can make a big change to your medical history,” Green said. “Pregnancy and delivery can change so many things about your health.”

While complications are most likely to occur in the first four months after delivery, the risk remains for up to a year. Potential complications include hemorrhages, postpartum depression or anxiety, postpartum psychosis, deep vein thrombosis (DVT), pulmonary embolism, postpartum eclampsia and seizures related to eclampsia.

All patients who are discharged from NRMC after delivery are given their choice of a pink or blue bracelet that displays the text I gave birth at NRMC. During the early stages of the program patients were offered a bright orange bracelet with the text Post Birth Alert. “Wearing the bracelet is optional,” Green said. “We do educate the patient on how the program works and encourage them to wear the bracelet.”

Green added that local emergency service departments and convenient care clinics have been made aware of the bracelet program and how it can assist them in caring for a patient. For patients who have delivered at NRMC within the past year before the bracelets were distributed, please call (660) 785-1750.

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