On Saturday, October 3, ICAN of Northern Virginia and Hope for Accreta, Northern Virginia Chapter, hosted an Inova Blood Donor Services blood drive to honor mothers who need blood after giving birth, raise awareness of placenta accreta and promote cesarean awareness. 

We extend a warm thank you to all of those who took the time to attend the blood drive to donate blood and/or volunteer. We collected 44 units of blood products – which could potentially save 132 lives, some of which could be mothers like us who need blood after childbirth. 

A big thank you to Arts on the Horizon for entertaining the kids in attendance and to those who donated baby supplies to the DC Diaper Bank. We collected 1,150 diapers for babies and families in need!

And finally, a special thank you to our volunteers and the generous donors of our wonderful door prizes: California Tortilla, CVS, Emerald Bee Bath, Scentsy consultant Ann Pentecost, Styles by Shayna, Sugar Shack Donuts, Younique consultant Sharleen Ciesielska, and Zoobooks. We posted the lucky door prize winners on our Facebook event page – congrats!

Approximately 1 in 333 pregnancies experience placenta accreta, increta or percreta, a condition in which the placenta attaches itself too deeply into the wall of the uterus. There is nothing a woman can do to prevent this condition, and there is little that can be done for treatment. But we can be prepared with the blood products they might need after birth.

C-sections are one of the risk factors for placenta accreta, and come with their own set of complications, including hemorraging and blood loss that can lead to a need for blood tranfusions following birth.

We hope to plan another blood drive in April for Accreta and Cesarean Awareness Month. Please follow us on Facebook or join our email list to be the first to learn of our next drive.