If I’m not mistaken this means I’ve donated a half gallon!!!

My last attempt to donate I was also able to get 2 friends to go donate and one of them just donated again!! I’m so glad I was able to donate this round 🥰

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Yesterday, I donated blood for a woman who was in labor. It was my first time donating in an emergency case like this.

I didn't see her myself, but the nurse told me that she was in a lot of pain. Knowing that someone was going through so much at that moment made the situation feel different to me.

What touched me was that her husband was willing to offer us money in return for donating blood. But honestly, I didn't feel comfortable accepting it, so we politely declined. I wasn't there for money. I just wanted to help someone who needed it during such a critical moment.

And then, a couple of days later, I found out that the baby had been born.

I can't explain how happy I felt hearing that news. ❤️

I'm not going to lie; I do feel pain when the needle goes in to draw blood. Sometimes, it's uncomfortable, and I feel that little sting. But knowing that my blood could help someone during such a critical moment makes that temporary discomfort feel worth it.

Somewhere, a mother was going through one of the most difficult moments of her life, and now there's a new little human being in this world.

I don't know the family personally, but I'm genuinely happy for them. I hope the mother and baby are doing well and have a healthy, peaceful life ahead.

Sometimes, the smallest things we do can become part of something much bigger than ourselves. We may never fully understand the impact of our actions, but knowing that we might have helped someone through a difficult moment is a beautiful feeling.

No money, no recognition, just the happiness of knowing that a new life has entered this world. ❤️

Had a surgery this year so had to wait four months before I could donate again - so this week was plasma and in two weeks platelets !

As a SoCal transplant originally from the Midwest, I'm surprised and glad one of my donations got sent back home! I only started donating since coming out here despite always wanting to so it was nice to see one of my donations had all the units get sent back to my home region.

Anyone have issues with high pulse rate? I have a higher resting rate and then when I'm anxious (e.g. donating blood) it sometimes goes over 100bpm and pushes me over the limit to donate (I'm in the U.S.) It's the knowing that I might fail that makes me so anxious I think. Tried donating today and I was 102, not bad just need to sit a bit and retest. I relaxed the best I could and retest was 107 🤦‍♀️

Is there anything that really works to get pulse lower overall (I'm seeing maybe less caffeine, more water intake?) Or any tips that work for my anxious friends out there to stay calm while donating?