Giving Blood for the first time: What to expect and how to prepare

Trigger Warning- blood and needles

If doing more acts of kindness was one of your New Year resolutions, but you don’t know where to start or how much time you can realistically spare; giving blood takes roughly one hour of your time every 3-4 months, and it could save someone’s life, so it’s a pretty good place to start!! Hospitals try to keep a 6 day stock of all blood types, but there are sometimes shortages so blood donation centres are really trying to bring more people in to donate! There are lots of reasons why some people cannot or would not like to give blood, and that’s totally okay. But if you can and are considering it, it’s never too late to sign up and to start giving! Maybe there is something holding you back? For me, even though I had wanted to donate blood since I was a teenager, I ironically was not good with the sight of blood… and being someone who has periods… this did not bode well. When I eventually felt courageous enough to sign up and nervously attended my first donation, it was actually a lot easier than I thought it would be! I have given blood 8 times so far and at every session the staff and volunteers have all been super friendly (and they are especially nice to you if you are giving blood for the first time). And an added bonus- You get free snacks!

Interested?

Amazing! Read on for how to register and be on your way to becoming a lifesaver!

Already booked an appointment and you’re looking for some tips?

You’re incredible! 😊 I hope this blog helps to answer any questions and ease any nerves about giving blood for the first time. The first few steps are about signing up (you’ve done this already) so feel free to jump to any part of the blog for where you are in your journey of giving blood for the first time.

Step 1: Figure out if you can give blood

Step 2: Signing up

Step 3: Book an appointment

How to prepare for your blood donation

What to expect on the day- step by step of the actual appointment

I am writing about my experience of giving blood in the UK. I am sure the experience will be quite similar across the globe, but please check your local guidance too!

Step 1: Figure out if you can give blood

There are a few reasons why some people may not be able to give blood. This will mainly be due to their own health and safety, or that of the recipient. Some of these reasons may be temporary such as if you have had a recent (within the last 4 months) tattoo or piercing, and some may mean you have to wait a little longer before you can safely donate. You can check the eligibility criteria and complete a brief quiz which just takes a couple of minutes to see if you can donate before moving onto the next step. See the eligibility criteria for England and Wales, and Scotland.

Step 2: Signing up

So you are able to give blood, great! The next step is to create an account with your email address and a password. Once you have created an account, you can search for availability by location or date, book appointments, cancel or reschedule appointments, and see your donation history. If you live in England or Wales, sign up here, if in Scotland, sign up here.

Step 3: Book an appointment:

Choose a good time where you aren’t going to be rushed or stressed. Think about things like how will you get there: Can you walk/is there parking/public transport? Are you commitment free after your appointment? It may be good to book a slot after a meal or at least a time where you can have a decent snack beforehand. Are there multiple appointments at the same time or close together so you and your friend can donate together?

Most appointments take around an hour from start to finish (although the actual donation only takes around 8 minutes!) this includes waiting times, completing forms, pre checks, the donation, and snacks afterwards etc.

If you can’t make your appointment, make sure to cancel and reschedule so someone else can take your appointment slot. You can usually do this by logging into your account, or calling the helpline number.

How to Prepare for your Blood Donation

Helpline

If you have any questions, just ask. No question is a silly question! Whether you are giving blood for the first time or are a seasoned donator, the team are always happy to help.

The days leading up to the appointment

Drink lots of water, and include iron-rich foods in your diet. As a vegetarian and menstruator, I personally take a daily vitamin and mineral supplement, as well as have a balanced diet with lots of green veggies and fortified cereal and luckily the iron count has never been an issue for me.

On the day

Drink water (avoid lots of caffeinated drinks and alcohol) and eat well. Make sure your plans after the appointment are not too strenuous, for example no workouts or heavy lifting. Fine to get on with your day as usual, just be careful and take it as a good excuse to put your feet up! 

Plan your outfit

A loose short sleeve t-shirt (or if necessary, a loose long-sleeve that can be very easily rolled up well past the elbow) is best so the nurses can have easy access to both arms.

What to expect on the day

I have donated at six different venues across England and Scotland and below is a rough combination of the lot as my appointments have all been very similar. Please be aware that your appointment may differ slightly, and this is just to give you an idea of what it may look like.

Arrive at your appointment 5-10 minutes before your slot and speak to the reception staff to let them know you have arrived. If it’s your first time, they may ask you to read a leaflet about the donation and any risks involved and may ask you for your completed questionnaire (if they sent one in the post prior to the appointment) or give you one to complete while you wait.

They will ask you to get a 500ml cup of water/squash (they will provide this) and expect you to drink the whole thing before your donation- you can also bring your own container to save plastic waste.

You will sit in the waiting area until a staff member calls your name and you will be taken into a side room or a private curtained off stall. This is to discuss your answers to your questionnaire and to go over your travel history of the last year. They will have a look at the updated information for each country you have visited to check if there is a risk of illness. 

They may ask to have a peek at the inside of your arms to see how your veins are looking.

They will check your haemoglobin levels to ensure you have sufficient levels of iron to donate. This involves a tiny pinprick on your finger and taking a drop of blood to check. Being a woman and having a vegetarian diet, this is the part I am always worried about, but my levels have always been fine so far. They will usually do a second test if you fail the first one.

You will then get taken to a large comfy chair, almost like a baby seat for adults come sun lounger, which can be reclined. The nurses are always super friendly and it’s best to tell them if you are giving blood for the first time, are feeling nervous or are not so good with needles or blood. They will check on you regularly and can be more discreet in handling your blood/covering the needle etc.

They will ask if you have a preferred arm you wish to donate from. I always say left because it’s my non-dominant arm, but it’s almost always taken from the right, because my veins are apparently so much better on that side. Be prepared for them to use whichever arm they think is best, as one arm just may be so much easier than the other. 

They will put a 30 second timer on and clean the inside of your arm which I always find really tickles.

They may put a cuff around the top of your arm, just like getting your blood pressure taken, in order to get the blood pumping and to see the vein more clearly and may ask you to squeeze and open your hand. 

They will then insert the needle in the inside of your arm, around where your elbow crease is, which is like a sharp scratch. This is the worst bit but it only hurts for like 5 seconds and then you don’t feel anything at all so it really is okay trust me <3. The bag of blood hangs over the side of your chair so you don’t have to see it if you don’t want to. The nurse will collect a few vials of blood either at the start or end of the donation, which means your blood can be tested before your bag of blood is given to the recipient.

Listen to the instructions of the nurse. They will most likely give you some exercises like squeezing and relaxing your hand, paddling your feet, or tensing and releasing your leg and bum muscles. This helps the blood flow well and keeps up your blood pressure. You can usually bring someone to talk to (check with the venue beforehand) or can plug into some music or listen to the music in the room.

Don’t worry if you hear beeping, this is just to tell the staff how far along you are in your donation, which takes some time between 4 and 15 minutes (mine always takes around 8 minutes and the time seems to go really quickly!) Once the correct amount of blood is taken, the machine will beep again and a nurse will come and take your needle out and press a compress on the inside of your arm and then cover it with a plaster. Sometimes this is a regular plaster, or it may be a little wad of bandage. They will tell you how long this needs to stay on.

Be honest with how you feel, do not pretend you are feeling fine if you don’t. Most of the time I have been grand, but twice I have felt a little woozy and all they do is tilt your chair right back so your feet are in the air and after a minute or so I feel so much better.

The staff or a lovely volunteer will offer you a sugary drink like juice or squash and a snack which you will either eat in your chair or at the ‘snack table’.

After about 10-15 minutes, they will ask how you are feeling and if you are well then that’s it! You are able to go and carry on with your day.

They will give you an after-care leaflet. Be sure to keep this handy for the next 24 hours as it will tell you about any side effects you may feel and what to do if you become unwell along with contact details.

Be careful not to lift heavy objects or do any strenuous exercise. You can put your feet up and treat yourself, knowing that you have done something wonderful!

Not only will you help to save someone’s life (the most important thing of course!), you get free snacks, find out what blood group you are (pretty cool), your blood will be checked for different things, and you’ll also get a donor card to keep which gets upgraded the more times you donate.

Remember to collect a sticker on the way out to promote your blood giving!

Well done, you are a superstar, and have helped to save someone’s life.

If you are considering it, please do. You can read some amazing stories of how blood donors have helped to save or improve the lives of others, if you need any more convincing.

If you have any questions or would like any words of encouragement on giving blood for the first time, please just ask! 🙂 

B