How to prepare for donating blood, because I didn’t.

Have you ever thought about donating blood? If you have thought about it, there are a few things you should know about the process and how to prepare for your donation.

First off, before the actual day of your donation, there are a few things to keep in mind. If you are under the age of 17, you will need to have a parent or guardian sign a consent form. If you are 17 or older all you have to do is sign up for a time at redcrossblood.org. It is also a good idea to eat iron-rich foods before donating, to keep your hemoglobin, or iron, levels stable. Recommended foods are: beef, fish, and many different fruits and vegetables, which can all be very beneficial to raising iron levels.

When it comes to the actual process of giving blood, they first ask you a series of questions to learn about you and your medical history. Then, they check your temperature, pulse and blood pressure to make sure you are stable to donate. If everything checks out the next step is checking your hemoglobin levels, if you made sure to eat the suggested foods above, then there should be no worries. After that, the only thing left to do is donate blood and save some lives!