Donate Blood | I DID

For a few years I have considered donating blood but either my nervousness/reluctance or my pregnancy had stopped me from actually making an appointment.

You see I had never even had a blood test {well at least that I remember} before getting pregnant and the thought of willingly having a needle inserted into my arm was not something that I was overly enthusiastic about.

But just this last week I thought, it's time. The amount of blood tests you have to get through your pregnancy, and as my nurse Kristie mentioned, actually giving birth is waaaay huger than spending an hour of your day to do something {which I now know is} so easy which is so valuable seems a no-brainer.

My dad {a long-time donator} booked us an appointment at the Maroochydore centre and while dad got taken away quite quickly, I had to sit and wait to be entered in to the database. During that time my nerves developed but a sneaky freddo frog helped and a scan through instagram helped me stay relatively calm. Seriously though ... When it was all done and dusted, the paperwork was the most painful thing.

If you can, do it. The thought is more scary than the actual event.

AND, the assortment of food and drink after the appointment {oh, and the strict instructions to eat and drink plenty for the rest of the day} more than pays for your time. Dad and I enjoyed crackers and cheese, gourmet cookies, chocolate, biscuits, coffee and gatorade. And that was just a portion of what was on offer. Oh, and the lovely grandma volunteer just made the experience even better.

I'll definitely be doing it again.

Oh, especially when you share a photo on instagram/twitter and get a fabulous response.

from @redcrossbloodau
'awesome work. Thank you for becoming a #lifesaver - today you have saved three lives! #thankyou #bloodyhero #bloodsaves'