The causes of postpartum haemorrhage are well established and there is growing awareness of the important risk factors. The immediate treatments tend to be directed at the most common causes. Identification of risk factors in women allows optimisation to mitigate their effects. Over the past years there has been growing evidence about how to optimise the diagnosis of postpartum haemorrhage and which treatment strategies are likely to be the most effective. Objective measurements of blood loss are encouraged as they are more accurate than visual estimation and bundled treatments are essential in avoiding treatment delays when dealing with this time-critical emergency. If initial approaches to management are unsuccessful, then there is escalation to more extensive treatments which include surgery.