How long does lochia last

Choose clothes — particularly underwear — that you don't care too much about. Wearing your favorites immediately after delivery, even if you could fit into them, might not be such a good idea, since stains from spotting after pregnancy will inevitably happen.

Finally, take it easy during your postpartum recovery period. Doing too much too soon can slow down the body's repair work and cause bleeding to start again, or to become heavy once it's started tapering off. You should contact your doctor if you notice any of the following, which could be signs of an infection or another more serious condition such as postpartum hemorrhage :. What to Expect follows strict reporting guidelines and uses only credible sources, such as peer-reviewed studies, academic research institutions and highly respected health organizations.

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This educational content is not medical or diagnostic advice. Use of this site is subject to our terms of use and privacy policy. Registry Builder New. Read more about our editorial review process. Bleeding after birth: 10 things you need to know. Read time 7 minutes. Breadcrumb Home Life as a parent Your body after birth Bleeding after birth: 10 things you need to know.

Email Post Tweet Post. Bleeding after birth may last for a while Bleeding typically lasts around for 24 to 36 days Fletcher et al, Heavy flow that probably soaks one maternity pad every few hours, with one or two clots or several smaller ones. Day 2 to 6: Darker brown or pinkish red blood.

Moderate flow with 7 cm to 12 cm stains on your maternity pads and smaller blood clots. Day 7 to Darker brown or pinkish red blood, becoming lighter. Variable but lighter flow, with less than a 7 cm stain on your pads. Days 11 to Darker brown or pinkish red blood, becoming lighter. Lighter flow, you may have some sanitary towels that are hardly stained. Week 3 to 4: Paler, possibly a creamy white blood loss. Every woman experiences bleeding after birth as the body expels lochia—a discharge of blood, mucus, and uterine tissue.

This shedding lochia not totally unlike menstruation, notes Dr. Masterson, because it's made up of the same kind of blood and tissue.

But lochia happens on a much larger scale because of how big the uterus grows during pregnancy. The discharge after birth also lasts a lot longer than a normal period , and it goes through a few changes before finally stopping. In the first days and weeks after delivery , lochia looks very similar to period blood; it's bright red in color and the flow can be fairly heavy.

You might need to wear thicker maternity pads, and it's possible you may pass a small piece of placenta or what looks like tissue along with the blood. After the first two weeks, Masterson says the color of your lochia will change from red to dark brown and will decrease in volume; eventually, it may become yellow and watery. You may also begin bleeding more irregularly rather than having a consistent flow all the time.

The discharge may also change colour when this happens. Pelvic pain. A urinary infection or constipation could cause pelvic pain.

In both cases, drink plenty of water and contact your midwife or GP without delay. A gentle laxative or dietary change can help with constipation, which is very common after giving birth. A serious condition that will cause pelvic pain is an infection in the womb. This will cause mums to feel shivery and unwell. In this instance, contact your GP straight away. An infection in the uterus can cause a haemorrhage, too — or a piece of placenta that has stuck to the uterus, which prevents it from healing.

This can become a serious problem just think how fast a sink fills up if the tap is left dripping. Women who have a Caesarean section may have less lochia after 24 hours than mums who have a vaginal delivery. This is not always the case, though. Some mums have reported very light bleeding after undergoing a Caesarean section; others have stated that it lasted longer than with their vaginal births. If you had a Caesarean section follow the same guidelines and warning signs outlined for vaginal birth deliveries.

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