Postpartum bleeding

[Tasia32]

Hey ladies as some of you know this is my first pregnancy so I don't know much about any of it. I have heard from some women who have had kids about something called postpartum bleeding and I could read about this but I want to get to hear about first hand experience with it. What is it? How long after giving birth do you bleed? I am also concerned about how heavy it is, I have had heavy periods but I don't think this is the same thing.

[Tasia32]

Thanks a lot ladies, I really appreciate your responses!!!

[Michele, Katy, TX]

Well, Chantal and spade said pretty much what I would have.   I always bleed for the full 6 weeks, but it is not heavy bleeding for that whole time.  My time frame pretty much matches up with theirs.  

BUT, if you ever experience cloths that are large or numerous, call your doc immediately.  This happened to me after I had my 2nd baby and I tried to make light of it.  My DH called 911 because I was losing a lot of blood very quickly.  The nurse said if I would have bled through the night, I would probably have bled to death.  Now, I am not saying this to scare you at all.  This is not common.  I just had a little bit of the placenta still in me and it is what caused all of this extra bleeding.  I have had 5 kids so far, but this only happened to me one time.  Like I said, this is not super common.  I mean it obviously happens but don't worry about it at all.  Just pay attention is all I am saying.  Good luck!!!

[spade22]

Chantal  gave some great advice.

Just to add, bleeding postpartum is referred to as "lochia" and is usually the heaviest for the 1st week after birth.  In my case, for the first few days I needed to change a pad every 3-4 h and then after that the flow was very mild and stopped after about 4 weeks.  Everyone is different though.

[Tasia32]

Thanks, I will make sure I get enough rest and not overdue anything.

[chantal21]

Your welcome! It was scary for me, being my first time and all. Now that I have an idea of what to expect, I'm not so scared this time around. I think the average for bleeding is about 4 weeks. Some are a little shorter, and some a little longer. It just depends how much rest you get after delivering. I didn't get out of bed the first week and then the 2nd week felt pretty good and went to the mall with my mom...BIG mistake! I was hurting after that. Also, giving birth was a little traumatic as my son's head was coming out crooked, I think that made it worse for me and the whole healing process. But you will be okay!! =)

[Tasia32]

Thanks for such a quick response Chantal, it also really helps me to understand it a little better. I was told basically that I would be bleeding everywhere for a long period of time and it freaked me out so thanks for sharing your experience with me.

[chantal21]

It's different for everyone, but I will give you my experience. I bled for a total of 4 weeks. The first 3-4 days were rough for me. I actually wore diapers for those first few days, because a pad didn't cut it! Week 2 was like a normal to heavy period, week 3 was light and not much bleeding, and the 4th week I just needed a liner and there was hardly any blood at that point.