What kind of discharge should occur after childbirth. Is heavy bleeding after childbirth normal - why does it take so long to stop? How long does it take to bleed after childbirth?

Postpartum recovery is a special state of a woman, when organs and systems return to their normal, “non-pregnant” state. Normally, it should take place without medical assistance, but under the scrupulous supervision of the woman. The main indicator of health is postpartum discharge, which varies depending on the condition of the uterus. It is important to know what their duration, appearance, color, intensity, smell should be at each moment of time.

Discharge after childbirth (lochia) is caused by healing and cleansing of the uterus. The process goes through several stages and is natural. It is popularly believed that a woman “cleanses” for 40 days. Official medicine tends to agree, and calls the average period 42 days. More “blurred” boundaries from 5 to 9 weeks. Anything that lasts less or longer than the specified periods is pathology.

The woman’s task is to carefully monitor the lochia. Any deviation from the norm is a signal of trouble and is a reason for an immediate visit to the gynecologist.

You should sound the alarm if discharge after childbirth:

• Finished in less than a month
• Lasts longer than 2 months
• Let's go green
• Became cheesy white
• Have purulent inclusions
• Acquired an unpleasant odor (putrid, sour)
• Sharply increased in volume
• Blood appeared again

An indicator of a woman’s health in the postpartum period is normal (up to 37) body temperature. If it is elevated or you think that there is “something wrong” with your discharge, go to the gynecologist. It’s better to worry unnecessarily than to miss the problem.

Uterine healing process

The healing process of the wound cavity of the uterus is conventionally divided into 3 stages:

1. from 1 to 7 days after birth - red discharge
2. 2-3 weeks after birth – brown discharge
3. Final stage – white lochia

The established dates are approximate, since they depend on the body, the complexity of childbirth, the method of delivery, and breastfeeding. Only your gynecologist can give an individual consultation when studying your medical history.

The first lochia

Cleansing the uterus begins immediately after the birth of the child - this is the expulsion of the placenta on the birth table. The obstetrician carefully examines its integrity. If breaks are found, then suspicion arises of incomplete separation of the placenta. The uterine cavity is cleaned to remove the remaining placenta.

For the first two hours after giving birth, the woman is monitored in the delivery room. Its purpose is to prevent bleeding. To do this, uterine contractions are stimulated by injection, and ice is placed on the abdomen. The discharge is copious, mostly blood.

How long does bleeding last after childbirth? Intense lochia of a bright red color ends in 3-4 days. At this time, the blood still does not clot well, and the wound surface remains extensive. By day 4, the lochia darken, acquiring a brownish color.

Clots in the first week (especially after sleep) are considered normal, as is the pungent smell of blood. Large clots larger than a chicken egg in volume should cause caution. Lochia comes after childbirth so abundantly that the pad is changed once an hour.

Second phase

The second stage of uterine cleansing lasts up to 3 weeks. The discharge consists of ichor, mucus, remains of dead cells with a small admixture of blood. The volume is comparable to normal menstruation or less. Color – brown. The smell is similar to musty, but not putrid or sour.

End of the recovery period

After the third week, before stopping, the lochia lightens to a white-transparent or yellowish color. Consist of mucus. In terms of quantity they are characterized as spotting. During this period, a woman can switch to panty liners.

Lochia after cesarean

Recovery after a cesarean section goes through the same stages, but more slowly. With this type of delivery, a scar is added to the wound in the uterine cavity on its wall, which delays healing. Discharge lasts longer after childbirth.

Pathological conditions

Discharge after childbirth ended early

Discharge after childbirth stops earlier if the woman was cleansed in the maternity hospital. With this intervention, the uterine cavity is artificially cleansed of the remains of the placenta, dead endometrium, and waste products of the child. This may speed up healing somewhat.

In other cases, the disappearance of lochia before the 35th day does not indicate a strong, quickly recovered body, but an early closure of the cervical canal. With this pathology, the discharge is deprived of its natural outlet and accumulates in the uterine cavity.

It should be understood that lochia consists of dead tissue. If gynecological cleansing is not carried out, the contents of the uterus will begin to decompose. This leads to infection or even sepsis.

Inflammatory diseases and fungus

The inflammatory process in a woman who has given birth can develop for various reasons: chronic infections, colds, insufficient hygiene, decreased immunity. The discharge acquires a characteristic “fishy” smell, greenish color, and changes consistency. After a while, high fever and pain in the lower abdomen are added. Without proper treatment, inflammatory processes in the uterus can lead to infertility.

The appearance of thrush is indicated by itching, a sour smell from the discharge, and a change in the consistency of the lochia to a curd-white consistency.

Bleeding

The appearance of blood in the lochia after the first week always indicates pathology. If you are in a maternity hospital, inform the doctors about this. If you notice blood at home, call an ambulance immediately.

Prevention of complications

Preventive measures in the postpartum period are reduced to:

• Compliance with medical orders
• Following hygiene requirements
• Sufficient physical activity
• Abstinence from sexual intercourse

A natural “reducer” is breastfeeding. With frequent latching of a baby, a woman's uterus receives powerful oxytocin stimulation.

And remember! A woman’s attentive and responsible attitude to her health is the key to a happy life for her children.

After giving birth, new mothers notice discharge from the genitals for several weeks. They are usually bloody, brownish, or watery. The appearance of blood on underwear can be frightening and raise fears about the presence of uterine bleeding after childbirth. Should a mother who notices unusual vaginal discharge after the birth of her baby be concerned? Let's consider under what circumstances such a phenomenon is recognized by doctors as the norm, and how long the discharge lasts after childbirth.

Causes of discharge in women after childbirth

Bleeding after childbirth is called “lochia.” Discharge after the birth of a baby occurs not only in women who give birth naturally, but also in those who have undergone a cesarean section.

Why does postpartum discharge appear? To answer this question, you need to understand what happens to the uterus after the baby is born.

Despite the fact that the child is already in the hands of the midwife, the process, which is called postpartum, continues for the woman. The afterbirth comes out of the uterus.

The placenta consists of several layers, the first is formed from the endometrium of the uterus and is called the basal decidua. It is permeated with blood vessels and includes depressions filled with maternal blood. Due to the fact that the arteries and capillaries of the mother and fetus enter the placenta, diffusion occurs between the two bloodstreams, and the baby receives the nutrients it needs.

When the placenta breaks away from the wall of the uterus and comes out, the surface of the organ resembles an open wound. Blood flows from gaping vessels, especially intensely in the first minutes after birth.

After some time, the organ begins to shrink, decreasing and reaching its original size. This phenomenon is called involution. By contracting, the muscles compress the blood vessels, helping to stop postpartum bleeding, heal wounds and stop lochia. Individual factors influence how quickly the uterus shrinks to its original size.

Color and other characteristics of normal discharge

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What should normal discharge be like immediately after childbirth? The shade should gradually change from blood red to whitish and transparent:

1. Immediately after birth, the discharge is bloody. This is due to the fact that the blood vessels damaged during the separation of the placenta did not have time to heal, and almost pure blood is released from the woman’s vagina after childbirth, so if there is bleeding, this is a normal phenomenon. You need to stock up in advance on pads intended for heavy periods or for urological patients. Doctors prohibit the use of tampons and menstrual cups.
2. Within a week after the baby is born, the postpartum scarlet lochia turns brown or brown. Lumps of blood may be mixed with the discharge even after 5-6 days after pregnancy.
3. At the end of the week, the postpartum discharge becomes yellowish in color. The liquid resembles ichor oozing from small wounds during healing. This color of lochia is due to the content of lymphocytes and leukocytes in them, which contribute to the restoration of torn vessels inside the uterus.
4. Gradually, the discharge acquires a mucous consistency or becomes transparent. This is a sign that the regeneration of the inner lining of the uterus was successful, and lochia after childbirth was replaced by vaginal discharge.

Initially, postpartum bleeding smells like blood. Over time, the smell of metal gives way to dampness or delicacy - this is what clotted or stagnant blood smells like, there is nothing wrong with that.

How long can the discharge last normally?

Doctors divide the postpartum period into the following stages:

• early - the first 2-3 hours after birth;
• late - lasts up to 8 weeks.

At the beginning of the postpartum period, the mother who gave birth is still in the delivery room. During this period, the most active bleeding is observed. How much blood does a woman lose? Approximately 400 ml. The midwife closely monitors the woman in labor in order to promptly notice after childbirth pathological bleeding, which is a symptom of hypotension, injuries, and ruptures.

How long does lochia last after childbirth? The duration depends on the reduction in the size of the uterus, which, by contracting, helps heal the wounds. The uterus decreases by approximately 1 cm per day. On the day the baby is born, the bottom of the organ can be felt at the level of the middle of the abdomen; after 3-4 days it is located in the middle between the navel and vagina. By day 9-10, the uterus is at a height of 1-2 cm from the vagina. If in the last days of pregnancy the organ weighs about 1 kg, then by the end of the postpartum period it returns to its original weight of 70 g.

How long does it take to bleed? Lochia is most intensely secreted in the first 3 days. Their volume is approximately 300 ml, and the woman has to change the pad frequently.

On the 9-10th day, when the uterus has almost returned to its original state, the discharge becomes scanty and does not cause much discomfort. After childbirth, lochia may completely stop within a month.

How long does lochia last after childbirth as a result of surgery? After a cesarean section, lochia, as a rule, lasts longer than during a natural birth (more details in the article:). Any surgical intervention is stressful for the human body, and rehabilitation after it is more difficult. How long does it take after giving birth for all this to stop? About 8 weeks. In the first month after birth, lochia is usually more abundant.

Does the duration of discharge depend on the type of feeding?

How long does this symptom last after the birth of the newborn if the mother is breastfeeding? When breastfeeding, discharge passes faster than if a woman who has given birth feeds her baby with formula.

Milk appears in a woman’s mammary glands under the influence of oxytocin. It is produced due to the sucking movements of the baby - the brain receives a signal, and the pituitary gland begins to produce a hormone that causes contraction of myoepithelial cells and pushes milk to the nipple.

Oxytocin has a similar effect on the uterus. Under the influence of this hormone, the uterine muscles contract more strongly, which means involution, and with it healing, occurs faster. If a mother wants to quickly undergo rehabilitation after childbirth, she should feed her newborn with milk. How long should lochia last while breastfeeding, and how quickly does it end? This is an individual process, but some women notice a cessation after the end of the month.

Pathological discharge and accompanying symptoms

What should I do if, a month after giving birth, bleeding starts again, or the lochia does not stop even after 3 months? This indicates the presence of abnormalities in uterine involution. How to determine that rehabilitation after childbirth is not going well? First of all, you need to pay attention to the nature of the discharge, its color and smell.

How to determine the presence of the disease by the color of lochia is shown in the table:

Regardless of the stage at which they appeared, purulent discharge is a reason to immediately make an appointment with a gynecologist. Most often they are accompanied by lethargy, headache, fatigue, and increased body temperature. Pus may be a symptom of salpingoophoritis. This is an inflammation of the appendages, which develops due to the entry of staphylococci, streptococci, and gonococci into the fallopian tubes and ovaries. You can see what pathological discharge looks like in the photo.

Mucous discharge is normal, especially at 3-4 weeks. They indicate pathology if they come on too profusely or appear at a time when there should still be bleeding.

What to do if lochia suddenly ends prematurely? This indicates the presence of a lochiometer. With this disease, lochia cannot leave the uterus for the following reasons:

• blockage of the cervical canal;
• inflection of the uterus;
• weak contraction of the organ.

Any deviation from normal indicators in color, smell, consistency is a reason to consult a doctor. Do not neglect warning signs; they can be symptoms of dangerous diseases.

Features of hygiene in the postpartum period

The doctor who managed the pregnancy and delivered the baby while the woman in labor is still in the hospital will tell you about hygiene rules during the rehabilitation period after childbirth. A few recommendations on how to properly keep the vulva and perineum clean to avoid infection:

1. During lochia it is necessary to use pads. Tampons and menstrual cups contribute to the proliferation of pathogenic microflora and stagnation of discharge. You can buy postpartum pads in pharmacies, but if the discharge is heavy, you can use diapers with an absorbent layer. For scanty lochia, regular menstrual products will do.
2. You need to wash yourself at least twice a day. You don't need to use soap too often. You need to wash in the shower, not in the bath. You cannot lie in hot water for a long time; this can negatively affect the restoration of the integrity of blood vessels and cause heavy bleeding. When washing, you need to make movements from front to back, from the vagina to the anus. If you do the opposite, intestinal microflora may enter the vagina, which will cause inflammation.
3. If a woman has had stitches, they need to be treated regularly. Antiseptic drugs are suitable for this - a solution of potassium permanganate or Furacilin.

If you adhere to the rules of hygiene and monitor the nature of the discharge, the risk of infection can be minimized. Any disease is easier to treat in the initial stages than in an advanced state.

What happens normally?

The uterus continues to contract, and the woman may feel slight contractions, especially during breastfeeding, when the baby sucks intensely. Immediately after birth, the uterus weighs 1 kg. Over the next six weeks, she returns to her normal weight - 50-60 g. After this, the discharge becomes less intense. Postpartum discharge, called lochia, continues for 5-6 weeks after birth until the uterus completely returns to its normal size and the wound formed at the site of the separated placenta heals. In the first 2-3 days they are bloody. During this period, the main component of lochia is blood from vessels that have ruptured at the placenta insertion, so the discharge is intensely red. Increased discharge when standing up and other movements is a normal process.

Then, until the end of the first week after birth, the discharge becomes dark red with a brown tint, then yellowish-white, due to the admixture of a large number of leukocytes. From the 10th day, the discharge is watery, light-colored, and an ever-increasing amount of mucus is mixed with it. The discharge becomes increasingly scarce and by the end of the third week almost stops, soon disappearing completely. The total number of lochia in the first 8 days of the postpartum period reaches 500-1400 g; they have a specific smell of rotten leaves.

When is medical intervention required?

The following situations are pathological, that is, requiring medical intervention:

• There is no postpartum discharge due to spasm of the internal os of the cervix or blockage of the cervical canal with pieces and membranes (if not all membranes came out during childbirth) and blood clots.
• The temperature rises to 38-39°C, but overall health may be quite satisfactory. This condition is called lochiometra. With rare exceptions, it is not an independent disease, it is only one of the manifestations of metroendometritis (inflammation of the mucous membrane and walls of the uterus).
• Discharge from the uterus remains bloody until 5-12 days after birth. Body temperature rises to 38-39°C. Sometimes there is chills when the temperature first rises. The pulse quickens to 80-100 beats/min. The general well-being of the postpartum woman does not suffer significantly. The woman experiences uterine pain, which persists for 3-7 days. When examined in the blood, the number of protective blood cells of leukocytes and ESR (erythrocyte sedimentation rate) increases, the uterus is slightly enlarged. Such symptoms indicate a mild course of postpartum endometritis - inflammation of the inner lining of the uterus.
• From the 3-4th day, discharge from the uterus becomes brown and subsequently becomes purulent in nature. On the 2-4th day after birth, the maternity hospital patient is bothered by headaches, weakness, and pain in the lower abdomen. There is a disturbance in sleep and appetite, the heart rate increases to 90-120 beats/min. Body temperature often rises to 39°C or higher, accompanied by chills. The examination reveals an increase in the number of leukocytes and ESR in the blood. Upon examination, tenderness and increased size of the uterus are revealed. Such phenomena are characteristic of severe endometritis.

Thus, in most cases, pathological postpartum discharge is a manifestation of postpartum inflammation of the uterus.

Factors contributing to the occurrence of endometritis

During pregnancy, especially towards the end, and in the early stages of the postpartum period, women experience a decrease in the body's immunological defense, which is a favorable factor for the development of inflammatory complications in the postpartum period. Restoration of immunological protection to a normal level occurs only by the 5-6th day of the postpartum period during vaginal delivery, and after a cesarean section - by the 10th day. In postpartum women after cesarean section, an additional risk factor for the development of postpartum inflammatory complications is surgical trauma, which entails a more significant decrease in immunological reactivity and its slower recovery than after vaginal delivery.

There are several factors, the presence of which increases the likelihood of postpartum endometritis.

These include:

• malnutrition;
• bad habits;
• infectious and inflammatory diseases;
• inflammatory kidney diseases;
• diseases of the internal secretion organs;
• violation of fat metabolism;
• diseases of the bronchopulmonary system of an inflammatory nature;
• anemia (decreased hemoglobin amount);
• immunodeficiency states;
• inflammatory diseases of the female genital organs;
• presence of sexually transmitted diseases;
• long-term use of an intrauterine contraceptive before pregnancy;
• a large number of instrumental interventions for abortions and spontaneous miscarriages;
• previous caesarean section. Features of the course of this pregnancy can also have a negative impact on the possibility of postpartum endometritis.

These features include:

• anemia;
• gestosis (a complication of pregnancy, often manifested by edema, increased blood pressure, and the appearance of protein in the urine);
• exacerbation of chronic infectious diseases during pregnancy;
• acute infectious diseases suffered during pregnancy;
• colpitis and cervicitis (inflammation of the vagina and cervix);
• polyhydramnios;
• threat of miscarriage;
• surgical correction of isthmic-cervical insufficiency (sutures on the cervix);
• low location or placenta previa is the location of the placenta when the latter closes the exit from the uterus.

Features of the course of labor can also affect the possibility of postpartum endometritis. The risk of developing a complication increases 3 times if the labor process lasts and the water-free interval lasts more than 12 hours. Other risk factors during childbirth include: large blood loss, manual examination of the uterus after childbirth, weakness of labor, repeated births, polyhydramnios, multiple births - in short, all situations in which infection can enter the uterus and poor contraction of the uterine muscles after childbirth. Caesarean section is also a significant risk factor for the development of postpartum endometritis. A predisposing factor for the occurrence of endometritis is also the retention of parts of the placenta and membranes in the uterus.

Treatment

Treatment of any form of postpartum endometritis is carried out in a hospital. Patients are administered antibacterial drugs, drugs that contract the uterus, and solutions that help eliminate toxins. A nutritious diet with a high content of proteins and vitamins is important.

In some cases, as part of the treatment of postpartum endometritis, surgical treatment of the uterine cavity is required, which includes hysteroscopy (examination of the uterine cavity using an optical device), vacuum aspiration of the contents of the uterus - removal of the contents using a special vacuum device, the tip of which is inserted into the uterus. This is an operation that is performed under general anesthesia and washing the uterine cavity with antiseptic solutions. When parts of the fertilized egg are retained in the uterus and become further infected, there is a danger of toxins and biologically active substances entering the patient’s body from the source of infection, which contribute to an increase in intoxication and aggravation of the course of the disease. In this case, they are removed by scraping or vacuum aspiration (using a special vacuum device). Removal of parts of the placenta is carried out under general anesthesia.

How to avoid problems

In order to eliminate, if possible, the influence of factors predisposing to the appearance of endomyometritis, every pregnant woman needs to be observed by a doctor and follow all his prescriptions.

If during pregnancy and during childbirth factors that contribute to the development of endometritis are identified, the woman after childbirth is prescribed medications that promote uterine contraction.

After childbirth, a woman must follow the rules of personal hygiene: change the pad every 2 hours, urinate (so that a full bladder does not interfere with uterine contractions). After each urination, you must wash yourself.

As early as possible (4-6 hours after birth, 10-12 hours after cesarean section), you need to start getting up and walking.

Before discharge from the maternity hospital, an ultrasound examination (ultrasound) is usually performed. This is necessary in order to:

• assess the condition of the uterine cavity, the presence of clots and placental remains in it;
• determine whether the uterus has contracted well, i.e. measure it and compare the resulting dimensions with the size of the uterus, which should be by this time.

Fulfilling all these conditions will help a woman avoid problems with postpartum discharge, and, consequently, the complications of which they are symptoms.

Pregnancy and childbirth provoke serious changes in a woman’s body. Therefore, you should not be surprised that it will take time to return to your normal state. Due to the fact that recovery mechanisms are actively involved in the process, discharge after childbirth - lochia - is observed.

New mothers often ask a lot of questions. One of the most common is how long will the discharge last? The question is also whether there are any signs that indicate a pathological recovery process. Each woman has her own due date, but you definitely won’t have to wait 3 months after giving birth for the discharge to stop.

Immediately after childbirth, bleeding is profuse, but despite this, you should not use regular pads; the best option is absorbent diapers. A woman may find this uncomfortable, but it is better for a doctor to assess the condition.

A few hours and then days after childbirth, the red discharge has a slightly sweetish odor, since its main composition is unchanged blood. In addition, it contains the secretion of the uterine glands, which is activated after childbirth. The volume of discharge decreases gradually.

A sudden decrease in the amount of brown discharge after childbirth is considered to be a deviation from the norm, which indicates cervical spasm. It is also abnormal if the discharge becomes excessively abundant - this means that the contractile activity of the uterus is impaired.

The doctor may decide that the new mother has problems with blood clotting. In case of development of DIC syndrome, medical procedures will be required, since such a complication is life-threatening.

If a woman has undergone a procedure, the picture will be slightly different, namely how long the discharge is observed after childbirth. The duration is prolonged because the uterus cannot contract as quickly. But it is important to consider that discharge after a cesarean section should not last more than two weeks.

Why does discharge occur?

Regardless of how the birth took place, women experience discharge for a long time. This occurs because the surface of the uterus is essentially an open wound after the placenta has been delivered.

In the third stage of normal labor, the functional layer of the endometrium, which thickened throughout pregnancy, is rejected. At this time, the uterus begins to shrink in size.

After leaving the maternity hospital, you need to independently monitor the volume, smell and color of the discharge after childbirth.

What determines the duration of the recovery period?

A woman wants to get rid of the need to constantly change pads as soon as possible; in addition, heavy discharge interferes with restoration.

The question of how long discharge lasts after childbirth is of particular concern to women. The timing of uterine involution varies, their duration depends on the course of labor and the characteristics of the body. Usually the process takes a month, but it happens that after 5-6 weeks the pink discharge remains.

How long the discharge will be after childbirth also depends on whether the baby is breastfeeding. With frequent feedings, the uterus will contract faster.

If after this time a woman is still bothered by blood, she should consult a doctor. Such a long recovery process has its reasons, which need to be determined as soon as possible.

Blood loss over a long period of time is in itself harmful to a woman. A sharp increase in the number of lochia is an alarming symptom - a doctor should examine the woman immediately. 2 months after giving birth, discharge should definitely be a thing of the past. Therefore, if the recovery process is taking too long, it is important to take immediate action.

However, stopping bleeding too quickly after childbirth is another good reason to see a specialist. Most likely, the body quickly returned to normal, but there is another option. Blood can accumulate in the uterus without leaving.

Statistics show that 98% of cases of rapid cessation of discharge ends in hospitalization for a woman. The female body does not cleanse itself, and excess residues provoke the development of inflammation.

Composition of lochia

To assess her condition, a woman should not only observe the duration of the dark discharge, but also the composition.

Normal picture

• A couple of days after birth, bleeding is observed.
• Discharge a week after childbirth is blood clots that appear due to the release of the endometrium and placenta. After another week there will be no clots, the lochia will become liquid.
• If there is mucus discharge, this does not indicate pathology. This is how the products of a child’s intrauterine life are eliminated. Within a week, the mucous discharge that appeared after childbirth will disappear.
• A month after giving birth, spotting resembles smears at the end of menstruation.

All of the listed signs should not worry new mothers, since they are a normal course of the recovery process. But if the discharge turns out to be purulent a month after birth or earlier. This is a reason to sound the alarm.

Pathological signs

• Pus is released when inflammation occurs. The cause may be infections accompanied by fever and nagging pain in the lower abdomen. Externally, lochia looks like snot.
• Mucus and clots should appear no earlier than a week after the baby is born.
• Clear discharge, like water, is considered abnormal. This may indicate gardnerellosis or the separation of fluid from the lymphatic and blood vessels.

It is important that the young mother knows which discharge after childbirth is normal and which is not, in order to contact a specialist in time.

Color and amount of postpartum discharge

Normal course:

• Within two to three days from the moment of birth, bright scarlet discharge is observed. At this stage, the blood has not yet clotted.
• After two weeks, brown discharge appears, which indicates proper recovery.
• At the end, the lochia is transparent or has a slight yellowish tint.

Pathology:

• Pale and light yellow discharge should not worry a woman. Bright yellow discharge with a green admixture and a putrid odor on the fifth day indicates inflammation of the uterine mucosa. If such lochia appears after 2 weeks, this indicates latent endometritis.
• When green discharge appears, one can also suspect, but they are more dangerous than yellow ones, because they indicate an already running process. To prevent this from happening, you need to consult a specialist when the first traces of pus appear. If you do it in time, you can avoid greenish discharge.
• You should be concerned if lochia develops with an unpleasant sour odor and a cheesy consistency. Such white discharge is accompanied by itching and redness. This indicates an infection or thrush.
• After childbirth, black discharge without other symptoms is considered normal and is a consequence of hormonal imbalance. Women most often treat such discharge because of its color.

Smell

The discharge has a specific smell. It will also help determine if everything is in order.

At first there should be a smell of fresh blood and dampness, and after a while mustiness and rottenness will appear. There is nothing pathological about this.

If after childbirth there is discharge with an unpleasant odor - putrid, sour, pungent, you should be wary. Together with other changes (color and abundance), such a sign may indicate inflammation or infection.

Signs of inflammatory discharge

If an inflammatory process begins in the uterus, the young mother will notice the following signs:

• Unpleasant and painful sensations in the lower abdomen.
• Weakness, dizziness, body aches, etc.
• An increase in temperature not associated with lactostasis.
• Changes in color, odor and profuseness of discharge.

Hygiene rules during the postpartum period

Postpartum discharge is an ideal breeding ground for bacteria. During this period, it is important to monitor intimate hygiene as carefully as possible:

• It is necessary to choose the right sanitary pads - there are special postpartum ones, but you can use absorbent diapers. At home, after discharge, you can switch to regular pads. It is necessary to change them in a timely manner - every 4-6 hours. Depends on how intense the brown discharge is.
• Tampons are prohibited.
• It is necessary to regularly toilet the genitals. The water jet is directed only from front to back.
• If a woman needs to treat sutures on the perineum, she needs to use antiseptics - a solution of potassium permanganate or furatsilin.

Every mother should realize how important her health is. You can independently determine whether recovery is happening correctly by how many days the discharge lasts after childbirth, by its color and abundance. You should not hope that the unpleasant symptoms will go away on their own and wait 4 months, and then consult a doctor out of despair. It is better to immediately eliminate unpleasant symptoms in order to be able to enjoy motherhood to the fullest.

Useful story about the postpartum period:

Replies

Pregnancy and childbirth lead to numerous changes not only in life, but also in a woman’s body.

After a certain time after childbirth, the body returns to its original state, but before this unusual phenomena are observed. One of them is postpartum discharge, which is called lochia.

Lochia occurs in all women after childbirth. Their cause is the rupture of blood vessels between the uterus and placenta when the child is born. The result of such a rupture is bleeding. Its occurrence is a natural process, since the uterus must be cleansed of the remains of the placenta, dead particles of the endometrium and traces of the vital activity of the fetus.

Some women who have given birth do not know about this phenomenon, so they are nervous when it occurs. But even with this information, young mothers need a detailed study of this process in order to understand when it is normal and when there are pathologies. This will help you avoid complications by seeking medical help on time.

How long does the discharge last after childbirth?

Each woman differs from others in the individual properties of her body. Therefore, pregnancy, childbirth and the duration of the recovery period after them are different for everyone. Therefore, it is impossible to determine in advance how many days the discharge lasts after childbirth. We can only name an approximate framework from which to build. Anything outside of them is considered a deviation.

Normally, the duration of the period when there is postpartum discharge is 6-8 weeks. Sometimes small deviations are allowed when lochia may stop a week earlier or later than the period established in gynecology. These deviations are considered normal, but only if there are no violations in other features. Therefore, when postpartum discharge lasts 5 or 9 weeks, doctors analyze indicators such as smell, color, thickness, quantity, composition, etc. Based on this, one can judge whether the recovery period is normal.

The danger is when lochia lasts less than 5 or more than 9 weeks. Therefore, a young mother needs to take into account the time when postpartum discharge stopped. Both completion too early and too late are considered deviations. This happens when there are disturbances in the functioning of the female body. Therefore, it is very important to consult a doctor in time to determine the causes. This will make it possible to prevent the development of complications.

Important! Women whose lochia lasted less than a month are usually happy about this fact. But when the discharge ends so quickly after childbirth, one should be wary, since the vast majority of such cases subsequently led to hospitalization. With a shortened period of postpartum discharge, the body fails to get rid of all pathological residues. After some time, these residues begin to decompose, which leads to the development of inflammation.

This means that any young mother needs to compare the duration of lochia discharge with normal values. Even if the deviations are acceptable, you need to consult a gynecologist to make sure there are no problems.

Composition of secretions

To understand whether postpartum recovery is proceeding normally, a young mother needs to take into account not only the duration of lochia, but also their composition. Sometimes the duration of discharge is within normal limits, but its composition indicates abnormalities in the functioning of the body.

Normal discharge levels after childbirth:

1. For the first 2-3 days, spotting is considered normal. During childbirth, blood vessels burst, leading to bleeding.
2. After this, the uterus heals and open bleeding should stop.
3. The first week is the stage of release of the remaining placenta and dead endometrium. Therefore, clots may be present.
4. After a week, the secretion of clots ends and the lochia becomes liquid.
5. The presence of mucous discharge is also normal - these are waste products of the fetus. They should also disappear within a week.
6. 5-6 weeks after birth, lochia becomes a spotting discharge. They are similar to those observed during menstruation.

The presence of bloody discharge after childbirth should not be alarming. Dangerous is the presence of pus in them - this is a sign of violations. You need to urgently go to a gynecologist in such cases as:

• The appearance of purulent discharge. This indicates the onset of an inflammatory process that occurs due to infection. The diagnosis confirms the presence of fever, pain in the lower abdomen, and an unpleasant odor of discharge.
• Discharge of mucus and clots a week after the birth of the baby.
• Transparency and wateriness of lochia is also a deviation. This may be caused by gardnerellosis (vaginal dysbiosis), in which there is a profuse discharge that has a fishy odor. Another reason for the appearance of this deviation is the release of fluid from the lymph nodes.

Knowledge of the characteristics inherent in normal lochia will allow the new mother to seek medical help in time.

Discharge color

After childbirth, an important characteristic of lochia is its color. It can also be used to judge how successfully the body of the woman who gave birth is recovering. The norm is:

1. Bright red color in the first 3 days. At this time, the blood has not yet coagulated.
2. For 2 weeks after this, the color should be brown. This indicates that the uterus is healing normally.
3. Shortly before the end of the lochia (in the last weeks) they should become transparent. Slight turbidity and a yellowish tint may be observed.

Any other shades of postpartum discharge are considered pathological.

Yellow discharge after childbirth

What kind of problems there are in the body can be judged by the shade of such discharge.

1. If pale yellow, light discharge appears at the end of the second week, there is no need to worry - this is one of the normal variants.
2. The appearance of bright yellow lochia with a greenish tint 4-5 days after birth (especially with the smell of rot) indicates endometritis.
3. The bright yellow color of the discharge when it contains mucus, detected after 2 weeks, indicates the development of latent endometritis.

Endometritis cannot be cured at home; for this it is necessary to take antibiotics or surgically remove the inflamed area of ​​the uterine epithelium.

Green discharge after childbirth

Green discharge is a more dangerous phenomenon. They appear when inflammation of the uterus is at an advanced stage. Therefore, you need to contact a specialist as soon as the first purulent impurities with a slight greenish tint are noticed.

This is another reason for concern and a visit to the gynecologist. Especially if white lochia is accompanied by the following manifestations:

• sour unpleasant smell,
• itching in the perineal area,
• curdled consistency of discharge,
• redness of the genitals.

These symptoms indicate the development of infectious diseases of the genitourinary tract (thrush or yeast colpitis).

If you have black discharge that is not complicated by additional symptoms such as pain or an unpleasant odor, there is no reason to worry. This is another type of normal, caused by changes in blood composition due to hormonal changes.

Bloody discharge after childbirth

With normal recovery of the body, red lochia can appear only a few days after the birth of the child. This is due to the presence of an open wound in the uterus, which is why bright red lochia is released. After a week, the color should turn brownish-brown, and then gray-yellow.

Number of allocations

Features of the course of the recovery period can be determined by the amount of discharge. The normal course of the process is indicated by the following:

1. The presence of abundant lochia during the first postpartum week. At this time, the removal of residues unnecessary for the body occurs.
2. The more time passes, the less discharge should become. A small number of them in 2-3 weeks is normal.

A young mother should tell her doctor if there is too little discharge in the first days after the baby is born. This happens when pipes and ducts are clogged, which interferes with the cleansing of the body.

If the amount of discharge does not decrease within 2-3 weeks, this indicates that the healing of the uterus is not progressing properly. For some reason, this process is delayed, so you need to undergo an examination.

The smell of discharge

After childbirth, the smell of lochia can also be used to judge how well the uterine restoration process is normal.

For the first days, a combination of the smells of fresh blood and dampness is considered normal. Then it should be replaced by such features as rottenness or mustiness.

Harshness of smell, sour notes or a hint of rot are considered abnormal. If the smell is accompanied by deviations related to the color, composition or number of lochia, you should immediately contact a gynecologist. Waiting for everything to go away on its own is unacceptable.

Discharge intermittently

Women who have given birth are very concerned about the situation when lochia stops, and after a week or several weeks it starts again. Such an incident is a reason to contact a specialist to find out the reasons. They may be different.

• The appearance of scarlet discharge after 2 months is sometimes the beginning of menstruation. For some young mothers, the body recovers very quickly. If a woman does not feed the baby with breast milk, then her periods will resume in a short time. Another reason for this phenomenon is rupture of seams. It can be caused by problems (for example, physical or emotional overload). To establish the exact reasons, an examination is needed.
• The return of lochia after 2-3 months requires a careful analysis of all other features. It happens that for some reason, postpartum waste partially remains in the body and comes out after a decent period of time. This may be normal if the discharge is dark in color and has a normal odor without purulent inclusions (mucus and clots may be present). If the listed symptoms are still observed, it is impossible without examination. Probably, the woman has developed an inflammatory process that can only be eliminated with antibiotics or surgery.

Having such a break is not always dangerous. But if a young mother doubts the condition of her body, she should talk to a gynecologist. This will help you calm down and notice deviations in time.

Discharge after caesarean section

Artificial birth somewhat changes the duration and composition of the lochia. Their main features:

• Recovery after a cesarean section is similar to that after a normal birth. Lochia is a mixture of blood and dead endometrium.
• In this case, you need to be especially careful about hygiene, since the risk of infection is higher.
• The first week is characterized by the presence of clots and mucus. The discharge at this time is abundant.
• The color of the lochia should be red at first, and after a few days they turn brown.
• After a cesarean section, the uterus contracts and heals more slowly, which leads to a longer presence of bloody discharge. But this period should not exceed 2 weeks.

There are few differences in this case, but they also need to be known and taken into account.

Hygiene during discharge

To avoid infection and inflammation, you need to follow good hygiene. Basic Rules:

1. Washing the genitals after each visit to the toilet. You only need to wash the outside, the correct direction is from front to back.
2. Daily shower. A bath during this period is contraindicated, as is douching.
3. You should refrain from using pads on the first day, replacing them with sterile diapers.
4. Change pads at least 8 times a day. Tampons are prohibited.

Based on the characteristics of postpartum discharge, one can judge how well the healing is proceeding. A woman who has given birth needs to very carefully monitor their compliance with the norm and consult a doctor if there are any deviations.