How Long Do You Normally Bleed After Birth (And Why)?

Exact Answer: 25 to 50 days

Pregnancy has been considering most of a woman’s life. It is believed that it adds colors to a married woman’s life. Pain and pleasure come hand in hand with the arrival of a new one. The gestation period in the case of humans is 9 months after which the baby is fully developed and is ready for birth. Sometimes, delivery takes place by natural labor pain. In other cases, it takes place with the help of operation.

Before the painful process of delivery, every woman bleeds. Bleeding is a natural symptom after delivery. The tissues and blood present in the mother’s womb are shed to stimulate the generation of new ones after pregnancy. However, this process of bleeding is natural and one should not worry about it.

How Long Do You Normally Bleed After Birth?

Generally, women continue to bleed for about 25-50 days after delivery. In some cases, the duration of bleeding gets prolonged to as long as 7 weeks. One should not panic at this natural process. The bleeding starts heavily with the red color of blood. With time, the blood flow gradually reduces along with the change in color of blood from red to lighter colors. On the first day, the mother would experience the heavy flow of red blood. One pad would last no longer than few hours with few clots.

On the second day, the flow would be comparatively shortened with the change in color to pink or dark brown. This would continue for up to 6 days. After 7-8 days, the flow would have become lighter which lasts for about 15 days. After 15-29 days, the flow of the blood gradually ceases with the fading of the color of the blood. The number of clots also gets reduced to null with time. If the number of clots is very much in number, then the mother should consult the doctor as these are indications of some serious health issues.

During the initial hours of the delivery, if the mother sheds more clots than blood, then there may be chances of hemorrhage. This can lead to complications if left untreated. Hence, the doctor especially those associated with gynecology and delivery should be consulted with appropriate information. Sometimes, this frequent blood loss may make the mother feel exhausted and energy less. If such symptoms are noticed, then it is wise to talk to the doctor stating the underlying symptoms.

In such cases, the doctor would help by assisting in the process of contraction of the uterus either by the use of injections or catheters. The doctor would conduct further tests and analysis to ensure that the placenta has been completely shed from the body of the mother. Such situations arise in the case of mothers who are obese, have multiple pregnancies, high blood pressure, or other problems.

Why Should You Bleed So Long After Birth?

During the initial days after the delivery, the mother would have to use the hospital-grade pads due to heavy bleeding. But, after few days, the mother can go for normal pads used during menstruation. While getting discharged from the hospital and returning home, the mother may face excessive bleeding due to the effect of various movements of the mother. After that, she can go for proper rest and care to ensure that the bleeding stops after some time.

The females’ vagina is structured in a very complex manner. The blood is accumulated in a cup-like shape while the mother is either sitting or lying. On standing, the accumulated blood flows down immediately leading to such a sensation. It is general for mothers to bleed heavily during the first 48 hours of delivery. If the flow still doesn’t reduce after 48 hours, then there are chances of hemorrhage.

A hemorrhage is dangerously serious for the mother. If left undetected and untreated, it may lead to a significant lowering of blood pressure, thereby leading to an insufficient supply of oxygen to the blood. If the blood pressure drops to extreme levels, the mother’s health condition may be degraded significantly leading to death. This excessive blood loss is due to uterine atony.

Generally, after the delivery squeezing of the uterus occurs to throw down the uterus lining from the body. During uterus atony, the uterus fails to go through the process of contraction thereby leading to heavy and excessive bleeding. Tears of the vagina, cervix, and vagina may lead to further complications.

Conclusion

There are various ways of treatment of this complication. But first of all, one should consult the doctor who would administer medications that would help the uterus to go through the process of contraction. If the bleeding still doesn’t stop, then the doctor may go for surgery. A blood transfusion may even be done to replace the blood lost via excessive bleeding.

To combat excessive bleeding, one should use pads. Pads ensure safety from bacteria. Tampons, menstrual cups, and other instruments should not be used. Hygiene and sanitation should be well maintained. This is a very crucial time where there are high risks of infections. Proper care and sanitation should be maintained.

Reference

1. https://www.babycenter.com.my/x563483/why-does-heavy-bleeding-happen-after-birth
2. https://journals.sagepub.com/doi/abs/10.1177/1049732307312390