What it is
Lochia is the bleeding after birth. If you are searching 'how long do you bleed' or staring at a clot in the toilet, this is the page. Every mother bleeds after birth, whether the baby came vaginally or by cesarean.
The bleeding comes from the spot where the placenta was attached. That spot is a raw wound about the size of your palm. As the uterus shrinks, the wound closes and the flow slows. It is heavier than a period at first, then tapers over weeks.
What's typical
Days one to four: bright red and heavy, with small clots. You may gush when you stand up or nurse. That is pooled blood letting go, not new bleeding. Days four to ten: pink or brown and lighter. After day ten: yellow or white, for two to six more weeks. Most mothers stop between four and six weeks. Some go to eight.
Clots up to the size of a plum are common in the first days. Flow often picks up for a day if you do too much. Pads only, no tampons or cups, until your provider says the cervix has closed.
What's known
ACOG and the NHS describe this course as normal. Soaking a pad an hour is a hemorrhage until proven otherwise, and it can happen up to twelve weeks out. Bright red flow that returns after it had faded is a sign to slow down. If it stays heavy, it is a sign to call. Many cultures set these weeks aside for staying home. That matches what providers see: mothers who rest tend to bleed less.
What helps
- Rest more than feels reasonable. Bleeding that picks up is your body asking you to lie down.
- Change pads every two to four hours. Look at the pad before you wrap it.
- Keep a loose count: how many pads, how soaked, any clots and their size. That is what your provider will ask.
- Pee often. A full bladder keeps the uterus from clamping down.
- Nurse or pump if you are doing either. The oxytocin helps the uterus contract.
When to call someone
- Now (911 or go in): soaking one pad an hour for two hours, clots bigger than a golf ball, feeling faint, a racing heart, or blurry vision.
- Nowbleeding with a fever and belly pain, or passing tissue that looks gray.
- Todaybright red bleeding that comes back heavy after it had turned pink or brown, or a bad smell.
- Todaybleeding still heavy on day seven, or new clots after the first week.
- At your next visitbleeding past eight weeks, or spotting that will not quit.
Who helps
Tools: Postpartum Prep Checklist · Birthworker Directory
Related
- Heavy bleeding after birth (hemorrhage)Birth and the First Days
- Afterpains: cramping while nursingPostpartum: Your Body
- Signs of infection after birthPostpartum: Your Body
- When your period comes backPostpartum: Your Body
- Postpartum warning signs: the one-page listPostpartum: Your Body
- The first 40 daysSupport, Home, and Village
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Sources
- American College of Obstetricians and Gynecologists — Patient FAQ on bleeding after birth and postpartum hemorrhage
- NHS — Your body after the birth
- Association of Women's Health, Obstetric and Neonatal Nurses — POST-BIRTH Warning Signs patient handout
- March of Dimes — Your body after baby: the first six weeks
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