Should I Be Bleeding This Much After Delivery?

Updated on June 07, 2010
K.K. asks from Spring, TX
18 answers

I delivered my 2nd daughter 9 days ago. With my first daughter, I was bleeding a lot after delivery and the doctor packed me to help stop the bleeding and it worked great. This time I didn't need that and have noticed more blood. I read on baby center about Post Partum Late Hemorrhage and it said that if you are still having bright red blood after 4 days after delivery, you could be bleeding too much. I'm not passing any more blood clots and I don't soak a pad more than once an hour. But the other symptom was bright red blood after 4 days. That's why I'm worried. I didn't think anything of it before I read that. Well, other than I do have abdominal pain. I called the doc yesterday and she asked a ton of questions & didn't think the pain was from anything serious because I havent' had a fever. I didn't mention the bleeIding to her because I just read about this today. Do you think this is normal?? Thank you!

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So What Happened?

Thank you all so much for your input & for telling me your own experiences! I ended up getting a fever and starting passing a major amount of clots and had more uterine pain and finally went to the doctor. I have Endometritis--an inflammation/infection of the lining of the uterus! (Not to be confused with Endometriosis). I am on antibiotics now and am taking pain medicine to help with the cramps. Oh my gosh this HURTS! I had NEVER heard of this before! Thanks again for the validation--if something doesn't feel right, it's probably not! =)
***UPDATE***I did NOT have Endometritis! The bacteria cultures came back negative and I still had a fever after 48+hrs. on antibiotics. I went back to my doctor, and am in the hospital AS I WRITE THIS! An ultrasound showed many massive blood clots in my uterus and I am on 3 different IV antibiotics and am about to start Pitocin to help expel the clots. I've already passed a few today without the Pitocin. Three of them were the size of opened hand! HUGE! I would have FREAKED out if I'd been at home passing those. Luckily my doctor popped in to see me while I was on the toilet passing them and she assured me I'd be alright! I will be in the hospital at least another 24 hours to make sure all of it is gone! I am so glad I came across that email & paid attention to what I was feeling. Thank you mommies for all of your support! I wanted to update this just in case someone else came across it and had the same experience! Childbirth is hard work & can be dangerous, even with the BEST doctors!
ANOTHER UPDATE: I passed 2 clots that weighed 1 pound each! Dr. was called to do an emergency D&C and then I had 2 blood transfusions! Sheesh! That SUCKED! So glad my heavenly Father protected And healed me :)

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J.S.

answers from Minneapolis on

Please call you doctor and ask more questions. Give them all the information. Better safe than sorry.

2 moms found this helpful
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A.M.

answers from Chicago on

If possible I would go to the ER now! Not to scare you but I know of someone this happen to and did not go to the Dr and the outcome was not good. Better safe then sorry. A doctor is only so good over the phone. I think you need to be seen. Hopfully it's nothing and they send you home, at least then you will not have to worry.

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C.O.

answers from Sacramento on

It is better to feel a little sheepish and be sure that you are ok then to not have gone and leave your little one without you for days, weeks, or forever. Call your doctor.

4 moms found this helpful
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V.B.

answers from Houston on

I think this is at least worth a call to the on-call doctor. Are you having pain just when you nurse? That would be normal because your uterus will contract and with my second child, the pain was almost as bad as my contractions were! As for the bleeding, I seem to remember bleeding for a bit after my kids were born, but my youngest is 2 now, so I honestly don't remember. If you're having pain and bleeding on a fairly normal basis other than when you're nursing, then I would give a call just to be sure it isn't something serious. Better safe than sorry! Make sure you jot down all of your symptoms so that when the doctor calls you back, you can give them ALL of the information. I always seem to forget something when I'm calling after hours like that because I feel sort of rushed. It definitely helps me to write it down so that I don't forget anything. Sorry you're dealing with this and I hope it's nothing serious. Congrats on the new baby!

3 moms found this helpful
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M.P.

answers from Portland on

I suggest that any time you have concerns about a situation that could have a serious end result one should call the doctor's office and speak to the on call doctor if it's the weekend. Or call the advice nurse at the hospital in which you delivered. There is no such thing as a wrong question. I know that sometimes we feel like a fool but we're not. I've taken emergency and non-emergency calls and in 20 years I've only had a couple of calls that caused me to wonder why they called.

So call the doctor or the advice nurse.

1 mom found this helpful

A.S.

answers from Bellingham on

If you're even slightly concerned go see the doctor. It's never a bad idea after a baby when signs are showing of something "not right" to get checked. The worst that can happen is they'll say it's normal go home, the best is that you save yourself something very dangerous happening when you're home with your children.

1 mom found this helpful

A.S.

answers from Dallas on

Is your pain all the time or just when you nurse your child? Postpartum uterus contractions are MUCH worse with each child you have. If you know it is your uterus contracting, especially when you nurse, I wouldn't be worried about it but if it doesn't feel like your uterus contracting back to its original size and is severe pain I would be worried. I think I had bright red blood even four days after. But, if you are in a lot pain all the time and are worried about the bleeding I would probably have it checked out. Just to be safe.

1 mom found this helpful

J.B.

answers from Houston on

Gosh, you know I don't remember how long it was for me, but I did have really crazy clotting with my second and I did bleed a lot. But I have a theory that things happen for a reason sometimes and that if you came across this info and have some concern, just go to the dr. It is better to check than to deal with the repercussions of not checking. I wish you the best and take care of yourself girl, that is the best gift you can give to your new baby:) Congrats!

1 mom found this helpful
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A.C.

answers from Cincinnati on

I bled for weeks after having my son, and was told it was completely normal (no clots, soaked about a pad every 2 hours or so). Now, I did also have 3rd-degree tearing, but I think the blood was from inside, not outside. I did not have any abdominal pain beyond the normal uterus-shrinking pain, though. If the pain continues, please go ahead and see your doctor, just to make sure.

1 mom found this helpful
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B.W.

answers from San Antonio on

You've gotten a lot of good responses. Just remember that the more active you are, the more you will bleed. Also, after the birth, did the nurse press against your uterus to help it contract and express excess blood? Also, if you are nursing, you will feel cramping while your uterus contracts (it's natural) and you will feel extra blood exiting during nursing. It is true that the "after-birth pains" are progressively worse with each baby. I noticed that if I got plenty of rest and didn't try to do too much, I had less bleeding. By now, 9 days later, it should be something like a normal period. If you are still worried tomorrow, call the doctor or mid-wife.

In the old days, women died after birth because of hemorraging. I think it was mainly because there was no one to press against the uterus to help it contract and because they tried to do too much. You don't hear of this happening now because of better health care.

1 mom found this helpful
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R.B.

answers from College Station on

Though you didn't say how severe your abdominal pain is, I would say that what you are experiencing is relatively normal after delivery--it's definitely normal compared to what I've experienced. I'm still having some bright red blood--not all the time, but especially after I'm particularly active (like yesterday when I was cleaning out my girls' room or if I have to lift up my toddler for some reason)--3 1/2 weeks postpartum. With my 3rd child, I was still having bright red blood at my 6-week postpartum check-up. The midwife that I saw on that visit just made sure that there weren't any remnants of the placenta in my uterus (there weren't).

If you are nursing, you will definitely have some abdominal cramping while you nurse, and it's usually worse with 2nd (or 3rd or 4th!) babies than it was with the 1st. But I also had some mild soreness on my lower abdomen in the first couple of postpartum weeks this time, which I attributed to the ligaments that were also sore during pregnancy.

I would suggest trying to rest a little more (if you can!) and taking it as easy as possible. Don't push yourself to overdo things--like cleaning the house, etc. Take care!

1 mom found this helpful
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E.M.

answers from Austin on

Hi, you've gotten lots of good advice. Hopefully you've at least called the doctor on call, just so you'll feel better about things.
With my second, I hemorrhaged in the hospital, a couple of hours after the delivery. I was bleeding a lot and I could tell something was wrong. In addition to the copious bleeding, I felt very woozy and light headed. You feel any of those symptoms, I'd go straight to the ER.
It's better to be safe than sorry. This isn't a time when you need to be tough and strong. You need to take care of yourself.

having said all that, I do think I had bright red blood for at least two weeks after. So I'm definitely not say, "Yes, something is horribly wrong." I'm just saying you should see the doctor if your worried.

Take care, and let us know what happens!

1 mom found this helpful
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P.L.

answers from Washington DC on

I bled quite a lot after my 2nd child. I went back to labor and delivery, and got checked and they said it was normal! I know with each of my kids the first 10 days were not leaving the house bleeding, and they were all normal. Then it did lessen. It was still bright red those first 10 days, and even some after.

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V.G.

answers from Houston on

You are your own best advocate. If you don't feel right, you should get checked. Doctors often go by the 'most people' rule, unfortunately. I also waited for days not feeling right, doing the 'wait and see'. I ended up in the ER the night of my sister's wedding having a D&C b/c the doctor hadn't made sure to deliver all the afterbirth. NOT trying to worry anyone, and yes it is uncommon, but the point being that YOU are the patient and they need to take you seriously if you are worried.

C.S.

answers from New York on

no this is not normal go to the hospital right now this is an emergency and when you get back tell me what happened, but please go right now

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C.S.

answers from Houston on

Does it hurt to sit down? I had a vaginal hematoma with my only child and had to have it surgically drained a month later. It was painful enough that I could only sit down using the baby's boppy pillow under me. My doctor said they were very rare and it became a teaching situation at the hospital because he said he hadn't seen one in 20 years and a lot of doctors had never seen one. I had called and his nurse blew me off so I didn't raise a lot of hell but I should have gone to see him a lot sooner than I did. Get it checked!

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S.H.

answers from San Antonio on

I bled red for a couple of weeks and it was fine. I lost a baby once and after the delivery of that chid, there was abnormal bleeding but it was accompanied by a foul, rotting smell (sorry i know that's gross, but it's information). That was bad and I had to be put on antibiotics.

I think that as long as you are not passing large clots or soaking a pad red blood after 4 days is not a big problem. Personally, there's no way I would spend $$ on the ER visit. If you were bleeding too much, that's another story. I'd wait until Monday and call the Dr. back, or call dial-a-nurse.

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L.B.

answers from Corpus Christi on

Do your self and your family and get checked by your Dr. right away, this is not normal.

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