A phenomenon such as bleeding is completely normal during the recovery period of the female body after delivery. It ends some time after the birth and does not require medical intervention. However, in some cases, uterine bleeding after childbirth can signal serious pathological changes that have occurred in the body of a woman. And an untimely appeal to a medical institution in this case can cause irreversible consequences. That is why every woman who is preparing to have a baby or has already become a mother should know everything about postpartum hemorrhage: what color is the discharge, what are the volumes of released blood, what sensations accompany bleeding, etc. It is very important to treat health after birth responsibly and scrupulously. child in order to avoid the occurrence of various infections and other pathological processes and phenomena.
Features of postpartum hemorrhage
Normal postpartum discharge, lochia, have a number of distinguishing features. The main parameters of bleeding after childbirth are the volume and nature of the discharge. The loss of blood in the normal condition of a newly minted mother should not exceed 0.5% of the total body weight of a woman. Indicators that exceed the norm are considered dangerous, and blood loss over 1% of the weight of the woman in labor is considered critical.
Bleeding can occur against a background of impaired heart rate, fluctuations in blood pressure, dizziness, poor health, weakness, and other not very pleasant symptoms.
How long does bleeding last after childbirth?
This phenomenon is caused by the release of placental residues, as well as fetal membranes. These processes take place in several stages. And on each of them, bleeding after childbirth has its own distinctive features.
How long it should last normally excites almost all women. The most abundant discharge is observed in the first 2-3 days after delivery. The volume of blood secreted is greater than that during menstruation. Heavy bleeding in the first few days after childbirth is due to a lack of contractile properties of the uterus. It must be borne in mind that the process can last longer after cesarean section surgery. This is because after this medical manipulation, the uterus contracts much worse, more slowly.
Over the next two weeks, the intensity of bleeding decreases markedly. The color of the selection also changes. If in the first days after birth the blood had a saturated bright red color, then at this stage it stands out light pink, brown or light yellow. Normally, by the end of the second week, the intensity of the discharge should significantly decrease. From the 3rd week, the secretions are scarce and have a light pink or light yellow color. In young women, discharge should stop 5-6 weeks after giving birth; in older women, the duration of postpartum hemorrhage can last up to 8 weeks. If the discharge continues after the indicated dates, it is recommended to consult a specialist for consultation and conduct the necessary medical studies.
How to distinguish lochia from bleeding
In order not to miss the moment and avoid unpleasant consequences, every woman should know how to distinguish uterine bleeding from goofs, the allocation of which in the first time after childbirth is normal, due to the physiological characteristics of the female body.
Uterine bleeding is more profuse than postpartum discharge. This can be seen by the filling of the sanitary towel. With the allocation of Lochia, it is filled in 2-4 hours, with uterine bleeding - in 30-60 minutes. Normal postpartum discharge is dark red or brown in color, and pathological bleeding is characterized by the release of bright scarlet blood.
Lochia have an astringent texture. With bleeding, the discharge is liquid, the blood comes out in shocks. In addition, pathological blood loss is characterized by significant changes in the well-being of the newly minted mother. With uterine bleeding, severe nausea appears, dizziness. Possible loss of consciousness, fainting. In addition, a woman should be alert for the pain that occurs with bleeding. Normally, they should not be. The presence of such signals the occurrence of pathological phenomena in the body.
Causes
Normally, the causes of bleeding are insufficiency of contractile function of the uterus. Its size should come to prenatal indicators. Breastfeeding contributes to an increase in the intensity of uterine contractions.
Bleeding can occur due to traumatic damage to the woman’s vagina and external genital organs, which occur during the passage of the baby through the birth canal.
Signs of normal bleeding
It is worth summing up and listing the signs of normal postpartum hemorrhage. These include:
- the abundance of discharge, not exceeding 0.5% of the total body weight of the woman in labor;
- in the first days they have a bright red color, in the future the color of the goose is changed to brown, light pink or light yellow;
- the intensity on the 4-5th day after childbirth is significantly reduced;
- the duration of the discharge is 2-6 weeks, sometimes 8 weeks;
- the full filling of the sanitary towel is observed after 2-4 hours;
- lack of pain and poor health.
It is worth noting that in some cases, in the first few days after childbirth, a woman may experience a worsening of the condition, namely dizziness. This is due to the individual characteristics of the body.
When to sound the alarm
Bleeding after childbirth in 2-4 days should decrease. If the intensity of discharge does not decrease 3-4 days after delivery, and the blood has a bright red color, a woman should suspect something was wrong. She should immediately contact a medical institution for specialist advice. An alarming sign is that the bleeding a month after birth is characterized by abundant secretions.
Suspicion of the presence of pathology should cause a rapid filling of the sanitary napkin, which becomes unusable in a record short time, 30-60 minutes after the start of use. In addition, with pathology, the discharge is accompanied by painful sensations, the intensity of which can periodically change, noticeably worsening the quality of life of the newly minted mother.
Causes of pathological bleeding
The causes of hemorrhage in the early postpartum period are hypotension of the uterus of a woman due to insufficiency of contractile function (which was mentioned above);
- the remainder of the afterbirth can also provoke bleeding, preventing the contraction of the uterus;
- injuries such as ruptures of the uterus, vagina and external genitalia;
- blood diseases that interfere with normal blood coagulation.
The causes of bleeding in the late period after childbirth can be:
- polyp;
- inflammation in the uterine cavity;
- cystic drift.
In addition, the causes of discharge in the late postpartum phase may be hereditary organ contractions.
In addition, the occurrence of bleeding can be caused by the occurrence of infectious processes in the uterine cavity. The presence of fibrous nodes in the uterus can also provoke bleeding, which is easily confused with the normal allocation of postpartum lochia.
Treatment methods
Therapy of bleeding proceeds in a certain sequence:
- the doctor determines the cause of the discharge;
- introduction of contractions;
- manual examination of the uterine cavity to identify residues of the placenta;
- manual examination of the birth canal for injuries sustained during childbirth;
- if necessary, the doctor applies clamps to the vaginal vaults, and then re-injects drugs that improve the contractile properties of the uterus.
If after all of the above actions the bleeding does not stop, the patient is transferred to the surgical unit for surgical procedures.
Treatment of late bleeding begins with the use of antibiotics, hemostatic agents, as well as reducing drugs. If there is a suspicion of the presence of residues of the placenta, as well as with cystic drift , curettage or hysteroscopy is performed.
Preventative measures
It is worthwhile to understand that not a single woman in labor is safe from the occurrence of uterine bleeding, even if the birth was successful and without complications. That is why in the near future after delivery by doctors of the obstetric department, measures are taken that reduce the risk of complications:
- excretion of urine using a catheter;
- applying cold to the lower abdomen;
- women at risk are given contractions such as Oxytocin.
At home, a woman needs to adhere to some recommendations, namely:
- practice natural feeding of the baby;
- avoid exhausting physical exertion;
- avoid sexual intercourse in the first two months after birth.
The duration of sexual rest depends on the complexity of childbirth and on the characteristics of the recovery process. It is necessary not only in the presence of bleeding. The month after childbirth is a recovery period when a woman's body must be provided with comfort and tranquility.
How to distinguish bleeding from the onset of menstruation
If a woman refuses to breast-feed a newborn and prefers mixtures, menstruation can recover very quickly. In this case, Lochia can be confused with the onset of menstruation. As a rule, menstruation returns normally in a couple of weeks after a woman refuses to breast-feed. Menstrual bleeding after childbirth in most young mothers, namely in 70% of women, begins in the period from 6 to 12 weeks. However, in rare cases, the cycle may recover earlier. But such phenomena are extremely rare. That is why it is difficult, almost impossible to confuse the onset of menstruation with postpartum hemorrhage.
Conclusion
Postpartum hemorrhage is an extremely important process that occurs immediately after the birth of a baby and lasts normally from 4-5 to 6-8 weeks. This phenomenon requires maximum close attention and observation. A woman who has recently become a mother should know about the features of normal and pathological secretions in order to be able to distinguish them from each other, if necessary. It is very important to carefully and scrupulously monitor your health during this difficult period of recovery. This is necessary in order to avoid unnecessary worries and to be ready. The slightest doubt and anxiety should serve as a reason for contacting a specialist in a medical institution.