To think pregnant women should be made aware of this?!

[mum2Bomg]

I'm putting this here for awareness more than anything else.

I've just been told (warned) about something by a friend. I told her I was having a little girl as we found out at the scan. She's now told me that some newborn baby girls can have bleeding similar to a period.

Why does no one tell you these things? I would have absolutely freaked out and run to he hospital if I hadn't known!

Is this common knowledge? I used to work in childcare and no one has ever mentioned this.

[Seashell80]

My mum warned me about this years ago, so I was prepared for it. It was my husband who got the blood and mucus in the nappy though, scared him to death even though I had warned him!
I did read a tiny section on it in one of the pregnancy books(can't remember which) but it was a bit blink and you'll miss it. Non of the HCP I saw during pregnancy mentioned it either. I will be mentioning it to any pregnant friends from now on!

[DaintyHippos]

Not sure how I've missed this from the comments, but this is the first time I've heard of the bleeding or the lactating and I'm pregnant with DD2 at the moment!

[WhoTheFuckIsSimon]

Even if no one tells you the chances of you having to "run" to the hospital aren't very high anyway. You tend to get given phone numbers. I had the phone number for the postnatal ward for any middle of the night problems and a phone number for the community midwife.

So when dd started vomiting bright red blood I rang the phone number (sobbing hysterically). Midwife pointed out it was probably my blood from my sore boobs and dd had ingested it while feeding. She came straight round to see us and sort out the poor latch!

There does tend to be support.

[RobinsAreTerritorialFuckers]

I knew this, and don't yet have children.

I have been on MN for a considerable time, though.

DP is a lot less baby-oriented than me and I have been enjoying a gentle drip-drip of disconcerting information. The day she found out about lochia was a fun one.

[ArghArghArgh]

We had this and lactating! It's a bit unsettling. I think all my kids had the little breasts though which look painful

[BagPusscatnip]

My mum warned me about this when I was pregnant with DD1 as it had happened to me and my mum was freaked out. It didn't happen to either of my DD's though.

[Winehound84]

Bleeding is an exaggeration.. its like one light spot of something slightly red for a few days. But maybe it was different for other mums.

[Masketti]

It happened with DD1 but not DD2. Pretty much everything in the first few weeks that went wrong was blamed on 'mum's hormones' like baby acne and the bleeding so I wish it had been covered more thoroughly in my antenatal classes.

[contrary13]

I knew 20 years ago when my DD was born - and my aunt knew 30 years ago when my cousin was born, so figure it's fairly common knowledge.

Now Group 'B' Strep is something that pregnant women ought to be made aware of as that information is sorely lacking during antenatal care... never mind testing for it!

[Sgtmajormummy]

Yes, it happened to DD. I hadn't heard of it but just put it down to my blood and hormones still in her system, a bit like newborn jaundice when the extra blood has to be metabolised.
Poor mite.

[backtowork2015]

Sorry haven't rtft but wanted to add my dd did bleed a little and my ds did lactate. ... better than I did it's called witches milk I heard, witches would collect it for spells

[ifcatscouldtalk]

Well I never knew. I had dd 11 years ago and read a book that didn't mention this. In fairness I only attended one antenatal class as she was born prematurely but no midwife or health visitor mentioned it either. Infact I don't think strep b was mentioned either. When i reflect I was fairly young when I had dd and think i'd be a lot more questioning of everything now.

[ChocChocPorridge]

I read it in my NHS book I think..

Also read about boys getting little boobs! - which DS2 did, went away in a couple of weeks (as did the horrible, tender lumps on my vulva thank God - and nothing had warned me that that could be a possibility, although the midwife at my 2 week checkup didn't seem to think they were unusual)

[clarka]

I read about this when doing research before giving birth, was told during nhs antenatal class and was also told by the midwife after DD was born. It did happen to DD, lasted a couple of days.

[ittooshallpass]

I knew about this, but it didn't happen for my DD.

[Scotmum83]

I was told in our antenatal class, pretty sure hv mentioned it too.

[ToriaPumpkin]

I knew because my mum's a midwife and a friend who is a nurse mentioned it. It was also mentioned by the paeds Dr and nurses we spent five days with. It did happen to DD, just a bit of spotting, we were in hospital at the time being treated for jaundice so they checked and said it was normal.

[MissDuke]

I know thisbecause I am a midwife, I did not know it when I had my own dd a long time ago and I read everything available to me! I now be sure and tell mums so they don't panic if it happens. Enjoy the rest of your pregnancy op

[IveGotCheese]

After I had DD, my mum told me I bled and lactated when I was born

[Sparrowlegs248]

I was told this at an NHS ante natal class.

[Jenpenwen1]

I never knew about this throughout my pregnancy. But before I was discharged from hospital the midwife there explained lots of things and that was one of them.

[Coldest]

It happened to my friends daughter and she was very freaked out.

[Calminacrisis]

I have four DDs. Two of them had the little bleed, two didn't. It's a bit unnerving at first but passes quickly. Actually, happened to DDs of several of my NCT group so I don't know that it is that rare.

[AGnu]

I had no idea until now! I've had 2 DC but both boys & we knew from 20 weeks that they'd be boys so it's possible I filtered out non-relevant information at antenatal classes.

[hels71]

I didn't know this either and DD had both swollen breasts and a bleed...I have never panicked so much...thankfully my friend calmed me down s it had happened to her daughter too.