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Childbirth

Share experiences and get support around labour, birth and recovery.

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Original poster

I'm really dreading bleeding after the birth, some advice needed

44 replies

Pinkflipflop · 02/10/2012 22:53

So I know the birth will be painful but bizarrely it's the post birth bleeding that I am dreading. Is it really awful? Does the baby come out and straight away blood gushes out? I've read on here that on your way to your first post birth shower in the hospital that its possible I will be leaking blood all over the floor

I'm absolutely dreading this, I haven't used a pad since I was 16. I really don't know how I will cope with it.

OP posts:

Are your children’s vaccines up to date?

Set a reminder

Asmywhimsytakesme · 02/10/2012 22:56

This reply has been deleted

Message withdrawn at poster's request.

lalabaloo · 02/10/2012 23:07

I was like you, it was nowhere near as bad as I thought. I was terrified of leaking through clothes, especially when we had visitors or went out, but it was just like a heavy period

SummerRain · 02/10/2012 23:09

Mine was bad for the first day or so... And yes I drenched the floor on two occasions but honestly you'll be so hopped up on post birth endorphins you won't mind! It does reduce down to period levels quickly, and maternity pads are surprisingly kind to shredded nether regions, they're not plasticity like STs but soft and thick.

Devora · 02/10/2012 23:10

I don't honestly remember if the blood started straight away or not - I had my mind on other things

The blood loss is heavy, like a very heavy period, but it's really not a big deal - you will cope, I promise. Just make sure you buy the heavy maternity pads which are very absorbent.

I can get how alien it seems to you if you don't even use pads. But trust me, EVERYTHING is going to feel alien for awhile, and this really won't be the worst of it

Flisspaps · 02/10/2012 23:11

It was OK.

I didn't notice any in the shower, or suffer any issues with leakage (or any of the stories shared on here about soaking through several pads a day and needing to change clothes). In fact, I ended up giving away packs of unopened, unused maternity pads as I didn't need them.

I had PPH (post partum haemorrhage) with both of mine as well. You'll cope just fine - you'll be amazed at exactly what you do manage with (really rather well) in the days and weeks after your baby is born :)

MotherOfNations · 02/10/2012 23:13

Fuck maternity pads. Use your new babies nappies for the first couple of days.

Alibabaandthe40nappies · 02/10/2012 23:14

You will cope, just as you will with everything else.

I bled heavily for about 3-4 days both times, and found that I needed to have a pad ready for the second I got out of the shower otherwise I would have blood down my legs.
But it is down to period levels quite quickly and gone within a few weeks.

Tbh you will be so busy with your baby, and so full of love, and so tired that you will barely notice :)

Alibabaandthe40nappies · 02/10/2012 23:14

Mother I found 2 pads sort of overlapping the best!

MotherOfNations · 02/10/2012 23:17

Baby's nappies I meant. I presume you are only having one. I spend all day correcting the kids grammer then make silly mistakes myself.

marshmallowpies · 02/10/2012 23:18

Mine was only heavy for around 2 days, after that it was a really really light period, which went on for around 2-3 weeks. For the last week or so I was back on normal thin pads and it was no discomfort or trouble at all.

MotherOfNations · 02/10/2012 23:19

That too Alibaba. I bled really heavily. The nurses had to change my bed 3 times a day for the first two days. I had cesareans with all four of mine and I've heard that can cause you to bleed more.

Northernlurker · 02/10/2012 23:19

Blood shouldn't exactly gush out but you do have loss at quite a rate at first. However for the immediate birth bit the midwives have massive sanitary towels handy. Everything should settle down pretty quickly. If you breastfeed you may find that you get some sort of tummy ache when you start to feed - this is because the feeding is prompting the uterus to contract nicely. This is a GOOD thing - but you might want to take a paracetamol before feeding and you may find when you get up and move about after feeding that your loss becomes briefly heavier. I don't remember obviously leaking after the first day or so. If you're worried about your bed you could get one of those mats they suggest for night training toddlers and sit on that.
Bleding after birth is really not as alaraming as it might sound but if you are at all worried you can speak to your midwife and if you pass a big clot you can fish it out of the loo and show it to them. Chances are a clot's a clot but they like to check them anyway.
Buy lots of pads and change them often and it's really not too bad. You kind of have lots of distractions at that point

Alibabaandthe40nappies · 02/10/2012 23:23

Northern you will have finished the poor OP off with mention of going fishing for clots!!
Good point about bed mats though. I found in the very early days that blood would pool when I was lying down and then when I sat up come out in a bit of a gush so I used those pads for a few days. I put a towel over the top so that they didn't make me more sweaty.

Mother - I had c-section with mine too. The difference between the placenta coming away of its own accord and being yanked off perhaps?

MotherOfNations · 02/10/2012 23:29

Yes Alibaba perhaps. Off to google to investigate.

SnowFrickenWhite · 02/10/2012 23:46

Its really just like a really heavy period.

After my DD i lost a good bit of blood and leaked quite a bit through clothes etc but Boots do maternity pads for about £1 and they are really quite thick and cheap enough to use a few at a time if need be.

Dont worry too much, the bleeding doesnt last very long

Northernlurker · 02/10/2012 23:50

Alibaba- I did worry about freaking her out but am figuring it's better to know than be staring at something at 3am when your baby's a day old and thinking that your internal organs have fallen out.

OP - please note - your internal organs will NOT fall out at any point. You may feel like a truck has been driven through your guts but this passes. Passes so completely that many of us go back for at least one more shot at the birthing thing. Two in my case.

TerraNotSoFirma · 02/10/2012 23:53

Only bled very heavily on the first day, the rest was just like a heavy period as other posters have said.

I (foolishly) ran out of pads and cut off the ends of a size 5 nappy, with a pair of snug fitting pants.

smellsabit · 02/10/2012 23:59

i was fine
just like period!
got maternity pads
i had other worries that also proved un founded!
won't put ideas in your head!

minesapintofwine · 02/10/2012 23:59

Op I was like you I was so so worried particularyly as I had always had really heavy periods (think extra super tampax every 3 hours) and having twins there were two placentas. Tbh yes I bled a lot in the first few hours but the midwives dealt with it all (this isn't as bad as it sounds you will really not care!) when I came home 3 days p/n it was already like a normal period and my periods are lighter these days (result!). Just take a few maternity pads and overlap them and don't worry in advance cos you won't when it happens.

Pooka · 03/10/2012 00:05

I hate pads and loathed the necessity of wearing them, but needs must.

Was shown dinky origami after had dd by midwife - how to best arrange TWO pads in knickers to provide ample coverage.

Once I was confident that the stitches had healed properly I moved onto always night time super absorbent pads, which a thinner than the maternity bricks. But not recommended initially because the absorbent stuff can be an irritant to swollen or stitched fanjo. Think that with dd I moved over too quickly and it delayed the healing process. With the subsequent post natal times I stuck with the bricks nit illy and then moved onto thinner pads but without the stuff in them like the super absorbent ones. Healed much better.

My bleeding was pretty heavy for about a week. Then more manageable. Like a normal period. But did last for about 6 weeks (!) each time. Was noticeably heavier if I over exerted myself. Funnily enough , thinking about it, I think by baby no.3 was less of it and for shorter time than with my first baby.

Rachel130690 · 03/10/2012 00:06

When I just had baby I lost what seemed like a lot of blood, went for shower and was bleeding quite heavily (I'm talking within an hour of birth) I used two maternity pads for first night and next day was down to one, I had what is best described as heavy period for first day or two but from day 3 I used normal pads. I'm still bleeding a small amount and My baby will be 3 weeks old on Friday.

I hate pads but by time you change from maternity pads to normal ones they won't be so bad.

Btw I used tesco's maternity pads. I have loads left and I'm not sure what to do with them.

Pooka · 03/10/2012 00:06

My midwife said to note clots over size of 50p piece.

Northernlurker · 03/10/2012 08:13

Rachel - keep them for next time

Pooka - I noticed that too with my third - and I had a PPH and heavy bleeding for the first day - after that it was really quick to resolve

margerykemp · 03/10/2012 08:43

I think the average loss during birth is 200ml, over 500ml is classed as pph.

Then you get up to 6 weeks of 'lochia' where you have to use pads rather than tampons but you only need to use the thick maternity ones for a few days. You will probably be living in your Jamie's most of that time so it's not too bad.

elizaregina · 03/10/2012 09:43

it really depends - there was harldy any blood at all at dd's birth, id been warned that some said - you will never see so much blood - and there was nothing... and the blood after was not different to a normal period for me, however i did pass a HUGE clot the size of my fist!

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