Post-natal Bleeding

[suedonim]

Not sure if I should be asking this here or in health but anyway....

A friend's dw had her first baby 6wks ago, with a CS after a long labour. She's still bleeding and in the past few days it's got heavier. She's formula feeding. What are the likely causes of the bleeding? I thought of retained products/infection or maybe a period. Are there any other possibilities, what's the likelihood of haemorraging at this stage? We're in W Africa and her health care providers don't seem to have a clue so her dh has asked me for advice - gulp!

6 weeks for the lochia to carry on is not unusual...but fresh red bleeding when it has been slowing down and clots and heavier loss are signs of retained placenta....possibly an infection..... if she has suddenly started doing a lot more as she is 6 weeks post natal and feeling better,...that can encourage more bleeding and is a sign to take it easier

is she well otherwise? any temperature or unwellness?

has she had a post natal check of any kind ?

Since she is bottle feeding it could be her period. She should consult her doctor who will be able to advise, even in W Africa.

It's probably her period. I bottle fed and got mine exactly 6 weeks later. My sil breastfed and still got hers six weeks later.

yep...thinking about it.....yes..i had a period 7 weeks after DD..i was bottle feeding...

!!!

'Doing more' could well be the answer. She's just this week flown from Sweden, where the baby was born, to Nigeria on her own.

The dr she's seen, Mears, wasn't very useful, just said it might be stress-related.

These thoughts are v useful - anything to calm the nerves of a first-time dad!

She has been doing a lot then!

Most likely answer is a period though. If it was retained products/infection she would be likely to have a temperature and feel unwell.

If she is concerned though, she should go back and see the doctor again.

Thanks, Mears and all. I'll ask about the temp/unwell stuff but I imagine our friend would have mentioned it if dw was actually unwell so it looks as though the period scenario is the most likely.