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Childbirth

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

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Original poster

So how much blood is there?

50 replies

Junosmum · 17/12/2015 22:19

I've heard conflicting things about birth, from it looking like a scene from a horror movie to 'nothing more than when you leak on your period'. All from
women who had 'normal', uncomplicated/ none-hemorrhagic births.

I'm talking specifically about the birth part- I'm not fussed, just interested.

I'm waaaaay more bothered about the post birth bleeding, which I'm fully expecting to be horrific (I hate, hate, hate normal periods! so much so I've only had 3 in 5 years).

OP posts:

MrsPnut · 17/12/2015 22:23

In my experience, you really don't notice it. I was far more concerned about pushing my babies out than anything else. I pooed with both births but I don't really remember and the midwives are so good at moving the debris very quickly post birth.

When you go into labour, all other ideas go out of your head. The baby and the process become all you can think about.
Good luck

originalusernamefail · 17/12/2015 22:23

Tbh I didn't see a drop! According to maternity notes lost approx 600 mls but the midwives must have kept on top of it pretty well.

MistyMeena · 17/12/2015 22:24

Hmm, quite a lot in both my cases, haemorrhaged the first time, but was unaware until afterwards! Second time not so much, but woke in the middle of the first night in a small pool of it. But was fine. Strangely the post-partum bit wasn't bad at all, not a lot of bleeding really and over in a couple of weeks.

katienana · 17/12/2015 22:26

I lost 4 pints of blood after delivering the placenta. I never saw the blood just felt it come out.
The post birth bleeding lasted 4-6 weeks for me. At first every time I moved i would feel blood coming out and I had to change pads very often. After a few days it slowed down but for the first 2 weeks big clots would come out. Then it was more like a period. Having said that my period didn't come back for a year due to bF so that
was nice!
There is no way to predict and I think my experience is one of the worse ones, but I was fine in the end.

fuzzywuzzy · 17/12/2015 22:26

The actual after birth you won't notice as midwives whisk everything away.

It after the birth when the lochia gets going that's messy.

Ughnotagain · 17/12/2015 22:29

I had an episiotomy. DH watched them do it. He said to me afterwards that he was glad I didn't see it as there was a lot of blood. But I don't know quite how much!

There was quite a bit when I went to the loo straight afterwards (well, after I'd been stitched up). Enough to puddle in one of those cardboard bowl things. But some of that could have been from the stitching I suppose.

Like fuzzy says it's the lochia you want to watch out for. My goodness...

Ughnotagain · 17/12/2015 22:30

Oh, I did wee myself during labour though. Several times

It's such a beautiful process

ayria · 17/12/2015 22:31

All I can remember about the blood loss was they kept changing the mat thing underneath me during the last bit of my labour for some reason. It wasn't until I saw I lost 400ml on the discharge papers that I thought maybe that's why. My mum described it in quite a disturbing way though I didn't see anything. Never knew I lost any and I felt fine. I bled for just over 8 weeks afterwards.
Does blood loss come from injuries alone or other places? I know it can happen with placenta abruption and when it comes away too soon.

Sansfards · 17/12/2015 22:38

I think they must be pretty good at keeping it out of sight. I lost a lot but saw none of it at the birth.
If your other half is queasy about blood it might be worse for him, you'll be too busy giving birth to notice (or be really British and obsess and apologise for all the blood the whole way through even though you can't see it because you're high on G&A)

TheLittleLion · 17/12/2015 22:42

I haemmoraged giving birth but I didn't see a single drop of blood and no idea id lost so much blood until they told me.
I suppose the people who are with you while you're giving birth will see it but I doubt you will.

BlueSmarties76 · 17/12/2015 22:42

I believe 300mls is considered normal? So try pouring that much water around the place!

You won't notice or care about the blood loss at the time though!

LeotardoDaVinci · 17/12/2015 22:44

Don't remember seeing any with the first, but haemorrhaged a week later - a lot then, at home. With the second the haemorrhaging happened immediately after the birth and the doctor came in wearing white welly boots and a sou'ester. Well, okay, maybe the sou'ester is an exaggeration but it felt like there was a tsunami of blood. I also had similar happen after a miscarriage so maybe some people are just more free and easy with their blood.

SparklyPenguin · 17/12/2015 22:52

I lost a lot during the birth- 1.6 litres apparently. Didn't see this as unsurprisingly I passed out. Post-partum blood loss wasn't particularly major, just like a period really, but for two weeks.

BIWI · 17/12/2015 22:55

I had what was called 'clean' births - 150mls each time. Very little bleeding afterwards as well.

But no-one can tell you what's going to happen, as it's different for everyone!

Whatsinaname2011 · 17/12/2015 22:59

I didn't see any but DH said th hospital bed looked like a murder scene when I got off it to walk back to the ward.

Didn't bother me at the time and I didn't loose an excessive amount.

DontBuyANewMumCashmere · 17/12/2015 23:09

I had a home birth. We just put sheets and towels on the living room floor, only one little drop of blood and one smear of meconium is to show for it. I gave birth standing up over the back of the sofa and the first thing I asked after baby was safely out was Did I poo myself? (No)
The very first pictures of DD show blood steaks all down my legs, so it looks quite graphic but it was actually a very good 'easy' birth.
Lochia went on much longer than I expected, probably only after about 5-6 weeks that I had no spotting or anything. Some quite big clots that worried me but apart from being gross I was just glad it wasn't a baby again! :-)
Good luck OP

Fuckitfay · 17/12/2015 23:12

This reply has been deleted

Message withdrawn at poster's request.

Llouh · 17/12/2015 23:14

I bled less than 500mls so less than a small bottle of Coke. Not sure how much exactly as my notes just said less than 500ml. There wasn't much at all and the post birth bleeding was minimal too.

But now 6 weeks on I am dealing with a monster period from hell!!

VagueIdeas · 17/12/2015 23:15

I had really quite minimal lochia both times (natural birth, then c section) so it really does vary person to person. It went on for weeks, but it wasn't heavy.

Jenijena · 17/12/2015 23:21

You know when you cut your finger and it seems like a lot of blood even when you know it can't possibly be? Now look at a glass of 200ml (a small loss at birth) and imagine that across a table, and bright red...

I didn't find lochia much worse than my usual heavy periods, and I was dreading it. You'll use maternity pads quicker than you expect (I think I went through a pack a day for the first few days) but it is manageable.

momb · 17/12/2015 23:29

Post birth bleeding isn't as painful as periods IMO. It just leaks out rather than period cramping.

The birth is odd because unless you have specific problems you really don't notice...you are so concerned with contractions and labour and bleeding you are largely unaware. I lost almost a litre with my second one but would describe it as a much easier labour than the first, where because of lots of intervention I actually lost less overall. It really isn't the issue I'd worry about if I was going to go through the process again (which I'm absolutely not!

pinktips · 17/12/2015 23:33

I lost less than a can of coke with all 3....Som wwomen lose more, some less. It's individual. But a haemorrhage is a birthing 'incident' so shit loads is abnormal. Panic not.

Focusfocus · 17/12/2015 23:34

Lost 100 ml. Which I never noticed. I was very alert and awake through it all as no drugs and watched witch interest that the puppy pad thingy under me where I was kneeling to give birth had streaks of blood which were tbh nothing spectacular.

Bolshybookworm · 17/12/2015 23:41

I fell asleep swiftly after having dd1 (long labour) and woke up a couple of hours later in a pool of blood and fluid. Not nice, but the post natal ward was severely understaffed at the time, so I don't think they'd normally leave you lying in it like that! Take lots of pads in with you, just in case and get the proper massive maternity ones.
I bled fairly heavily for the first week and then more lightly for another 4-5 wks but as PP said, it's not painful like a period. And the upside was no period for 10 months afterwards which was a good trade off IMO!

It honestly doesn't seem that big a deal when you're grappling with s newborn

lilac3033 · 18/12/2015 09:11

I lost 400ml but I am one of those that felt like it looked like a murder scene. I know 400ml isn't much but I gave birth on all fours and picked up DD myself. My legs were covered in blood as were my hands and arms. There was blood under all my nails, even a nail brush couldn't get it all. I kept asking the midwife if it was normal and she said it was. I wasn't really too worried but wanted to check. It didn't bug me beyond making me desperate for a shower.

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