4 weeks after birth, lochia dwindling but smells nasty - what should I do?

[arolf]

can't get GP appointment until monday (first 'emergency' one available ) but lochia smells like rotting cabbages, which I'm guessing is a bad thing. has been smelly for 2 days. have no idea what to do, except hopefully 'sit' it out until monday - have no other immediate signs of infection (fever, feeling rough etc etc).
what would others recommend I do? sorry for potentially stupid question; I haven't slept much recently, brain a bit scrambled ...

Have you been washing yourself carefully several times a day?

I didn't have this but my midwife did tell me to make sure I washed really carefully as otherwise it would smell which would mean it was sitting in there for too long and would lead to infection.

Are there any drop-in clinics nearby? Or another dr at the practice who will see you? Call NHS Direct to see if it merits a visit to A&E? I mention the last because maybe things are going to resolve themselves but maybe on the other hand you should get it seen to. I would tend to err on the side of caution with something like this. Alernatively, could you ask the receptionist to speak to a dr for recommendations or contact a midwife?

Good luck arolf.

thanks - think i'll go and pester a receptionist at the practice and convince them it's a real emergency but not of A+E standard - just wasn't sure if i'm worrying opver nothing or not.

i am keeping myself clean, but am not sure if my tear is healing either (episiotomy has healed beautifully though!), so think, from the pain on sitting, that tear may be as much of a problem as lochia.

it's so confusing though, and everything seems magnified by lack of sleep!

I had this - it turned out to be infected uterus, bladder and episiotomy scar!! Just needed antibiotics and I felt SO MUCH better after that! Definitely an 'emergency' though - I saw OOH GP on a bank holiday. Hope you get it sorted soon.

An appointment on Monday is not an emergency appointment! If it is an infection then leaving it for four days is not going to help it. The sooner you can get antibiotics and peace of mind the soooner you can recover. Caring for newborns with an infection makes a difficult and tiring time even harder so call up your GP and nag for an appointment today. Say that you'll come and sit in reception and wait for a small slot. Failing that, can you call your HV/health clinic or local NHS drop-in centre.

Lochia shouldn't smell of anything other than blood really so you're right to want to get this sorted.