Bleeding 11 weeks after birth

[ShirleY43]

I wonder if anyone can please offer some advice, or support, or similar experiences. I gave birth 11 weeks ago to a beautiful baby boy (3rd child if that's relevant). The labour was relatively straightforward. My
Lochia finished at about 5 weeks but since week 7 I've had on and off bleeding. I have seen the gp, who
Said it's probably an
infection, prescribed antibiotics and referred me for a scan. I'm convinced this is not an infection as there's no smell and I'm not feverish or feeling ill. The bleeding is sporadic but seems to have picked
Up this weekend, so
That it is basically always there when I wipe, and now bright red. I'm sure this is not a period: I'm exclusively breastfeeding, as I was with other two, and my periods only returned about 18
Months after their births. So I'm
Now worrying that this bleeding is something serious and I'm dreading the scan (although grateful to have the referral). Did anyone else experience anything similar i.e. Prolonged but irregular bleeding after child birth? I am
A worrier, but even
Being objective, this does seem
Weird. I do quite a bit of exercise, (but not loads) so
Don't know
If that's relevant.
Thank you!

I had a similar experience!

I bled for about 14 weeks on and off. I had a scan booked for a few weeks after this but because it had stopped and I had no one to look after my baby I decided to cancel.
I have no idea why it went on for so long for me! I never had any pain with it or fever so was never put down to an infection. It would stop for a week and then start again. The day it stopped I did pass quite a large brown clot (sorry if TMI) so don't know if it just took longer for my body to heal/clear out

Sardines, thank
You so much for getting back to me. ThAts interesting about the clot. Yes, the on and off nature of it is very strange and hard to
Understand. Really good to know that yours settled down eventually and I assume you're totally ok now? Thank you, again, for telling me about your experiences as it is reassuring to know I'm not the only one in this situation.

Well lve not had any bleeding since and I'm 6 months post birth now. Although I do wish I'd gone for the scan just to check everything in there! I'd had bleeding on and off throughout my pregnancy though with no reason found so I'd really just had enough of it all!

Hope you get on okay with the scan!

I had the same. Bleeding for about 12 weeks after giving birth. It stopped between weeks 5-7 then started again. They referred me for a scan which showed nothing and gave antibiotics. In the end the doctor put it down to be going back on the pill before my body was ready. I think I started taking it 4 weeks after giving birth (you are meant to wait at least 6) and my body didn't know if it was coming or going. I had 2 weeks with no pill and the bleeding stopped after about 4 days. Not sure if you're back on the pill or mini pill if breast feeding, but just wanted to tell you my experience!

Sardines, yes I know just what you mean about wanting it all to stop. It's great that you've had the last few months with no bleeding. Thank you twinkle. No im not on the pill so I don't think this can be hormones. Good to know yours has settled down.

I had it for twelve weeks then had implant put it back in and then more on/off bleeding. My ddoctor said that it's your hormone profile resettling. :) if your annoyed with it - they offer pills (I wasn't keen)

I had it for at least 12 weeks. I had some retained products that I had to have IV antibiotics for about a week after the birth, and they scanned me then and said everything looked as expected. The bleeding carried on for at least 12 weeks though, then went and nothing strange since. It was very annoying!

Thank you, redden, for sharing your experience. So before the implant, was your bleeding stop starting? And do you remember if it was ever bright red? Mine can be. And has stopped for two weeks, twice, and then started again. Like you, I'd prefer to avoid pills.

Hi friendly, thank you for posting. Good that you'd bleeding has settled. How did the midwives/ dr know you had retained product? Do they check for this?

I passed some "things" (that i later learned was placenta/membranes) that definitely weren't right, so went in to the hospital and they kept me in based on that. It was nothing like normal bleeding, i definitely knew it wasn't normal straight away! They wanted to do a D&C, but I really didn't want that, so pushed for the scan, which wss normal after I'd passed all the stuff. Just to say as well, even up to just before my bleeding (finally) stopped, i was getting red blood. When is your scan? Definitely good to be getting checked, hopefully it's nothing and it'll be reassuring to get the scan done

Yeah it was super annoying if I remember rightly - like a few days away oh great then next day go for a wee wipe and blood. Like it 's only just settled down in the last month and that's my daughter six months now.

Friendly, thanks for your good wishes. Interesting that your blood was red right until the end. Horrible isn't it? Redken, yes that's exactly what it's like: I feel im back to
Normal and then there's the
Blood back on the tissue staring back at me when I just go to the loo. At least yours has gone at last. And I hope you're enjoying yourself with your little girl!

It's such a pest, it's so hard because you just want to feel normal! Forgot to say when I was about three months I got them to do a swab and nothing came back but the doctor thought I had thrush inside? Not sure if that made things worse/better - hard to remember how awful haha

It's good you're over it all now, redken! Yes I just want to feel normal too. I hope you're having a lovely time with your baby now. Thank you again for posting; really good for me to share experiences.

I also had similar after dc3. Also bf, and like you, periods didn't return till at least 18 months with all three. I'd had a couple of bleeds in the third trimester, so was referred for a scan, I think around 12 weeks pp. scan showed a couple of little shadows, which she put down to tiny amounts of retained placenta (they thought the bleeds were possibly the placenta starting to come away), and she said they'd probably be flushed out with my next period. (Which of course was over a year away, but the bleeding did eventually stop).

Hope it's sorted soon for you.

I am 14 weeks postpartum and still bleeding. I have had a scan and it showed a large piece of retained placenta. I had to go into surgery directly after delivering my DD to have the placenta removed surgically as it didn't come away naturally. So god knows why they didn't get it all. I have had 2 scans, medication to make my uterus contract (didn't work), a period (still didn't pass) and I am finally having a D&C tomorrow

Good luck with your scan x

Thank you Daisy and all talk, both of your posts are really interesting. Daisy, really interesting that the doctor was just ready to wait for
Your 'next period', which surely was obviously, potentially, a long way off, for placenta to come away. I have found my first periods after childbirth very heavy. I wonder if that's why ie they flush out the last of what is left. Also, is the blood, when you bleed postpartum, the placenta itself, or from
The wound where it was attached to the uterus, I wonder. Alltalk, how traumatic to have to go into surgery straight after delivery. Good
Luck with your d and c. I really hope that puts an end to all your bleeding. X

Hi i had a baby 11 weeks ago I have been bleeding on and since I had her iv also been in and out off hospital iv had scans and on the scan they could see either a very small blood or a bit off retained placenta I was put on antibiotics for 10 days and also told to change my contraceptive to a different I have been previously on yasminelle I took one whole packet and then 10 out the second pack my doctor told me not to take a break to see would it stop the bleeding but it didn't I'm now on microlite and getting breakthrough bleeding but it's brown discharge but enuf can come out at times but only when I wipe myself. Is that my period trying to break through and does antibiotics effect your pill that I could have a break through off bleeding from them