Most women will stop bleeding between four and six weeks after giving birth. Some women may bleed for longer or shorter than this.
Postpartum bleeding is different for every woman. For some moms it can last for a couple of weeks, and for others up to a month or longer. Generally, postpartum bleeding stops after about four to six weeks.
The heaviest of the bleeding will last for about three to 10 days after labor and delivery, and then it should taper off to lighter bleeding or spotting.
Bleeding often lasts for around for four to six weeks, but could last up to 12 weeks after your baby's born (RCOG, 2016). If you're worried, you can talk to a health professional. Bleeding will start off heavy and red to browny red. It will become lighter in colour and flow over time (NHS, 2021).
“Postpartum bleeding is normal for several weeks, up to 6 weeks, following a vaginal delivery,” she says.
By 14 days postpartum, a placental scab forms and you may see an increase in red bleeding when the placenta scab falls off, which may go unnoticed because the uterus is already shrinking.
Days 2–6: The clots may be smaller, the flow may be lighter, and the blood may be dark brown or pinkish-red. Days 7–10: The flow and the color may become lighter. Days 11–14: There may only be light bleeding, and the blood may still be dark brown or pinkish-red.
6 weeks postpartum
For most people, the lochia will have slowed down considerably by week six and should now be a yellow or white-coloured discharge. Some people may continue to experience small amounts of light bleeding or spotting up until ten weeks postpartum.
Weird smells are normal.
Immediately after, and even six to eight weeks after delivery, there will be lochia, and lots of it. This is the stuff (mostly blood) that your uterus sheds, and it may have a mild odor to it.
Avoid stairs and lifting until your doctor says these activities are OK. Don't take a bath or go swimming until the doctor says it's OK. Don't drive until your doctor says it's OK. Also wait until you can make sudden movements and wear a safety belt properly without discomfort.
If you choose to breastfeed exclusively, your first period may not return for several months — sometimes, it might not even return for 1 to 2 years if you keep breastfeeding. If you choose to bottle feeding or partially breastfeed your baby, your periods may return as soon as 3 weeks after childbirth.
You can get pregnant as little as 3 weeks after the birth of a baby, even if you're breastfeeding and your periods haven't started again. Unless you want to get pregnant again, it's important to use some kind of contraception every time you have sex after giving birth, including the first time.
For the first one to three days after your baby is born, the blood you see will likely be bright or dark red. It may smell like the blood you typically shed during your menstrual period. There might also be a few clots in the blood, ranging from the size of a grape to the size of a prune.
You'll go through three postpartum bleeding stages: lochia rubra, lochia serosa and lochia alba.
By about 10 days after the birth, you may have only a small amount of white or yellow-white discharge. At this point, the lochia – called lochia alba – is mostly white blood cells and cells from the lining of the uterus. The lochia will taper off before it stops in another two to four weeks.
Does Lochia Smell? Lochia should not smell bad. Foul-smelling lochia may be a sign of infection and warrants a visit to a healthcare provider. It is normal for the bleeding to stop and start, and to experience period-like cramping as the uterus shrinks back to its normal size.
In fact, women typically bleed up to a half-quart of blood following a normal delivery and up to a quart of blood after a cesarean section (C-section). However, about 3 to 5 percent of new moms experience excessive blood loss, or postpartum hemorrhage.
You may notice the bleeding is redder and heavier when you breastfeed. This happens because breastfeeding makes your womb contract. You may also feel cramps similar to period pains. The bleeding will carry on for a few weeks.
Tell your doctor or call 911 if you have any of these symptoms or signs: Bright red bleeding beyond the third day after birth. Blood clots bigger than a plum. Bleeding that soaks more than one sanitary pad an hour and doesn't slow down or stop.
By the six-week mark, your vagina, perineum or C-section incision should be healed, and your uterus should be back to its normal size. Throughout those first weeks, you'll experience a lot of changes – from new levels of tiredness to hormone fluctuations.
The bleeding will taper from dark red to brown to yellow. In the first few days after the birth, you might notice that you pass some small blood clots. As you recover, you will notice that the bleeding might get heavier if you've had a busy day. This is normal.
The placenta should be delivered within 30 to 60 minutes after having the baby. If it isn't delivered or doesn't come out in its entirety, this is called a “retained placenta.” There are many reasons the placenta may not fully deliver. The cervix may have closed and is too small for the placenta to move through.
If you haven't already and you're feeling up for it, you should be able to resume a light workout schedule—think walks and stretches—about two weeks postpartum. Just remember to take it slow and avoid trying new things right now.
Most women can expect their first couple of periods after giving birth to be heavier than those they experienced before pregnancy. Menstrual blood should look like you expect: a bright red that fades into a darker, brownish red.