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Stupid question about lochia

post #1 of 4
11/12/09 at 12:23am
Thread Starter 
When does lochia start? How do you tell the difference between postpartum hemorrhage/bleeding and normal lochia?
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post #2 of 4
11/12/09 at 8:48am


hope someone comes along who knows!
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post #3 of 4
11/12/09 at 9:58am
Lochia starts as soon as the placenta is born.

The difference between normal lochia and PPH is in the amount. If you are soaking a pad in an hour or less I would be concerned. If immediately after the birth of the placenta there was a constant trickle of blood or, obviously, gushing blood then I would be concerned.

The actual definition of PPH varies a bit depending on what you read. The three most common definitions are

- more than 500ml estimated blood loss
- more than 1000ml estimated blood loss
or
- blood loss of any amount that produces symptoms of hypovolaemia (low BP, increased heart rate etc)

If the woman has been lying down for awhile after the birth it is quite common to have a gush of blood when she stands up. This is because the lochia pools in the vagina. If it settles quickly then it's nothing to worry about but I always warn people as it can be a bit alarming.

Hope that all makes sense.
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post #4 of 4
11/12/09 at 12:29pm
Yes, what Katelove said
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