pp bleeding... still? (with another question added later)

[judybean]

I'm pretty sure I've tended to bleed on the longer range of the spectrum of normal anyway... but..

Am I doing too much (quite possibly)?! Am I not drinking enough water?! Does being quite anemic before birthing have anything to do with this?!

From about 3 weeks pp, there was not really a whole lot... and hasn't been since... maybe what I lovingly refer to as a 'skidmark' on my mamacloth... nothing significant, but I wouldn't go without some mamacloth (though could have even just a single layer of flannel and it wouild work). But today, at 5.5 weeks pp, there's suddenly a bit of red... and I know that a few days ago I lifted more than I probably should have... but that was a while ago and if that was it I would have thought I'd see something sooner...and..

I'm totally rambling. Basically, I just want this to stop. I'm tired of feeling like my body will never stop leaking (as little as it might be sometimes). Anything I can do to get this over with?!

(fwiw, I really do think I've bled for a while pp with my others.. and then with dd3 was blessed to not have a pp af until 17 months.. .. so ... maybe I have to bleed longer to 'make up' for no bleeding later ... or maybe my sense of humor gets bizarre in the evenings)...

help!

[Charmie981]

I bled until about six weeks. It was light after 3-4w, but would still come back pinkish-red if I exerted myself (working out did it). At six weeks I was still having some clear fluid, and then yesterday (at 7+w), I had pink spotting for the first time in about two weeks.

[Juvysen]

Sounds like what happened after my first was born. The bleeding pretty much stopped after a couple weeks, but I was still sort of leaking, but around 6 weeks I got some blood and *freaked out* that it was my period starting up again. My midwife assured me it wasn't, but then a few weeks later I actually did get my period starting back up

[Right of Passage]

If you're doing too much I believe you will bleed more. I have no doubt that because I stayed in bed almost exclusively for 2 weeks is the reason I'm not bleeding now. With my first I bled for 4 months, with my second it was the full 6 weeks (bright red the whole time!) with spotting after then a period at 8 weeks. oy! This time, it was dark the first week, then bright red for 2 weeks, then pink spotting for a week, now it's clear when I wipe.

[judybean]

So in digging around other posts, it seems that around 5-6 weeks pp, there seems to be a frequency of women getting a bit of bright red (whether they had previously stopped bleeding entirely or had barely anything).

Samantha -- I'm jealous of you staying in bed for two weeks. I really *tried* not to do too much (and did turn down some stuff), but still did far too much early on when I had every right to just relax.

...

One more question (if anybody checks back to this thread and has answers)... I know there's the 'wait six weeks for sex' thing which isn't an *absolute* rule, but one I totally follow even if only to mentally try to process through birth (honestly, I'm not sure I'm ready for sex at all ... on the mental end of things).

But.. physically.. is the rule: No sex until all bleeding has completely ceased?

Just checking... not even sure I'm ready to go that route any time soon... I mean, sometimes? Oh, absolutely! My husband was AMAZING postpartum this time and made me fall in love with him so much more!! .. um.. but..... there's the whole thing about the birth of Hazel being long, hard, intense.. and.. whoa... sometimes it's hard NOT to think of her head coming out of there.. so the thought of ANYTHING near that area isn't really tops on my list.

[Juvysen]

I think the idea is that if you're still bleeding it means your cervix is still open and you could get an infection.

That said, last time we had sex after only 3 weeks pp. (the first time, with an episiotomy and stitches, etc, it was like 8 or 10 weeks before I wasn't terrified of having anything down there )

This time, there's no action yet (3 weeks pp), but I've been sort of interested. I dunno.

[judybean]

Originally Posted by Juvysen

I think the idea is that if you're still bleeding it means your cervix is still open and you could get an infection.

That's what I thought... While I *might* consider sex sometime in the near future, there's no way it's worth risking infection anywhere in that general area... There's been plenty of other action (um, pregnancy/birth!) and I'd like to keep things more calm. (I know dh is.. um.. antsy with anticipation, but he'll hang tight and wait if necessary.. lol).

[Juvysen]

I'm not sure what to think if there's just clear fluid coming out... I seem to be having clear or white fluid along with slight spotting. Is it cervical mucous or something else? No one talks about that part...

[judybean]

um yeah.. I've had plenty of those days too.. and.. no clue... ?!?

[LittleLegos]

I'm glad you this thread is here.

At 9 days I had been seeing nothing for two and thought, well maybe I'm done. So at 10 days I stopped wearing anything. Still going out, short walks in the parking lot, around the house, and in the yard.

Now yesterday was 2 weeks 1 day and I went grocery shopping, big trip w/ baby in a sling. All the sudden there's stuff coming out again! Not bright red, but not too light. And went shopping today too and see more again. I guess I'm not done yet...

Amy