how long for lochia?

[COgirl19]

2 weeks? longer? I don't remember with my first. I am at 2 weeks post-partum nd it is still coming, albeit lightly.

[fruitfulmomma]

Mine was off and on for 12 weeks with #5. I think up to 6 weeks or so with the rest.

Are you resting enough? I know when I overdo things it is always worse.

[Youngfrankenstein]

Mine was mostly gone after a few weeks this time but it can "come back" for awhile. I called my mw after I felt a gush and was really suprised to see bright red after so many weeks but she said it was normal.

[Manessa]

#1- 6 weeks
#2- 3 weeks
#3- 4 weeks

It varies for a variety of reasons, and it's common for it to "ebb and flow" (pun intended) for a while

[tireesix]

Mine has always lasted for around 8-10 weeks.

[nadia105]

8 weeks plus for #1, 6 or so with #2 and mostly done by 2 weeks with #3, but very sporadic bleeding for a few more weeks.

[terra-pip]

I was pad and pantyliner free with all three of mine by 5-6 weeks.

[kcparker]

stay horizontal!

Baby #1 - doing laundry, walking up and down lots of stairs, taking dog for mile-long walks, riding bicycle, going to grocery store, being active because that's what I thought was supposed to happen...you know, all the stories of unmedicated childbirth and women saying, "I was walking around half an hour after the birth." Lochia lasted 6 weeks.

Baby #2 - the homebirth midwife explained to me that "take it easy" means DON'T GET UP much from bed or exert yourself for a few weeks, and don't resume normal activity for 6 weeks. Lochia lasted 11 days.

The whole old-fashioned "laying in period," the Chinese system of having mom literally not get out of PJs for 40 days while mother-in-law feeds her special foods, the "42 days for 42 years" of Ayurvedic medicine, they are for real, and Americans just aren't cool with the concept of doing nothing but recuperating and hanging out in bed or around the house with a baby for 6 weeks. But yeah, take it easy and not only will you have less lochia, but your lady parts will thank you in 20 or 30 years.

[terra-pip]

Originally Posted by kcparker

Baby #1 - doing laundry, walking up and down lots of stairs, taking dog for mile-long walks, riding bicycle, going to grocery store, being active because that's what I thought was supposed to happen...you know, all the stories of unmedicated childbirth and women saying, "I was walking around half an hour after the birth." Lochia lasted 6 weeks.

Baby #2 - the homebirth midwife explained to me that "take it easy" means DON'T GET UP much from bed or exert yourself for a few weeks, and don't resume normal activity for 6 weeks. Lochia lasted 11 days.

The whole old-fashioned "laying in period," the Chinese system of having mom literally not get out of PJs for 40 days while mother-in-law feeds her special foods, the "42 days for 42 years" of Ayurvedic medicine, they are for real, and Americans just aren't cool with the concept of doing nothing but recuperating and hanging out in bed or around the house with a baby for 6 weeks. But yeah, take it easy and not only will you have less lochia, but your lady parts will thank you in 20 or 30 years.

if only we could in this culture, it would be bliss. But unfortunately everyone expects you to get it together quickly so you have to or the house and other children will literally fall apart around you. Hard to rest for 40 days if you're the only one doing the laundrt.

[AFWife]

8 weeks for me. Well, it had stopped at 6 and I started moving around more and trying to pack and it came back for another 2.

[craft_media_hero]

True dat, terra-pip!

Mine was (amazingly) pretty much down to nothing after like 5 days after my peaceful homebirth, but would come and go depending on activity at "light days" panty-liner level until just now 4wks and a few days pp.

[kcparker]

Originally Posted by terra-pip

if only we could in this culture, it would be bliss. But unfortunately everyone expects you to get it together quickly so you have to or the house and other children will literally fall apart around you. Hard to rest for 40 days if you're the only one doing the laundrt.

Yeah, but this is IMPORTANT. These other people maybe need to be educated to reduce their expectations. Can you get somebody to come help - family, friends, people from church, a postpartum doula, the responsible 13 year old down the street who needs to earn money for a class trip? Husbands and older children can help with laundry and housework and taking care of the littler ones. Can you do a trade with somebody who is only 4 months pregnant - she comes to be your postpartum doula, and you reciprocate when her babe is born? Social support is so important in this situation. I had very little with son #1, and I had a bad pp recovery and wicked depression. With son #2, it was all sooo much better - friends brought food, I didn't care if there were dust mice in the corners, a friend would take DS1 for play dates once in awhile, DH magically cooked more often than he did two years ago...