"Normal" bleeding during birth/before placenta vs NO bleeding?

[1babysmom]

This feels like an odd question for me. LOL  I've been watching a lot of birth videos (nostalgia...) and something I realized that seems to be a trend is blood.  It doesn't seem like anything out of the ordinary, but especially in water births (probably because it's more noticeable), it seems to be pretty common for the woman to bleed a fair amount- not hemorrhaging- prior to birthing her placenta.

I was wondering what the difference is here...during my 2 unassisted home births (one "on land", the other in water) I didn't bleed at all until my placenta came out.  (I have no idea what happened during my hospital birth with DD1, but I wouldn't count it as a "normal" birth even if I did...)  I mean, I did have slight bloody show while I finished up dilating, but that's about it.  Definitely no blood after baby until placenta was birthed anywhere from 15-30 minutes after. 

[naturalbirthoff]

It is different for all women and there are many explanations for bleeding before, during, and after labor.

Sometimes the bleeding you see while pushing is coming from tears of the vaginal wall (rare, typically seen in women with a weak pelvic floor) or perineum.

Sometimes the placenta will detach slightly from the uterus during first-stage labor causing bleeding.

Sometimes the loss of the mucus plug or bloody show is more "bloody".

Sometimes it is the start of a hemorrhage if the placenta detaches substantially or completely during labor.

If laboring primarily on your back it is possible to have a bleed but not notice as it would stay inside the body.

I had a moderate amount of bleeding about 6 hours after my water broke, then a moderate hemorrhage before the placenta was birthed. Not too hard to stop with a shot of pitocin (after the placenta was birthed), herbals, and exterior uterine massage.

[naturalbirthoff]

Sorry, hit reply prematurely. Basically what I am saying is there are many types of "normal" bleeding during labor and delivery. What caregivers need to be watching for is heavy to excessive bleeding indicating a hemorrhage.
 

Originally Posted by naturalbirthoff 

It is different for all women and there are many explanations for bleeding before, during, and after labor.

Sometimes the bleeding you see while pushing is coming from tears of the vaginal wall (rare, typically seen in women with a weak pelvic floor) or perineum.

Sometimes the placenta will detach slightly from the uterus during first-stage labor causing bleeding.

Sometimes the loss of the mucus plug or bloody show is more "bloody".

Sometimes it is the start of a hemorrhage if the placenta detaches substantially or completely during labor.

If laboring primarily on your back it is possible to have a bleed but not notice as it would stay inside the body.

I had a moderate amount of bleeding about 6 hours after my water broke, then a moderate hemorrhage before the placenta was birthed. Not too hard to stop with a shot of pitocin (after the placenta was birthed), herbals, and exterior uterine massage.

[starrlamia]

bleeding is normal, its part of the show that accompanies the mucous plug, as you progress in labour you get more bloody show. It will appear to be more blood in the water because of the dilution.

[1babysmom]

Originally Posted by starrlamia 

bleeding is normal, its part of the show that accompanies the mucous plug, as you progress in labour you get more bloody show. It will appear to be more blood in the water because of the dilution.

Thanks.  I have always lost the majority of my plug weeks before labor, and am always at least 4-5 cm once it really starts, so that's never really been an issue for me.  I do know it is for a lot of women though.

[1babysmom]

If laboring primarily on your back it is possible to have a bleed but not notice as it would stay inside the body.

Yeah, I was upright with both of those births, so definitely every opportunity for it to come out!  Guess I'm just not a bleeder.

Thanks for explaining some of the reasons.  I knew it was normal for many women, but I just couldn't quite remember why it would be.

[katelove]

I have often noticed a bit of bleeding as a woman reached full dilation, probably from a little tear or graze on the cervix or upper vaginal wall as the head comes down. Definitely more common in upright women but I suspect that is just because gravity allows the blood to flow out rather than pooling in the vagina.

Often blood can look more than it is during birth as well because it mixes with amniotic fluid so the volume looks greater. You can tell if this is the case when you look at the fluid on a light coloured cloth. The amniotic fluid will form a colourless or much lighter coloured "halo" of wettness around the red blood in the centre.