A Question About Bleeding*TMI*

[gumby74]

Sorry if this is TMI, but I am wondering how long I should expect this bleeding to continue? Also, I went from red blood for the first couple of days after the c-section to now it looks like mucus and is either tinged red or brown. IS that normal? Finally, I have read several posts that mention that you should be seen if you have "foul" smelling discharge because it could be a sign of infection. Doesn't discharge smell anyways? Sorry about the nature of these questions.....I think I am grossing myself out:Puke

[Yin Yang]

I don't know if I will be much of a help becaus eI only bled for 4 days PP! most women from what I hear bleed for few weeks, some even as long as 6 weeks. I know there is a rule of how much blood is ok a day, but you gonna have to wait for someone to tell you that.....

As for the smell - what pads are you using? If you are using some conventional pads especially Always - it is most likely because of that!! I used my Ds's doublers and prefolds when I was home then swiched to Always and the smell was HORRIBLE and I was all itchy and healing slowed down.....so I tossed those in the garbage and never used them again. There is a thread on August DDC about this and every women who used Always had the same experience!
Try getting some natural ones. I just bought Seven Generation today.

[luckymama]

let me see if i can help - i bled for two weeks with my son, but i have at least two friends who bled for almost 6 weeks. the change from red blood to brownish, darker or mucus-y discharge is completely normal in my experience. if i overexert, then the blood turns back to red - and that's one big sign for me that i'm overdoing it and need to take it easier. i think discharge does smell but not a bad smell. i had terrible trouble with odor, itching, and some stinging after my 1st son, and that's when i ditched the disposable pads (& ultimately tampons, too) for cotton, washable mama pads (and later a diva cup). the odor went away, as did the discomfort, itchiness and stinging/burning. i think if your discharge were "foul smelling," you'd notice. if you think it is, and you have any kind of temperature rise, i'd give a ring to your caregiver, as the smell or the fever could be indicative of infection. the time it takes to recover/stop bleeding varies so greatly from woman to woman ... if it seems like your body is not healing, i'd ask your caregiver, but i know it can take weeks or months.

does this help at all? mama - it's hard to navigate the post partum stuff ... we spend so much time on the stuff we need to incubate the baby inside and to get him/her born and feeding and thriving, but very little attention is paid to the needs of the mama afterwards. i found the book "after the baby's birth" (robin lim) to be absolutely a godsend last time around.

[MsGrizzle]

I am one week pp and I am muscousy with tinges of red. I don't even fill a pad a day at this point - most of the time I don't even have anything when I wipe. It "smells" but more like a period than something rotten, if that makes sense!

[PancakeGoddess]

up to 6 weeks is normal, I think

[Mama Poot]

PP bleeding averages 4-6 weeks. I went the full 6 weeks, however after the first week it was just an annoying brownish/red drip, nothing major. Healthy discharge should smell like your menstrual period. So if it doesn't smell like that, there could be an infection.

[mimi_n_tre]

Hi mama,
I am Mary and had my daughter the same day as yours. I also had a c/s. I am still bleeding also, but it now a dark maroon or so, but it seems like the color changes every few days or so. Hopefully it will be over soon though...

Also just wondering, how is your c/s scar doing??? I had a c/s with my first, and it didn't seem to take this long to heal. I have been keeping it clean, but it still hasn't healed fully yet, I still have a few areas that are somewhat open and still oozing (TMI). How is yours doing?

Mary

[gumby74]

Thanks mamas for all the great info. Trully, what would I do without you?

yinyang: I think you are right about the Always brand. I defiently think that has something to do with the smell.

Mary: I think I underestimated how long it would take to heal from the c-section. I guess I thought I would be feeling really good by this point. The incision still is very sore to the touch. I have noticed that the area around the scar appears to be wet, but what I have not figured out is whether or not the wetness is caused from an infection, or because my belly fat hangs over the scar area and doesn't let much air in. DH figures that if the wetness was caused by an infection then I would most likely have a fever of some degree. It's difficult for me to see, but I don't think any of the areas are open. Hope this helps!