Question About Postpartum Bleeding
3 Replies
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ok ladies.. here is my fear. i am 38 weeks.. and i've been trying to push any thoughts of fear out of my head.. and i've been doing a really good job. last night however, i was in bed with DH.. and i confessed to him my one fear in all of this. recovery. im not afraid of labor, or giving birth.. or c-sections like most normal people. im afraid of bleeding afterwards. i've never handled that time of the month very well. usually.. i just dont even want to get out of bed, let alone leave the house. i stay laying down or sitting.. unless i have to go to the bathroom. i just dont function well when im on it. mostly because they're pretty much always rediculously heavy.. and i dont want to deal with bleeding through my clothes and such. i havent used pads since like.. the 8th grade, and even when on tampons.. i struggle. im just so afraid of having to take care of a new baby, while bleeding heavily.. and not being able to use tampons. i've always had wierd periods.. they dont come regularly, and when they do come.. i bleed a lot, and for long periods of time. in the summer of '05.. i bled for 12 weeks straight. my doctors couldnt figure out how to stop it. i was so scared. im worried about my body not knowing when to stop bleeding after birth. so i guess my question is.. can anyone relate? and you second or 3rd time moms.. how did you cope with this? and what can you tell me about bleeding afterwards and all that? im just scared to death about having to be up and down all the time.. because i know its going to make me bleed more.. and i wont be able to run to the bathroom when i need to because ill have to tend to the baby. help?
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Well, I'm going to tell it to you straight: there is quite a bit of blood in the first week or two, and it gradually decreases and finally stops somewhere around 4-6 weeks. If you choose to b___stfeed, there will be less blood and it will stop sooner, because the hormones released during b___stfeeding (oxytocin) causes the uterus to contract, which helps stop bleeding. Even if you decide you won't b___stfeed, if you let your lo nurse for the first few days, this will still help your uterus contract faster. During the first 2 weeks, when the bleeding is heaviest, you will also likely pa__s clots of blood which should be no larger than a golf ball. If you pa__s more than 2 that size or bigger per day, you should call your doctor, but otherwise blood clots are normal. Do NOT use tampons! Not only will they not work for the clots, but its not safe to use them after delivery... I can't remember all the reasons, but definitely talk to your doctor about that. I know it sucks, I never used pads, but you have to for the first month after delivery. Don't worry about it too much, you'll have enough on your hands as it is! The good news is, you'll probably be so distracted by your new baby that you'll hardly notice the bleeding and it will be gone before you know it.. plus, if you choose to b___stfeed you get the added bonus of no periods for a long time! Good luck with your delivery!
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It is not fun, but it's also not like a period. True you bleed very heavy, much heavier than any period I ever had, but you don't feel all crampy and blah. The best advice I have is to buy some stayfree ultra thin overnight protection pads with wings, they are like the size of a panty liner but protect like a diaper ha. I too haven't worn pads since jr high and my mother in law bought me these enormous thick pads and I had my husband go buy me the thin ones. Don't worry it won't last forever, I'm going on my 4th week postpartum and it's so light now all I wear is a panytliner. Good luck, maybe you'l be a lucky one who only bleeds for a week or two
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hi.i had my daughter on 2nd march and i know it sounds strange but before i had her this was the one thing i worried about the most. i wasnt scared of labour or anything just this! my sister was telling me all sorts of stories which didnt help. it is very heavy at first but only for the first week or so (i was very surprised, i expected it to be much heavier), the first few days is the worst then it goes more or less like a normal period. i know every woman is different but please try not to worry about it, i certainly wont be listening to my sis again lol. just make sure u get very absorbent pads and what i did for the first week was use 2 pads at a time, just slightly overlapping so uve got maximum coverage if u no what i measn oh yeah and use old big knickers lol. hope this helps. good luck with the birth x x
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