The lochia is clean and the blood is dark again

After giving birth, many pregnant women think that as long as they can relax during the confinement period, there is no need to worry about other issues. However, many pregnant women encounter various problems with postpartum lochia. Some women begin to have lochia discharge again a few days after the lochia stops. This is what we call recurrent lochia. The return of light-colored blood after the lochia has cleared up usually makes pregnant women very worried. The actual reason is explained in the article.

What is the reason for light-colored blood coming back after the lochia is cleared?

After giving birth, the decidua of the uterus falls off, and the tissues containing blood, necrotic decidua and other tissues are discharged through the vagina, which is called postpartum lochia. Postpartum lochia has a fishy smell but no peculiar smell, lasts for 4-6 weeks, and the total output is about 250-500ml. Within 3-4 days after delivery, the color of lochia is red, the amount is large, and sometimes it is small blood clots, which is called stubborn lochia. Stubborn postpartum lochia gradually changes into serous lochia, which lasts about 10 days and is dark red. Serous lochia then changes into white lochia, which is thick and milky white. It usually stops after about 3 weeks.

What is the reason for recurring lochia after childbirth?

1. Tissue residues

It may be due to uterine malformation, uterine fibroids and other reasons, or it may be due to the unskilled technical skills of the surgeon, resulting in the failure to completely eliminate the pregnancy tissue, causing some tissue to remain in the uterine cavity. At this time, in addition to the lochia being unclean, there is also bleeding that is sometimes more and sometimes less, with blood clots inside, and is accompanied by intermittent abdominal pain.

2. Intrauterine infection

Intrauterine infection may be caused by taking a sitz bath after giving birth, using unclean sanitary napkins, having sex before the baby is one month old, or by surgical operators not performing thorough disinfection and sterilization. At this time, the lochia has an odor, the abdomen is tender and painful, and there is fever. A blood test shows an increase in the total white blood cell count.

3. Uterine contractions

It may be due to the inability to rest well after giving birth, or the usual physical weakness and illness, or the delivery time is too long, which depletes the blood and qi, leading to weak uterine contractions, continuous lochia after delivery, and repeated lochia after delivery.

4. Taking supplements too early

If new mothers eat sesame oil chicken too early (such as eating sesame oil chicken in the first or second week), it will cause postpartum lochia to be difficult to discharge, and even cause prolonged postpartum hemorrhage, which can easily cause blood clots to accumulate in the uterus, and there is even the possibility of endometritis and sepsis.