I am still bleeding after 20 days of confinement. Why?

Everyone knows that during pregnancy, the placenta is attached to the wall of the uterus and is fixed. When the baby is delivered, the placenta will also be delivered by the strong contractions of the uterus. It takes a period of time to heal, so during this period, some blood will be discharged from the wound, and some sloughed tissue, endometrium, mucus, etc. will be discharged from the vagina together. This is what we call postpartum lochia. So, what's the matter with bleeding after 20 days of confinement?

Postpartum lochia usually lasts about 3 to 4 weeks after delivery. If it is more than 20 days after delivery and you still have lochia, if the amount is relatively small, this is normal and you can observe it temporarily, try to pay more attention to rest and personal hygiene. If the amount of lochia is still relatively large, it is best to go to the hospital for a color Doppler ultrasound examination to observe the situation inside the uterine cavity before undergoing treatment.

What are the three stages of postpartum lochia discharge?

Although postpartum lochia is unpleasant in color and appearance, it does not have a bad smell, only a bloody smell like menstruation, and is usually divided into three stages.

The first stage is red lochia, with the largest amount

Generally, in the first three or four days after delivery, the amount of lochia will be larger, and the color will be bright red. Sometimes there will be small blood clots, which is similar to the normal menstrual flow. Some mothers have more lochia after delivery and need to change sanitary napkins more often. This is normal.

The second stage is light red in color and contains a lot of serous fluid.

During this period, the blood oozing from the wound is significantly reduced, and the residual blood stasis in the uterus is basically discharged, so the lochia that flows out is light red in color and contains a lot of mucus and necrotic decidual tissue. It usually lasts about 10 days. For some mothers, the time is slightly shorter, which indicates that the postpartum recovery is better.

The third stage, white lochia

The lochia at this stage is more similar to leucorrhea, but it is more abundant, thicker, and whiter in color. It contains a large number of white blood cells, necrotic tissue decidua, epidermal cells, bacteria, etc. It lasts for about a week.

Generally speaking, the lochia will be discharged 2-4 weeks after delivery, and the mother will feel refreshed after the confinement period. However, some mothers still have dripping lochia two months after delivery. This needs to be taken seriously. It is necessary to consider that it is a problem of unclean lochia. There may be an infection in the uterine cavity, or there are pregnancy products in the uterine cavity that have not been discharged completely, or the uterus has not recovered. If there is a bad smell, or the mother has a fever, the possibility of infection is very high, and you need to go to the hospital for treatment in time to find out the cause.