How long does it take for the lochia to be clear after a normal birth?

Lochia is a hurdle that women must overcome after childbirth. It is normal for new mothers to have lochia after childbirth, so they don't need to worry. What exactly is lochia after childbirth? How long does it take for lochia to be gone after childbirth? What should I do if lochia recurs or doesn't stop after childbirth? What is the color of lochia after childbirth? What is lochia after cesarean section and induced labor? The editor below has sorted out the following relevant information, let's learn together!

How long does it take for the lochia to be clear after a normal birth?

The situation of lochia after normal delivery and after cesarean section is different. For normal delivery, under normal circumstances, it is completely discharged 4-6 weeks after delivery. In the first few days after delivery, the amount of lochia is relatively large, and the color is bright red, so it is called red lochia, also known as bloody lochia, which generally lasts for 3-7 days; after 3-5 days, the amount of blood contained decreases, and the lochia becomes light red, called serous lochia. 10-14 days after delivery, the lochia is white or light yellow, called white lochia. Normal lochia has a bloody smell, but it is not smelly. It is a process of lochia after normal delivery. For those mothers whose lochia is still not clean after 6 weeks of normal delivery, this may be related to the mother's physical constitution, whether she is breastfeeding, postpartum diet, rest and nutrition supply. Pay more attention to the following methods during the lochia period, and the lochia will be clean soon.

Precautions during lochia after normal delivery

1. Eat a healthy diet. Because mothers are generally weak after a normal birth, they need proper nutrition. You can also drink more brown sugar water to help expel lochia.

2. Maintain a constant indoor temperature and keep warm. Patients with blood heat syndrome should not wear too warm clothes or quilts to avoid aggravating the symptoms. Keep the perineum clean.

3. Keep the indoor air fresh to facilitate the early recovery of the body's qi and blood, but avoid convection wind. At the same time, the mother should be encouraged to get up and move around as soon as possible, which will help the circulation of qi and blood and discharge the remaining blood stasis in the uterus as soon as possible.

Causes and treatment methods of lochia after normal delivery

1. Uterine infection

It may be caused by taking a tub bath after delivery, unclean sanitary napkins, or having sex before one month after delivery, or by the operator's inadequate disinfection, etc. At this time, the lochia has a foul odor, the abdomen is tender, and accompanied by fever, and a blood test shows an increase in the total number of white blood cells.

2. Tissue residue

It may be due to uterine malformation, uterine fibroids, etc., or due to the unskilled operation operator, resulting in incomplete removal of pregnancy tissue, resulting in some tissue remaining in the uterine cavity. At this time, in addition to the unclean lochia, there is also bleeding that varies from time to time, blood clots, and intermittent abdominal pain.

3. Uterine contractions

It may be due to the failure to rest well after delivery, or the body is weak and sick, or the delivery time is too long, which consumes qi and blood, resulting in weak uterine contractions and continuous lochia. Due to different symptoms, the treatment is also different. By observing the nature, smell, amount and duration of lochia, we can understand the recovery of the uterus and whether there is infection. If bloody lochia lasts for more than 2 weeks and the amount is large, it often indicates that the placenta attachment is not restored well or there are residual placenta and fetal membranes. If the lochia is not clean one month after delivery, accompanied by a foul or rancid smell, or accompanied by abdominal pain and fever, it may be that the vagina, uterus, fallopian tubes, and ovaries are infected; if accompanied by heavy bleeding, the uterus is large and soft, it often indicates that the uterus is not restored well. Therefore, you should go to the hospital in time to ask the doctor to find out the cause of unclean lochia and treat it according to the cause.

Diagnosis of postpartum lochia

1. Three weeks after delivery, red lochia is still discharged from the vagina.

2. If the lochia has a foul odor, or is accompanied by low fever, lower abdominal pain, poor uterine involution, or uterine tenderness, there is a uterine cavity infection.

3. When ultrasound examination shows that the uterus is poorly involuted and there is tissue in the uterine cavity, it is the placenta or placental residues.

Treatment of postpartum lochia

If you find that there is a lot of vaginal bleeding or the time is prolonged, or the blood has a peculiar smell, you should go to the hospital for examination as soon as possible. If the situation is not serious or there is no abnormality for the time being, you can use uterine contraction agents and antibiotics. If the situation is serious or there is placenta residue, you should perform curettage under the use of antibiotics to remove the residue to promote uterine contraction. If the residue is retained for too long, you can perform curettage under B-ultrasound and try to remove it once. Exclude infection, placental residue and other lesions. Folk prescriptions or Chinese medicine can be used to treat lochia. Gynecological experts specially remind: After natural delivery, the vaginal wall muscles relax, the vaginal cavity also expands, the pelvic floor muscles and fascia will also lose elasticity due to expansion, and some muscle fibers will break. After the lochia is cleaned 42 days after delivery, the elasticity recovery exercises of the vaginal wall should be carried out in time so that the vaginal elasticity can be restored as soon as possible. It is recommended to use some pure natural vaginal tightening care products, such as Yabenosa, which can not only repair damaged vaginal elastic fibers, restore vaginal elasticity, and tighten the vagina, but also have bactericidal and anti-inflammatory effects.