Healing physically following birth:

Hi lady's,

I gave birth 10 days ago and have not stopped bleeding. Not only am I bleeding but I am passing clots the size of mandarin's (for those who don't know what that it, its a small orange).

I have passed 3 of these. Is this normal?

Thanks anyone who can advise...

Allison
~Mum of Grace/Wesley Oct 4th: born sleeping

Hi Allison

So sorry to hear of the loss of your precious baby.Its so hard to deal with the emotional side of things then we also have to deal with our recovering bodies as well.
I think it is normal for the bleeding to continue and I know that passing some clotty stuff is normal, but Im just a bit concerned about the size that you said they are.Sounds like maybe you have retained a bit of your placenta?? Do you know if they said if your placenta was complete? (Probably not considering the circumstances) Dont mean to be crude but if it is then you may develop an infection and it may become quite smelly.Do you feel unwell? Any temp? I passed smallish clots and my OB just said to let it pass naturally but maybe its worth checking out just in case there are some big bits there?? IYKWIM?

Hi Allison, I'm sorry also to hear of your loss. I have not been in your position so can only comment on my experience after having DS. I bled for almost 6 weeks. I did pass clots (about the size of a 50c piece), and as I had had emergency surgery after I had DS I was a bit concerned and rang my OB. He advised that clots are OK, but if they got to the size of my fist I needed to get back to the hospital.

So if your clots are that large, it may be worth ringing your hospital.

I hope things settle down for you soon so that you can get on with your healing.

Hi Allison,

It sucks that after loosing a bub that we still have to deal with the "joys" of recovering from a delivery. For me, I was horrified to have to deal with the pain of the milk in my breasts.

As for your question. I just experienced bleeding. No clots. However, my ob was very concerned that I had delivered all of the placenta. I believe that a blood test for preg. hormones or an ultrasound can assist with double checking. I too am concerned about the size of the clots that you are passing and if it were me, I would be seeing someone about it - gp probably. Just to ensure that everything is okay. The last thing you need is to develop an infection.

I hope that you are feeling a bit more normal soon

Jodie