Postpartum lochia care

I believe that postpartum lochia is a relatively unfamiliar term for many people, but in fact, postpartum lochia is the process of excretion of blood, necrosis and other things as the uterine decidua falls off after delivery. This is a very common phenomenon for pregnant women after delivery. Lochia is divided into different stages and has different symptoms, but it is very important for women's physical health and the excretion of bad things such as bacteria in the body, and it needs to be taken seriously. So how should we care for postpartum lochia? Let’s take a look together below.

During pregnancy, the placenta is attached to the inner wall of the uterus. After the fetus is born, the placenta is also delivered. However, the wound caused by the placenta detaching from the uterus will take some time to heal completely. Therefore, some blood will be discharged from the wound during the postpartum period. In addition to blood, it is also mixed with necrotic and detached decidual tissue, endometrium during pregnancy, mucus and bacteria, etc. This vaginal discharge is lochia.

Lochia is a normal physiological phenomenon. As the uterus shrinks, the color of lochia will gradually become lighter and the amount will gradually decrease.

Methods/Steps

The three stages of postpartum lochia

Under normal circumstances, lochia changes can be divided into three types:

Lochia

Bloody lochia is bright red in color and lasts for about 3 to 4 days before gradually turning into serous lochia. If bloody lochia lasts too long, it indicates that the uterus is not recovering well.

Lochia

Serous lochia, light red in color. Serous lochia can last for 7 to 10 days, and then gradually turn into white lochia.

White lochia

White lochia is white in color and contains a large number of white blood cells, necrotic decidual tissue, epidermal cells and bacteria.

Changes in lochia 3 weeks after delivery

In the first week after delivery, the amount of lochia is large and bright red. It contains a large amount of blood, small blood clots and necrotic decidual tissue, which is called red lochia.

After one week to half a month, the amount of blood in the lochia decreases, and there are more necrotic decidua, cervical mucus, vaginal secretions and bacteria, which makes the lochia turn into light red serous fluid. The lochia at this time is called serous lochia.

After half a month to within 3 weeks, the lochia no longer contains blood, but contains a large number of white blood cells, degenerated decidua, epidermal cells and bacteria, making the lochia viscous and white in color, so it is called white lochia. White lochia can last for two to three weeks.

Observe whether your lochia is normal

Observe whether your lochia is normal, especially pay attention to the changes in the quality and quantity, color and smell of the lochia, which can help you estimate how fast the uterus recovers and whether there are any abnormalities.

During the postpartum period, the weight of the uterus will decrease from 1,000 grams to 50-60 grams, and its volume will continue to shrink, returning to its pre-pregnancy size after 6 weeks. The quality of uterine involution can be estimated from the descent of the uterine fundus and the condition of lochia. Some women have continuous lochia, and even at the "full moon" there is still a lot of bloody secretions with a foul odor. The women themselves feel pain in the lower abdomen and back pain. When checked 6 weeks after delivery, the uterus has not returned to its normal size and is soft and tender, all of which are manifestations of incomplete uterine involution.

Abnormal lochia symptoms

Normal lochia has a bloody smell but no odor, lasts for 4 to 6 weeks, and the total amount is 250 to 500 ml. But there are large individual differences. About 3/4 of it is excreted within the first week after delivery. Generally speaking, the amount of lochia is more during the day and less at night, which may be related to the fact that standing activities during the day are conducive to the discharge of lochia.

Bloody lochia lasts about 3 days, gradually turns into serous lochia, and turns into white lochia after about 2 weeks, and lasts for about 3 weeks.

The above changes are the result of a gradual decrease in uterine bleeding. If the uterus is incompletely involuted or there is residual placenta, excessive fetal membranes or infection in the uterine cavity, the amount of lochia will increase, the duration of bloody lochia will be prolonged and it will have a foul odor.

How to care for lochia

The care of lochia starts with washing hands. Wash hands immediately after urination and defecation. At the same time, prepare soft toilet paper and wipe and disinfect from the vaginal opening to the anus.

The mother's underwear should be washed and changed frequently, and the vulva should be washed with warm water once a day.

After the stitches at the perineal sutures are removed, if the wound is not healing well, you can use a large basin of water to take a sitz bath to treat the wound. When taking a sitz bath, put hot water that is slightly higher than the usual bathing temperature into the large basin and add cresol, but the concentration should not be too high, as long as it is thin and white. The sitting bath should last about 10 minutes each time, 1 to 2 times a day, for 2 to 3 weeks. This method can keep the body warm and is very effective.