No matter how and where you give birth to your baby, in the first days and weeks after birth you can expect the so-called lochia. This old-fashioned-sounding word refers to the bleeding that occurs when the placenta detaches from the uterus. It is this wound, the size of a palm, that will bleed quite a lot - much more than you know from your menstruation. In addition, the uterine lining that lined your uterus during pregnancy comes off after birth. In addition to blood, your menstrual flow therefore also consists of this mucous membrane, lymph and some bacteria.

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So-called afterpains will then help your uterus to recede day by day. Due to the muscle contraction, the blood vessels also become somewhat narrower and the actual wound area steadily smaller. When you have your first baby, you will usually only notice this as a slight pulling sensation. Especially women who already have children will often experience these afterpains as much stronger and more painful. In this case, a stabilizing belt, a warm, moist wrap, an abdominal massage or a tea that promotes postpartum can do you good. 

It takes about four weeks for the healing to be complete, sometimes it can be faster. If you breastfeed, the release of oxytocin additionally stimulates your uterus to contract and regress, so that the wound shrinks more quickly and elimination is accelerated. With an abdominal birth, on the other hand, the placenta is removed directly after the birth of the baby and the wound is taken care of, so that you will bleed much less overall. 

The really heavy bleeding awaits you only in the first few days - after that it changes both in quantity and color. A normal bleeding process looks like this: 

In the first few days, your lochia is blood-red, you bleed a lot, it is very fluid and consists mainly of blood, uterine mucosa, cheese goo and egg membrane residue. 

After about a week, the strength of your postpartum flow decreases noticeably, it becomes somewhat thinner and is more brownish. It consists mainly of blood serum, lymph and white blood cells. 

After about two weeks, your weekly flow is weak and more comparable to spotting. The color is brownish-yellow and the consistency is somewhat firmer and smudgier. During this phase, you excrete mainly mucus and bacteria, as well as tissue debris. 

The last phase of your weekly flow is then rather watery and very weak. Here your body still excretes some wound fluid - the color is therefore also whitish.

Since your cervix usually closes again after two to three days after birth, the blood does not flow out quite as quickly. This is why it can clot around residual mucus or egg membranes. You will then feel and see this in the form of blood clots in your sanitary napkin. These so-called coagulum can sometimes be relatively large, but they are completely normal and no reason to worry. They are often accompanied by a pulling sensation in the uterus, which usually shrinks again by a large amount when the coagulum is removed.

Your midwife will closely monitor your bleeding and the regression of your uterus - by questioning as well as by feeling. So take a quick look at your pads before you dispose of them, so that you can tell her as accurately as possible about the amount and color of your postpartum flow. By the way, this is why it is important not to wear period underwear but pads in these first days after birth - on the one hand, the amount of blood is clearly too strong, but on the other hand, observing your bleeding is so important for your midwife to be able to assess the regression processes of your body in the best possible way. 

Under no circumstances should bleeding stop abruptly during the first week. Your midwife or gynecologist should clarify possible causes for the accumulation of postpartum flow as well as the increased occurrence of coagulum. As a first aid, the best way to support your uterus in this case is to lie on your stomach. This position also helps very well with possible after contractions. To do this, lie down on a thicker pillow, place it directly under your belly and stay in this position two to three times a day for 15-20 minutes. If bleeding does not resume within 24 hours, seek professional advice. An abdominal massage can also do you good.