Will there be lots of blood?
A question that we often get caught up in. The reason we are put off of home births- “Will there be too much blood?”
This type of question is the sort of things that make us feel anxious about birth in the first place. Thinking that birth is going to be messy or like a scene from a horror movie. Let me reassure you, that will not be the case.
In the early stages of labour you might lose your mucus plug, which is also known as a bloody show. It will look like a little bit of jelly and may have a small amount of blood in it. Often your waters will break during labour which can be as a trickle or a large gush. If you are in a birth pool, you might not even notice this, but if you’re not, your midwives will place towels down- even if you’re at home. Even if your waters break before labour begins, there shouldn’t be any blood- they might just have a pinkish tinge to them. If there is any meconium (usually green in colour) in your waters, you need to let your midwife know.
When you give birth, there will be a little bit of blood- it varies from woman to woman. There is also some blood after baby is born and during the third stage (birthing the placenta). Once you have delivered the placenta, your uterus will contract and close off its blood supply. After this there should only be small amounts of bleeding. If there is large amounts of bleeding, this is a sign of post-partum haemorrahage. This happens to about 5% of women.
In the days after birth you will need to use maternity pads or pants for you lochia- which is like a heavy period and happens to all women after child birth even if the birth was via a caesarean section. Lochia is bright red and may have some clots in it. This is usually normal but show your midwife if you are concerned.
So before you panic and change all your birth plans because you’re worried about “too much mess” - stop and think about what your incredible body is achieving.
(Plus the midwifes will clean up after even if you’re at home- bonus!)
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✔️ Evidence-based antenatal education
✔️ Proven relaxation and breathing techniques
✔️ Birth partner and their essential role
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