Bleeding that is too heavy
Know the threshold before you need it.
Bleeding should gradually decrease. Call immediately for:
- Soaking through a full-size pad in an hour or less
- Clots larger than a golf ball
- Bleeding that increases again after having decreased
- Dizziness, fainting, or a racing heart
Late postpartum hemorrhage, occurring after the first 24 hours, is one of the more common reasons for readmission. Postpartum hemorrhage overall accounts for roughly 10% of maternal deaths.
Where this comes from:
229. American College of Obstetricians and Gynecologists. Postpartum hemorrhage. ACOG Practice Bulletin No. 183. Obstet Gynecol. 2017;130(4):e168-e186.
Covered in the essential classes
Continue
More from Recovery at home
This page is educational. It supports the conversation with your own clinicians. It is not consent to any treatment, and it cannot assess you. If you are worried about a symptom now, see urgent warning signs.