How to help clean postpartum discharge

The article was professionally consulted by Doctor Le Van Linh - Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology - Vinmec Phu Quoc International General Hospital.

Postpartum discharge makes women extremely uncomfortable, if it lasts too long, too little or too much... will be dangerous for women after giving birth. Therefore, mothers need to know how to clean the discharge, as well as pay attention to how to live and rest to ensure postnatal health.

Semen is the discharge from the uterus and genital tract during the first days of the postpartum period. The discharge consists of blood clots and thin blood flowing from the uterine lining, especially from the placenta, fragments of ectopic endometrium, prolapsed cells, and cervical and vaginal epithelial cells degenerate and shed.
In the first 3 days, the postpartum discharge consists of thin blood and small clots, so it is dark red. From the 4th to the 8th day, the discharge becomes thinner, just a mucus with a little blood, so the color fades. From day 9 onwards the non-bloody discharge is just a clear or white fluid containing a large amount of white blood cells and necrotic cortical tissue... This phenomenon lasts for another 2-3 weeks.

Pregnant women can simply understand this is the process of eliminating waste products accumulated in the uterus after 9 months and 10 days of pregnancy. Scientifically, the cause of postpartum discharge is due to the detachment of the placenta from the uterus. During the contraction of the uterus to recover, the stagnation of blood and the necrotic mucosa are also eliminated. Swollen cervix after labor also has certain discharges. This collection of wastes will be pushed out of the mother's body to help women quickly stabilize their health after giving birth, especially parts such as the uterus and vagina to return to their original state like before pregnancy. .

For new mothers, taking care of the body to quickly drain the postpartum fluid is very important, helping mothers recover quickly and avoid postpartum problems such as infections, uterine prolapse or a lot of blood loss. Some ways to expel the postpartum fluid that the mother can apply are as follows:
Clean the private area After giving birth, the uterus continues to contract to push the product out. At this time, foreign bacteria have the opportunity to enter the uterus through the genital tract, the uterus at this time becomes a favorable environment to cause vaginal infections.
Therefore, it is very important to clean the private area after giving birth at this time, you should change tampons every 4-6 hours, each time you need to clean the private area with warm water, then dry. It is best to use cooled boiled water, or warm water. Shower every day, but take a quick shower in an airtight room, then dry your body and dry your hair.
Proper exercise and rest Pregnant women need rest to restore energy. However, do not lie down too much. If you are tired, move your legs and arms gently before sitting up. When you are tired, you should exercise gently, lying down makes it difficult for blood to circulate.
For women who have a cesarean section, the way to clean up the discharge after cesarean section is that as soon as the urinary catheter is removed, the woman can get out of bed and practice walking again. Although having a cesarean section, you will be very painful because of the wound at the incision, but you should not be inactive, lazy to exercise after the cesarean section makes the bowel movements slow to recover, which leads to very difficult constipation.
The short walk helps pregnant women recover faster, reduces the risk of complications after surgery such as intestinal adhesions, thrombophlebitis...
Eat enough nutrients Pregnant women should eat food is cooked, eat full of nutrients such as vegetables, fish, meat, eggs, milk, fruit...
Absolutely no abstinence, do not eat too salty. Ideally, pregnant women should eat familiar, easy-to-digest, hygienic foods, drink enough water according to their needs, and take medicine according to the doctor's prescription.
Supplement vitamins and minerals properly Vitamins and minerals are very necessary and indispensable elements for the body. The amount of vitamins and minerals needed is very small and most of them have to be brought in from the outside, so they are called micronutrients. The supply of nutrients from food sources is often not enough, so it must be supplemented with drugs or functional foods.

Some vitamins and minerals for pregnant women such as:
Calcium: Taking calcium should be done in the morning, about 1 hour after breakfast, or at noon with plenty of water, giving us the opportunity to contact much sunlight, helping to absorb calcium more efficiently.
Iron: Iron is best absorbed on an empty stomach, so it is recommended to take iron tablets 30 minutes before meals.
Vitamin A, vitamin D: Should be taken with meals because the amount of fat in the meal will dissolve these substances, helping the body to absorb maximum.
Let your baby breastfeed often For women who give birth naturally: You should breastfeed your baby as soon as possible, as soon as you are less tired, even if the milk has not yet arrived, the baby sucking on the nipple will create favorable conditions. stimulate milk production, because colostrum at this time contains a large amount of antibodies and is very good for the baby.
For women giving birth by cesarean section: Mothers often think that they should not breastfeed immediately after cesarean section for fear of harming the baby, milk may not come back or the milk contains anesthetics that affect the child, etc. However, this is wrong thinking, medical experts confirm, mothers can completely breastfeed within the first hour after cesarean section if using local anesthesia. For women who have a caesarean section under general anesthesia, the usual time to start breastfeeding is about 4-6 hours after the anesthetic has worn off.
Mistakes to avoid after giving birth Do not lie on top of each other: Many mothers believe that after giving birth, they should lie on their legs, in fact this is a way to prevent the discharge of fluid. When the fluid cannot drain out, it will cause the end of the epidemic, which is very dangerous.
Do not wear a tight belly band after giving birth: Wearing a tight belly band after giving birth increases the pressure outside the abdominal wall, hinders the recovery of the abdominal wall, and prevents the reproductive organs from returning to their original position. When the position of the reproductive organs changes, the fluid will not be completely drained out, seriously affecting the health of pregnant women.

The discharge has an unpleasant odor that lasts more than 45 days. You feel chills or have a fever above 38 degrees Celsius. The color of the discharge is still bright red and as much as it was during the first week. More bleeding and filling of tampons every hour. Bleeding is heavier and bright red four days after giving birth, even if you're well rested. There are too many blood clots, one bandage can see more than 50 clots. You feel dizzy and your body starts to feel weak. Your heart rate is irregular or starts to beat very fast. If you have any of the above signs, it is likely that the woman has stopped giving birth, the fluid is still stagnant in the uterus or has some diseases in the postpartum period, so you need to go to the hospital as soon as possible. gynecological examination to find out the cause and timely treatment.
Doctor Le Van Linh has 16 years of experience in the field of obstetrics and gynecology. With professional strengths such as treatment of obstetrics and gynecological diseases, gynecological cancer screening, breast cancer screening and pregnancy monitoring, Dr. Linh used to hold the position of Head of Obstetrics and Gynecology Department at the hospital. Hoan My Cuu Long (Can Tho). Currently, Dr. Linh is working at the Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology - Vinmec Phu Quoc International General Hospital.