Bleeding at 7 Weeks Postpartum?

Same thing happened with my second, and it wasn't my period. I overdid it trying to get my then 2.5 yo through the holidays and started bleeding again. My son is 6 months old and I haven't started my period yet! Hang in there, it does settle down!!

Sounds like a period to me, exactly what happened with my first kid. (I have 3 now....each recovery was different for me). If it lasts a lot longer than a period......I'd go to the doc to be sure, or at least give them a call.
God Bless.

Sounds like a period to me. You'll know for sure if it picks up like a period tends to do, and doesn't let up with rest.

Absolutely. My son, exclusively BF, and I was bleeding off and on to 8 weeks. Still spotted a bit here and there up to 10! Yeah fun, huh? You didn't mention if you had a vaginal delivery or c-section-- a c can extend the time you bleed as well. At only 7 weeks post and just bleeding a little, I wouldn't be too concerned. Just make sure you keep your iron intake up to compensate.

I bled for 4 weeks, stopped for a week, and then bled during my 6th week. At my postpartum check-up my dr said if it goes away at the end of the week and comes back in a month then it's your period, if it goes away and doesn't come back it was just some extra blood that finally made its way out. It turned out to be my period!! Just make sure you are using protection if you start/are having sex again because you don't want any surprises if it is your period!!

That was exactly how my period returned, and I was also exclusively breastfeeding. The doctor didn't really believe me at my 6 week checkup (which was at almost 7 weeks) that it was my period, but my bleeding had stopped at six weeks, came back a few days later then stopped on schedule and sure enough, came back exactly on time the next month with the cycle I'd always had.

Something I noticed was a drop in my milk supply right before I got my period every month. The lactation consultant told me it is normal and mine was not too severe, and it will get better in a couple days. But I just wanted to mention it so you didn't panic like I did. I just drank more water, ate oatmeal, and nursed/pumped more frequently for a few days and it came back just fine. Just try not to miss any feedings or get dehydrated or do anything else that can diminish your supply in those few days too.

For my second child I went through the same thing I would only have a break for one day then bleed again I went through this for 2months straight after 2 weeks of having him. It was because I used baby carrier that sat on my belly just right to put enough pressure on the abdomen to cause the excess bleeding. It never hurt and when I started putting him in the stroller it stopped.
Hope this helps you.

I breastfed all 3 of my kids - and I got my "period" with each one between 6-7 weeks postpartum!!!

My bleeding had stopped with my first - and at exactly 7 weeks, I started bleeding - totally unprepared for that - I bled like a period - then it stopped. Started up 2 weeks later - same thing for about 2 months, I would bleed like a period every 2 weeks - then settled into monthly!

Often it is just hormonal changes/imbalances - you will have to wait and see what happens next month...

Hi Mama! Well - I bled for 14 weeks postpartum, stopped for a week and bled for another two weeks. Fun times huh? I have not yet started my period and my daughter is almost 14 months old. We are still breastfeeding and from what I understand from research and friends' experiences, typically an exclusively breastfeeding mother won't start her period until your baby either goes a 6 hour stretch at night without breastfeeding for a consistent amount of time or when you wean your baby. It's different for every woman - some do start their periods very soon after birth but you probably are still just experiencing postpartum bleeding. Most importantly, your midwife isn't worried. Hang in there regardless. You'll know which it is soon enough!

I think you're probably pushing yourself too hard. I was told that I might experience heavy, bright red bleeding again if I pushed myself too hard physically. Apparently, it's your body's way of telling you to slow down - you're still healing from the delivery. My nurse practitioner told me that when that happened to take some ibuprofen and lay down for a while and see if the bleeding lightens up.

Hi A.,

So far with all of my babies, this is exactly what happened to me. I bled for 5 weeks, then no bleeding for 2 weeks, then at 7 weeks postpartum, I would start again. I never knew if it was my period or what, because after that, it would be months before my "normal" period would resume. With my son, who was born last July, the same thing happened to me again. But this time, LUCKY ME, it must have been my period, because I am now 33 weeks pregnant. YAY! I always wanted to have two babies back to back. Just kidding. Anyway, it's hard to tell what our bodies are doing sometimes. I breastfed exclusively with all of my children until about 1.5 years, so I think what's happening to you is well within the parameters of normal. Having a baby can really throw things off sometimes, but hang in there....you'll get back to normal soon enough.

K.

Hi A.,

Congrats on your new LO! While you always should get a real diagnosis from your caregiver, I can tell you that our situations are very similar: I just had my second child in January while also caring for an active 16 month old son. My daughter wasn't as big as yours, but I did have some tearing that required stitches. My bleeding had subsided and then began again at around my 6-week checkup. My doc said that I had opened my stitches and that it was also likely that I was overexerting myself, running around and lifting my son too much (he weighed 30 lbs then) right after delivery. I also have exclusively breastfed, so this is why he didn't think it was my period. Do you have any cramping or back pain? I did, which meant that, although I basically felt fine, I was probably still not completely healed internally. It wasn't until my daughter was about 3 months that the bleeding and brown spots totally went away. I have been on a low-hormone oral birth control since my 6-week checkup and haven't had my period yet.

So, try taking a look at how much you're doing and try to find ways to minimize exertion: make the bag boy carry your groceries to the car and then have your SO or a neighbor carry them to the house, don't try to carry both of your children at once (like I did, LOL), encourage your older child to walk more and help them walk up and down stairs instead of carrying them, drag the laundry down the stairs or better yet, have someone else do it!

Hope this helps!!!

I had this happen with both of my births. With the second, it sort of happened once more even after the 7 week mark. My OB's nurse chalked it up to hormone variations due to breast feeding. My baby was an excellent sleeper and was going long stretches already at that point, which the nurse thought might be a factor. At any rate, I had no other bleeding until cycles resumed at 13 months with my first and am still cycle free at 5 months with my second. So, hang in there. As long as it's not heavy bleeding and your midwives aren't concerned, you should be fine :)

I bled for 8 weeks with my first baby, who was just under 9lbs. There was about a week off of bleeding, like you describe. I got my first actual period when she was around 4 months old. I was exclusively breastfeeding. With my twins, one was breech, so I had a C, but I still bled for at least 6-7 weeks, again spotting, to stopping, to what I called a little relapse. With them, I was very busy & tired and carried one or both in a front and/or back carrier plus had to carry 2 baby carriers constantly in & out of the car to get my 4 yr old in & out of preschool! I was also exclusively breastfeeding them, and my period came back when they were about 5 months old. I did call my OB both times. She just said not to worry about it.