In this lesson, we discuss bleeding and blood clots after giving birth.

Some terms about bleeding you may hear healthcare professionals use:

Lochia or ‘flow’ - refers to the normal discharge coming from your uterus after childbirth.

Rubra - refers to the red flow in the first days after birth.

Serosa- refers to the watery pink flow that starts around 3 - 4 days after birth.

Lochia alba - refers to the yellowish white discharge you can have up to 5 or 6 weeks after birth.

Healthcare professionals often ask "How heavy is your flow?" The following is a visual guide to help you to explain.

Read more about blood flow after birth in this post: Bleeding After Birth: What's Normal and What's Not.

Due to the changes in clotting factors at birth, women are also more at risk for a blood clot forming inside a vein. Learn more in this post.