So every time I try to fully breastfeed, or my son starts needing more milk, I get horrible cramps and bleed for 3 to 5 days. This is now the THIRD time with the cramps/bleeding cycle since the lochia stopped. And my son is only 8 weeks old!
Is there something wrong? It is very clearly related to trying to breast feed fully (as opposed to supplement, which we have been doing), and/or my son cluster nursing. Will this happen every time he goes through a growth spurt? Could I have placenta fragments? A hormone imbalance? It’s way painful- like contractions more than cramps. My uterus is already back to normal size, so I know it isn’t still trying to shrink.
It’s so bad I am considering continuing to supplement instead of nurse entirely. It’s part of why I gave up in the first place and supplemented (in addition to medical problems my son had that required formula).
I’m supposed to see the Dr. the first week of February- should I call earlier based on this?
Sorry if this is TMI, but I’ve been googling and googling, and getting nowhere. Very sad.
If it were me, I’d call first thing Monday. It might be something really minor that can be easily fixed; if so you’d wanna get it fixed right away so you can keep nursing and not screw with your milk.
It is the Devil, I tell you. I’ll go along fine, my son will cluster nurse one day, or I will pump a bit extra, and BAM!!! Cramps of death and bleeding, for days. :eek: :mad: :eek:
Do I get to at least kick someone? Because I wanna kick someone.
Yeah, it’s definitely time to call the doc or midwife. And it’s traditional to swear at your husband, but you’re not allowed to kick him. Well, don’t kick him too hard.
I wish I could tell you more, but I don’t recall having this problem. My major problem was cracked nipples, which HURT.
Nobody seems to have this problem. Even google has let me down. You know the afterbirth pains the day or two after giving birth? Yeah, they feel like that rather than regular cramps. That giant SQUEEZE/contract plus radiating into the back kind of pain. I had endometreosis before I was pregnant, so I know from cramps. These are a new form of evil.
sigh
I guess I will page the doctor tomorrow. Although I’m hoping someone else here has had this experience and can enlighten me before I do.
When your baby suckles, it releases the hormone oxytocin which (apart from allowing the let-down of your milk) also causes your uterus to contract. You may think that your uterus is back to shape, but the extra contractions are helping to preserve the muscle tone for future babies. Any build-up of lining in there is going to be expelled in the process. Think of it as superdooper birth control as well!!
Yes…it hurts. My worst afterpains were experienced with my last (4th) kid, who decided just three hours after the birth to latch on for a Sucking Session From Hell. He sucked and I suffered…so much so that I couldn’t even get my hand to the emergency button to summon the nurses. It was 20 times worse than the actual labour and I groaned and writhed in pain, but the sucker still held on like grim death.
Next day, when they released me from hospital, my tummy was back to it’s skinny size 10.
Sure, but 8 WEEKS later? Even after they’ve already stopped twice before? Lochia is waaaay done with. That stopped after 3 weeks. This is…different. Like a regular period, except, uh, dark purple :eek: . And the afterpains are back with it. Mind you, they are totally gone between these weird bleeding episodes (so they are gone for weeks at a time).
What’s happening is that the lochia is expelled, but the uterus is forming new lining in prep for a new conception. But because you are breastfeeding (and the oxytocin is being released) you are also expelling the new lining that will prevent a new pregnancy from implanting.
THAT’S why breastfeeding acts as a contraceptive. It’s just your body working as it should.
Sure, call your doctor if you are concerned, but it seems to me (AND IANAD btw) that what you are experiencing is normal crap that women have to go through after giving birth to babies.
Ring your doctor. What’s Kambuckta is talking about is normal immediately post delivery (and gets worse with each baby. Delightful) but it’s definitely outside the norm for 8 weeks post partum. A uterus is not building up a lining it needs to shed when you’re bf’ing and not ovulating – post partum what you are feeling is the uterus shrinking back to size but those afterpains shouldn’t go on for weeks.
I’d be wondering about retained placenta – was your placenta intact? Any foul smelling discharge? It definitely sounds like it needs checking out at the very least.
Another vote for make a sooner apt with your doc. This is not normal for 8 weeks post-delivery. Purple blood, as opposed to pink, red, or brown, is not normal either. In Chinese terms, you have severe blood stagnation. In western, it may indeed be a bit of retained placenta or a vessel that didn’t heal over properly. Obviously, it’s not immediately life-threatening, but I’d hate to see it suddenly get worse and have you hemmorhage while waiting for an appointment.
Plus, even if it’s not life-threatening, it’s **nursing **threatening, and that’s enough reason to have it checked out.
Right. That’s what I was thinking. ESPECIALLY since it had stopped for several weeks, then came back, then stopped for a few weeks, came back, etc.
These are exactly the things I am thinking. Damnit, it can’t shrink any farther! 8 weeks is just too much!
As far as I know, it was intact. It was the size of a dinner plate. Charming. No discharge, thankfully. I would be on the phone already if I smelled badly. Wanna know what’s weird though? I’m sure this is totally TMI, but what the hell- both my husband and I agree that it smells like crushed roses. Every time. Isn’t that a sign of the Guadalupe Visitation by the Virgin Mary? Should I auction it off on ebay? Will hordes of Mexicans soon come by to pay homage to my snatch?
I still get intense cramps when wee one nurses too much (and she’s 22 months now). It’s not normal, but then there doesn’t seem to be anything wrong (according to 2 doctors). I take advil when I need to, and have hubby rub my back.
The bleeding - I think I bled on and off for 12 weeks post-partum, maybe more. I know post-partum bleeding can last for 3 months.
If you are worried, though, check in with your doctor sooner. That’s what they are there for.
I just want you to know that if you don’t go to your doctor and then post back here I will die from lack of closure on this.
Not that I am having any more kidlets, but you know, putting it in the mental rolodex for future reference.
And, I don’t think you can sell your hoo-ha on Ebay, even if it does smell like crushed roses and resembles the Virgin Mary if you squint your eyes really tight.
Maybe you are the new Messiah.
Wouldn’t that put a damper on The Rest Of Your Life, eh?
Uh, you may need another hobby. Or you may be as insanely curious about weird medical shit as I am…
Well, I still need my cudapepper for recreational purposes. I was thinking more of selling the clots.
God, this post has disintegrated, hasn’t it?
Woo=hoo! Wine party at my place!
Anyway, FWIW, my husband saw the crap in question tonight and said, quote, “that looks like the bloody show stuff that came out after they did the amniotomy!” Given that I shut my eyes when they brought out the crochet needle, I wouldn’t know. I’d describe it now as weird chunks of mucous and purple blood stuff.
Erm…I just thought of something…Not that you shouldn’t see the doc. BUT
Did this start up again after you went on the antibiotics and started chugging all the cranberry juice for the UTI you got in the hospital with baby Tinkleberry?
Even google has let me down. You know the afterbirth pains the day or two after giving birth? Yeah, they feel like that rather than regular cramps. That giant SQUEEZE/contract plus radiating into the back kind of pain. I had endometreosis before I was pregnant, so I know from cramps. These are a new form of evil.