What it means
After the placenta comes out, the uterus sheds the lining that supported the pregnancy. The discharge changes over the weeks. Lochia rubra is bright to dark red, in the first 1 to 3 days. Lochia serosa is pink to brown, from about day 4 to day 10. Lochia alba is yellow-white and can last up to about 6 weeks. It should smell like a normal menstrual period.
For the nurse
Check the amount, color, clots and smell with each postpartum assessment, along with the fundus. Report heavy flow (soaking a pad in an hour), large clots, a foul smell, or a return to bright red after it has lightened.
In a chart
"Lochia rubra, moderate, no clots; fundus firm at the umbilicus."
At a glance
| Spanish | loquios |
|---|
Related terms
hemorrhage
A large loss of blood from a blood vessel, inside the body or out of it.
postpartum
The time after giving birth, usually the first six weeks, while the body returns to its non-pregnant state.
childbirth
The process of giving birth to a baby, through the vagina or by cesarean surgery.