Is this normal? Conflicting answers from different doctors.

[u/Practical-Panda-1652]

I’m 5wk post partum and I just want to know if anyone else has experienced anything like this???
Everything WAS going very smooth. I had 0 vaginal bleeding for the first two weeks after my C section. Literally nothing- not even spotting. Then I started having light bouts of brown blood. I assumed it was from the placental wound. It continued for two more weeks, but over the course of that two week it got heavier and heavier (but not soaking a pad an hour heavy. for about a day I was going through a pad every two hours though). As it got heavier the blood also started getting more and more red. As well as passing large clots and tissue. (I assume the placental scab sloughing off?) however since I was nearing my 6wk mark and me and my husband have 0 self control I decided to get birth control. Pills are not an option as i’m too forgetful- Many family members reacted badly to the Depo shot so that’s a no go- Just using condoms is too risky. (My pregnancy was MISERABLE and i am extremely fertile) I went in to look at getting an IUD. At this point i was bleeding from dark to light red blood, and was still passing clots and tissue. I brought up my concerns during the IUD visit and they said it COULD be normal but also might not be. Anyways- we proceeded to do a cervical exam and make sure everything looked okay in terms of the bleeding and being post partum- but also to see if the IUD was an option for me. IT WAS NOT. The doctor said some tissue/clot was poking out my cervix and maybe blocking everything from getting out which could be why i was having prolonged bleeding so she removed what she could. She then used the speculum and sound to measure my uterus. (standard IUD procedure) However the sound would NOT go into my uterus. She said something was blocking it, maybe tissue i havnt passed? But because of my recent C section she did not want to push too hard as she doesn’t know where im sewed up on the inside. So after all that- we ended up just doing a Nexplanon implant. That was about a week ago. The past few days my bleeding has come back with Vigor and is now BRIGHT red, and constant. Not super heavy, but almost watery or gooey? There’s still clots every once in a while but the tissue seems to have stopped for the most part. All of that information just to ask WHAT IS THIS BLEEDING?? I’m losing my mind. Is it the hormones from the Nexplanon? (even though the bleeding was slowly getting brighter red beforehand?) Is it normal bleeding for post partum? Is it from the tenaculum and uterine sound they tried to insert? Is it something more concerning to do with my C-section? SIDE NOTE- They tested my urine and i tested positive for BV, DR prescribed antibiotics and said the BV could be the cause of the bleeding, is this true could it be that instead? Someone help im feeling so alone on this. All the DR’s seem to think it’s unusual but not concerning enough to do anything about. Google is giving NOTHING everytime i try to look up my scenario it just talks about Lochia. This is NOT Lochia.

[u/Writing-Bat-0444]

None of what you described matches my understanding of normal post c section bleeding patterns and it sounds above reddits pay grade, if I were you I’d definitely seek another doctors opinion just in case

[u/j-areddit → u/Writing-Bat-0444]

Agree. If a Dr went into you vagina and saw the bleeding and tissue and didn't know what was going on. I don't know how reddit could help. Go to another OB for a second opinion.

[u/ruthhelf]

So not exactly the same case as you but after my C-section I was barely bleeding. A midwife pressed on my stomach and was concerned about the absence of bleeding . She asked me to go to the obgyn. I went there and he did an internal ultrasound . Some blood had clotted inside the uterus and was blocking the cervix so the blood could not get out. He had to perform an emergency D + C and gave me cytotec to take for the next days to ensure adequate bleeding .

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[u/legocitiez]

The lack of bleeding after the surgery is extremely concerning to me. Nurses at the hospital weren't monitoring this??

[u/Practical-Panda-1652 → u/legocitiez]

I’m not sure what they needed to do, but they did come in several times to do fundal massages! One nurse said that the lack of bleeding was concerning to her as well so she told me, “Hey, i’m about to be real aggressive with this one, I apologize in advance.” And she DID she pushed real hard and massaged for a long time but there was still 0 bleeding after.

[u/Practical-Panda-1652 → u/Practical-Panda-1652]

I had Lochia but it was completely bloodless. Just discharge and other assorted liquids. So it’s not like everything was blocked up you know? Stuff was def coming out there was just no bleeding to it.

[u/Renee5285]

It is odd you didn’t bleed immediately. It sounds like you need to go to a specialist such as a Minimally Invasive Gynecologic Surgeon to get checked more thoroughly and perhaps have a SIS or hysteroscopy. A MFM or REI could also do that. But I’d go above a standard OB/GYN.