It is normal to bleed after you give birth, whether it is a vaginal birth or a caesarean birth. This bleeding is technically called lochia, and it is a combination of blood from the placental site, mucous, and tissue from the uterine lining.
Your bleeding will start out quite heavy, and as the blood vessels at the placental site clamp down the bleeding will become lighter. It is normal to bleed for four to six weeks after your baby’s birth. It will start out dark red, and you may pass some small clots in the first few days. If you are passing large clots, please contact your midwife.
After the first few days, your bleeding will start to lighten and change colour, to a brownish or pinkish colour. If it suddenly becomes red again, or has a bad smell to it, please contact your midwife.
Toward the end of the four to six weeks, your bleeding will turn into a whitish discharge, and then will become normal vaginal discharge.