After C-section questions

Meggypoo821 · January 2013

After a c-section how long are you supposed to bleed for? It has been 11 days for me and some days I hardly have any bleeding but others are awful and I wonder if that is a normal amount of blood. How long should the bleeding last?

Also, the tape that is over my staples/stitches still has not come off...is that normal? I was told it would come off in the shower but it is all still there. I have a dr appt on Tuesday, do I leave it for them to take off or should I since it will be easier in the shower?

Any thoughts or advice would be nice to hear. thanks

jllmb79 · January 2013

I bleed for about 6 weeks. It was heavy and tapered off. I don't remember how long before tape came off.

Neener73 · January 2013

I alternated between heavy and light bleeding for about 5 weeks. Then I had light bleeding/spotting for another week. I primarily breastfeed and AF hasn't shown up yet.

The nurse had told me that my steri-strips would come off in the shower, but she also said that if they didn't that I could remove them. I removed them around 2 weeks PP. The removal didn't hurt at all, but it took a while for the residue to go away.

utgirl2 · January 2013

I don't remember how long I bled for, but as far as the steri strips. I left them on for almost a month before I removed them. My incision was still tender and I just didn't want to mess with it. The residue took a little longer to go away.

LovinTim912 · January 2013

With my first, I bled for a solid 6 weeks. I had staples for that one, so I can't say about the strips.

This time around I have the strips, so we shall see what happens.

bethann2385 · January 2013

I bled for about 6 weeks and some days were heavier than others. I think it's normal. Also, my doctor told me that the tape would loosen after about a week but it didn't so I ended up pulling it off myself. I was scared it would hurt but it didn't hurt at all.

SheLovesMrHip · January 2013

I bled for about 2 weeks. Nothing super heavy. Leave your tape until you see your doc. Just in case you go peeling it off and god forbid you arent healed up.

eb1113 · January 2013

I had a c-section almost 2 weeks ago and I am still bleeding. Some days it's heavier than others. Even throughout the day I go from barely anything to heavier. I assume it's all normal.

I still have the steri strips on. I, too, was told they'd fall off around 2 weeks. Most of them are peeling off at the bottom, but not at the top. With my first I think they started falling off after 2.5 weeks. I agree with pp, that the residue stays on a lot longer.

Just let the steri strips come off on their own, unless your Dr tells you you can pull them off. I'm sure they will come off soon.

Courtimilk · January 2013

My doc did a great job of ''cleaning me up'' before closing me up so the heaviest bleeding was done before I left the hospital but I still bled lightly (almost enough to downgrade to panti-liner) for about a month.

I was glued together, and I was to remove the bandage within a day to two.

+ASH+ · January 2013

I don't remember exactly, but with both of mine I bled for over a month (I think both were closer to the 6 week mark). There's no "should" as far as how long it lasts - it's just whenever your body finishes those internal repairs.

jussagirl02 · January 2013

I bled for five to six weeks on and off. I took off my steri strips six days pp as per my doctors recommendations. I took them off in the shower.

Mama-Bear · January 2013

I bled for 6w. The tape will eventually come off.

HarrietNJMommy · January 2013

You can bleed for up to 6 weeks.

I've had 4 c-sections, so the steri-strips have come off at different times. This time the OB pulled them off at my 2 week PP visit.

Chargersgrl33 · January 2013

I bled for about 2 weeks after. Some days it was heavy and some days it was like nothing.

I don't remember having any tape over my stitches. They gave me some pads to put over them until I felt comfortable without them.

nosoup4u · January 2013

I bled for a few weeks. If it's getting heavy, it's probably bc you over did it somehow.

As for the strips, they put them on me after they took out my staples, and told me to soak them in a bath to help them come off. I think they stayed on for a really long time, too. I'd call the nurse's line or wait until the next time you go in.

jc0n15 · January 2013

I bleed for 9 weeks. Just when I thought it was done it started again...sucked!!

As for the strips I pulled my off after about 2 weeks.

magdalina.h · January 2013

I bled for about a week and a half. I know that it's normal to bleed for 6 weeks.

jb2rn · January 2013

five weeks.

coppisa26 · January 2013

I bled very lightly for a couple weeks. Then it stopped, then it came back for another week, so I thought it might be my period returning. But then it kept starting and stopping until week 6. At that time, I had my 6 week checkup, and I went back on birth control, which cleared it up right away (not that I'm advocating to go back on the pill, since it can mess up your milk supply if you are nursing/pumping).

As for the tape... I think I left mine on for a few weeks... the ones on the edge of my incision started to peel away, so I removed those, then waited a few more days until I was tired of having the rest on, so I pulled them off. I think if your scar is healing well and not inflamed, they don't need to be there anymore (but I'm not a doctor!)

Disneygeek77 · January 2013

I think I remember bleeding for about 5-6 weeks. I do know that I thought I was done bleeding and then it started up again, I think because I was over doing it. Once I took it easy, the bleeding started to slow down.

ladyshellie75 · January 2013

I hear six wks bleeding..let doc take out stitches or staples.too dangerous if u do it.why they tell u that?I had stitches with tape on it but remove after six days in hospital.let them do it or u may hurt your scarincision

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