Lochia

In the field of obstetrics, lochia is the vaginal discharge after giving birth, containing blood, mucus, and uterine tissue.

[1] Lochia discharge typically continues for four to eight weeks after childbirth,[2] a time known as the postpartum period or puerperium.

A 2016 review ties this "lochial period" to worldwide customs of postpartum confinement, a time for the new mother and baby to bond.

[4] The Cleveland Clinic recommends that pads be used instead of tampons to absorb the fluid as materials should not be inserted in the vagina soon after childbirth.

Any offensive odor or change to a greenish color indicates contamination by organisms such as chlamydia or staph saprophyticus.