Bleeding, what is normal?

The average blood loss for a woman after giving birth would be about 200 to 400 mls, but can be as little as 50 mls or as much as 500mls and still be regarded as being normal. The usual amount of blood loss would be equivalent to the amount you would donate at the blood bank (around 300mls).

When this amount of blood is spread over bed sheets it can look like a fair amount, but your caregiver is aware of what can 'look normal' and what can look too much. The blood loss is recorded by your caregiver as an 'estimated blood loss' or EBL. This is because it is not actually collected and measured, but visually estimated by the caregiver.

In actual fact the amount estimated can be fairly inaccurate. It is well known that estimates of blood loss can vary as much as 35 to 50%. So the final amount of blood loss is more like a 'ball park figure'. This can account for different rates of haemorrhages being recorded in different birthplaces or by different caregivers.

Find more:

• Bonding with your baby
• First bottle feed
• First breastfeed
• The 1st hour with your newborn
• The next 23 hours with your newborn