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Heavy staining six weeks postpartum

17 November, 2015
Question:

I gave birth to a baby girl exactly 6 weeks ago and went to the mikva exactly one week ago. On Friday night (5 days after mikva), I had a ketem on my colored underwear… I am pretty sure it is coming from inside my womb, because it is common for bleeding to start and stop, and it looked like it had been discharge. As far as I know I am not nida because my underwear were colored. But throughout the day, the spots continued… and they are still continuing this morning. The spots are smaller then a gris (except one), on colored underwear, and do not require me to wear a pad (it is NOT heavy bleeding…). What should I do? Just wait 24 hours to have relations, even if it could be days of waiting, or am I nida because the spotting is continuous? Also, what happens regarding harchakot?


Answer:

Mazal tov on the birth of your baby!

Distinguishing between heavy staining and a flow that would make you niddah can be difficult. As a rule of thumb, bleeding that can be contained by a pantilner and does not require a pad is halachically considered staining. This applies even if the spotting is continuous and goes on for several days.

You wrote that you do not need a pad, and that you found the stains on colored underwear. Assuming you did not find blood elsewhere in a way that might render you niddah (for example, if you saw blood exiting your body or found a stain larger than a gris on your leg), you are not niddah. Therefore you do not need to observe any harchakot.

We generally advise refraining from relations until the spotting has cleared for about 24 hours, or has subsided. This is not a halachic requirement. It is a precaution, because staining can turn into a flow of blood quickly, and we want to avoid a situation where during or immediately after relations the woman realizes she became niddah. Still, if the staining continues for a few days without turning into a flow, and it is difficult to be abstinent for that long, relations are permitted. You should be careful to use colored bedding, to wait at least 15 seconds after intercourse before cleaning yourselves, and to wipe only with colored towels or disposable tissues.

Please review our articles on Staining and Toilet Paper for more information and suggested precautions, and write back with any further questions.

This response was updated on 18 February, 2024.

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