Nishmat's Women’s Health and HalachaIn memory of Chaya Mirel bat R' Avraham

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Light brown on hefsek postpartum

23 May, 2022
Question:

I gave birth almost 4 weeks ago and noticed that the bleeding has tapered off and there hasn’t been any real blood in a while bli ayin hara. I was working on cleaning myself for the hefsek tahara and the cloth has been coming out with light brown, no red whatsoever. Is that good enough to start counting my Sheva nikiim?


Answer:

Mazal tov on the birth of your baby!

Postpartum bleeding tends to come and go in waves. The median duration is four weeks, which means that 50% of woman will bleed for longer. So you should mentally prepare for the possibility that bleeding will return before you can complete the clean days. At the same time, it is quite possible that you will be able to get through them successfully, so you should not hesitate to try.

A hefsek taharah or bedikah does not need to be completely clear. For example, a light brown (e.g., the color of coffee with milk) with no hint of a reddish tint is not a niddah color and is fully acceptable. Based on your description, it sounds as though you have a good chance of getting a hefsek taharah.

Since the vaginal area is sensitive postpartum, we recommend being careful and gentle with cleaning yourself out and bedikot. it is also permissible to omit the moch dachuk for this cycle.

We hope that you are able to reach the mikveh soon! Please don’t hesitate to get back to us with any further questions.

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