A woman has candidly revealed an unknown side effect from childbirth – and it’s enough for people to declare it effective birth control.
TikTok user Abigail, who often shares the obscure facts about giving birth, replied to a video from user Sarah Biggers-Stewart about the distinct smell of being postpartum – describing it as a ‘carcass rotting on a spring day.’
‘Nobody warned me about the postpartum stink,’ mom, Sarah, said in her video.
‘So take like the coppery, bloody smell of a period, right? Add like an earthy smell and then layer in like a kind of sweet rotting smell,’ the mom described.
Women on TikTok are candidly discussing an unknown side effect from childbirth – and it’s enough for people to declare it effective birth control
This was a shock for Abigail, who stitched the video – appalled at what the postpartum journey brings
‘The smell followed me for weeks,’ she recounted. ‘I’d use the bathroom and the smell would hang in the air to the point where I would tell my husband, “Don’t go in there.”‘
This was a shock for Abigail, who stitched the video – appalled at what the postpartum journey brings.
‘Everyone who has a period is probably somewhat familiar and comfortable with what a period smells like,’ Abagail pointed out. ‘But this, this is a whole new level now for me.’
She added that the thing that is even ‘more horrific’ is a comment from a fellow mom who said it’s ‘completely normal.’
The video, which was been viewed over 2.9 million times, had thousands of comments from people sharing their own experiences.
‘Uhhhh I’ve had two kids and did not experience this,’ one mother commented.
‘The smell made me believe that I got infected after childbirth. It lasted like eight WEEKS,’ another exclaimed.
‘My husband would help me put on the diapers after birth he said it’d smelled like beef left out for a few days,’ shared someone else.
The video, which was been viewed over 2.9 million times, had thousands of comments from people sharing their own experiences
According to the Cleveland Clinic, the ‘smell’ is called lochia – and will smell like menstrual blood.
Lochia typically lasts about six weeks, but it varies person to person, with some people have traces of lochia for up to eight weeks.
Some describe it as musty, metallic, sour or stale. However, it shouldn’t smell fishy or foul. This could mean bacteria has gotten into your vagina and caused an infection.
Lochia consists of all the contents in your uterus from nine months of pregnancy.
‘There will be an odor to the blood and discharge like a typical menstrual period,’ The Cleveland Clinic noted.
‘The best thing you can do is practice good hygiene. Contact your healthcare provider if your discharge is extremely foul or fishy, as it could indicate an infection.’
