Ask the Midwife Kathleen McClelland has been a midwife since 1990. Prior to that she was a Family Nurse Practitioner, with an emphasis on Women's Health Care, working mainly with the Deaf and Native American populations. As a midwife she has worked in large and small health care settings, from a a large health maintenance organization to a small private practice in a rural community to a medium size hospital caring for indigent women. She has attended one home birth, as the birth assistant to the midwife, of a very dear friend. The birth of her son was at a free-standing birth center in Alexandria, Virginia, attended by two of her midwifery classmates as well as her husband, sister, and father.		Midwife Kathleen McNellis Ask Kathleen a question

Question submitted June 17, 2002.

Is there a problem if I am bleeding dark red blood while pregnant? It happens only for around half a day using one sanitary towel. I am at about 8 weeks.

There may be any one of several reasons for a woman to have a little bleeding early in pregnancy. The fear, though, is that bleeding may mean miscarriage. Certainly, if you have heavy bleeding (like a period or heavier) associated with belly cramps then you are probably having a miscarriage. You should report any bleeding to your doctor or midwife, if you have one already. If not, certainly you should call a doctor or midwife office or go to the hospital emergency room if your bleeding is heavy and not stopping. Most miscarriages will resolve on their own but there can be complications which require medications or even surgery to correct.

If you only have some painless bleeding and it seems to have stopped, then just wait and see. And notify your health care provider. Go ahead and schedule your first pregnancy appointment. Be optimistic. Good luck!!

Kathleen McClelland

Questions?

Your Email
Your Question

Read a transcript of a chat with Kathleen McClelland and Pam Cass about Midwives and Doulas: How They Support the Birthing Woman.

Kathleen McClelland | Pam Cass | Cindy Curtis

My Birth Plan
33 pages
+ worksheets
only $7.00

Advertise Here! 50,000 Weekly Impressions!

Name:

Email:

Sign Up for our FREE Weekly Pregnancy Newsletter

Name:

Email:

Number of weeks into your pregnancy: 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 18 19 20 21 22 23 24 25 26 27 28 29 30 31 32 33 34 35 36 37 38 39 40 41 42