Picture this: as a new mother, you are changing your newborn baby girl’s diaper, only to notice spots of blood. What would go through your mind? Would you stay calm, or would panic take over? Some mothers, like *Stacy, have reacted with shock and even suspicion.
“I accused him of ‘touching’ our daughter. He almost left me,” Stacy recalls, laughing nervously. She was about to bathe her daughter when she noticed the scary blood spots.
“I froze. My mind was racing. I was going crazy. Because in my mind, I was 100 percent sure she was defiled. In my house, it is just my husband and I. I did not have a nanny. So if I did not do it, it had to be him. I walked to the sitting room and accused him. He had this look I will never forget—the look of shock and disappointment. How could I accuse him of something like that?” she admits.
Her husband wanted to take the baby to the hospital with her, but she refused. Later, she learned that the bleeding was a natural occurrence and had nothing to do with abuse. She apologized, realizing her mistake.
For 36-year-old Grace Wanjiku, the experience was equally terrifying. “At first, I thought the blood was from the stool because she had stomach pain—the normal stomach pain for newborns. But when I checked further, I noticed the blood was coming from her vagina. I screamed. I thought my baby was dying,” she recalls.
Grace rushed her daughter to the hospital, only to be told it was normal. “I was furious because why was I not told that vital information during clinic visits and after delivery? This should be the first thing a mother is told, immediately after the gender reveal scan. I was so furious,” she says.
Determined to prevent other mothers from experiencing the same shock, Grace now makes it her responsibility to inform new and expecting mothers of baby girls that spotting on diapers can happen.
Thirty-five-year-old Mercy Mwende thought her one-day-old baby had started menstruating. “I was still at the hospital; when I saw the blood, I screamed. The doctors came and explained it to me,” she says.
For Maryline Njuguna, however, there was no shock. “When I saw the blood, I was not surprised. The doctor had already told me it might happen, so I just cleaned her. You can imagine if I was not aware, I would have gone crazy,” she says.
A survey conducted by The Standard found that many women are unaware of “false menstruation.” Out of ten women interviewed, four had never heard of it, two knew about it but had never experienced it with their daughters, one was informed in advance and was prepared, while three learned about it only after it happened to their babies.
Medical experts confirm that the bleeding is normal. During pregnancy, a baby is exposed to high levels of hormones such as estrogen, which help develop sex organs. After birth, these hormone levels drop, which can cause mild vaginal bleeding in newborn girls.
Midwife Nerea Ojanga explains that every newborn baby girl has some vaginal discharge, but only a few experience blood spots. She always informs expectant mothers about the possibility.
“This situation can break homes; a mother might assume her partner has abused the baby. This is why I always inform pregnant women about what to expect during and after delivery,” she says.
Nerea advises that newborn girls’ private areas should be cleaned delicately. “A baby girl’s vagina should be washed gently with just cotton and water. Due to hormones, they can even develop milk in their breasts,” she says.
For newborn boys, she warns against prolonged hot water baths. “The bath should be quick because making them sit in hot water can interfere with their reproductive health in the future,” she explains.
Dr. Saudah Farooqui, an obstetrician and gynecologist, notes that false menstruation is a rare but harmless occurrence. It can happen up to two weeks after birth due to maternal hormones passing to the baby through the placenta.
“This phenomenon may last three to four days, but if it extends beyond a week, it is not normal,” she says. Dr. Farooqui emphasizes that the amount of blood is typically minimal—more than a few spots but not as heavy as an adult’s period.
Reproductive health specialist Junior F. Mukudi adds that “false menses” or pseudo-menstruation occurs when maternal hormones leave the baby’s system, leading to temporary vaginal bleeding.
False menstruation in newborns usually occurs within the first few days to two weeks after birth. It coincides with the period when maternal hormones are leaving the baby’s system, which typically happens shortly after delivery. While alarming to parents, it is a completely natural process requiring no medical intervention unless it persists or is accompanied by other unusual symptoms.
Understanding false menstruation can help prevent unnecessary panic and misconceptions. More importantly, educating mothers about it can help avoid the kind of distress that Stacy, Grace, and many others have faced.
