A newborn girl can experience light bleeding shortly after birth, a condition medically known as pseudo menstruation or neonatal menstruation.
A paediatrician, Dr. Ayobola Adebowale, known as Your Baby Doctor, has said.
Adebowale who was seen in a video speaking on the matter, said the condition occurs due to hormonal changes after delivery and is usually harmless.
“Your newborn baby can actually menstruate and this is what we call pseudo menstruation or neonatal menstruation, and it occurs because your baby inside your womb was exposed to a lot of your hormones.
“When you bring them out suddenly at time of delivery, they have what we call withdrawal bleeding, which is basically menstruation, and this happens in newborn babies and it’s essentially normal.”
She told parents not to panic when they observe such discharge in their baby girls.
“You have no reason to be scared. You have nothing to be worried about. Just observe the discharge and after a few days it will resolve by itself.
“You really don’t have to do anything and you have no reason to be worried and that child is not a witch,” she said.
According to Adebowale, if the bleeding persists, parents should see a doctor for a proper check-up.
Medical research showed some newborn girls experience what’s called “neonatal menstruation” or “pseudomenstruation.”
It takes place in the first seven days after birth and is caused by a sudden drop in the mother’s oestrogen levels after delivery.
The baby in the womb is exposed to high levels of maternal hormones.
After birth, those hormones quickly fall, and the baby’s uterus may respond by shedding a small amount of blood or mucus, just like a mini period.
