The new mother is נדה even without blood (יולדת), the seven clean days nowadays (יולדת בזוב), miscarriage at any stage (מפלת) and the concern for the ולד / the נקבה, the definition of birth (רוב, פדחת, קול), twins (תאומים) and caesarean (יוצא דופן) — a sensitive topic treated with dignity and compassion, referring to the Rav and the doctor (Shulchan Aruch, Yoreh De'ah 194 — 14 se'ifim)
הַיּוֹלֶדֶת — אֲפִלּוּ לֹא רָאֲתָה דָּם — טְמֵאָה, בֵּין יָלְדָה חַי בֵּין יָלְדָה מֵת וַאֲפִלּוּ נֵפֶל, שֶׁאִי אֶפְשָׁר לִפְתִיחַת הַקֶּבֶר בְּלֹא דָּם. וּבַזְּמַן הַזֶּה כָּל הַיּוֹלְדוֹת חֲשׁוּבוֹת יוֹלְדוֹת בְּזוֹב, וְצָרִיךְ שֶׁתִּסְפֹּר שִׁבְעָה נְקִיִּים.
The new mother — even if she has not seen blood — is טמאה, whether she gave birth to a living child, to a stillborn child, or even to a נפל, for there is no opening of the קבר without blood (אי אפשר לפתיחת הקבר בלא דם). And nowadays, all new mothers are considered יולדות בזוב, and each must count שבעה נקיים (seven clean days).
Shulchan Aruch, Yoreh De'ah 194:1 (summary)LEVEL 01
The Hebrew text of the 14 se'ifim with a fluent English translation: the new mother is נדה even without blood, the seven clean days nowadays (יולדת בזוב), early miscarriage, the concern for the ולד and the נקבה, the definition of birth (רוב, פדחת, קול), twins and caesarean — explained with delicacy and practical cases, always referring to the Rav and the doctor.
📖 StudyLEVEL 02
In-depth pilpul: יולדת בזוב בזמן הזה and why all count שבעה נקיים (the days of Torah טומאה / טהרה, זכר 7+33 / נקבה 14+66, and what remains practical — no טבילה before the night of the 15th for a נקבה or a ספק); the principle of פתיחת הקבר בלא דם and the מפלת תוך מ' יום; חוששין לולד / לנקבה (אין אנו בקיאין בצורות); the שיעורים of birth (רוב, פדחת, קול, se'ifim 10-12); and the classic מחלוקת of יוצא דופן. חקירות and נפקא מינות.
📖 StudyLEVEL 03
Comparative tables (live birth / stillbirth / נפל, miscarriage before or after 40 days, days of the זכר / נקבה, natural way / יוצא דופן), golden rules, classic pitfalls (פתיחת הקבר, אין אנו בקיאין בצורות, רוב / פדחת / קול) and memorization of the 14 se'ifim — always under the guidance of the Rav and the doctor.
📖 StudyLEVEL 04
The shitah of the Tzemach Tzedek of Lubavitch and the Chabad mesorah on the יולדת and the מפלת — at the level of principle, referring the practical conduct to a Chabad Rav —, then the halacha le-ma'aseh according to the Beit Yosef, the Rama, the Shach, the Taz, the Sidrei Tahara, the Chochmat Adam, the Aroch haShulchan and contemporary pesak (Taharat haBayit, Shevet haLevi, and Nishmat Avraham for the medical angle — childbirth, miscarriage, caesarean). Every conclusion refers to the Rav and the doctor.
📖 StudyThe Shulchan Aruch (YD 194:1) teaches that the new mother is טמאה כנדה even without having seen blood — whether a live birth, a stillbirth, or even a נפל — for אי אפשר לפתיחת הקבר בלא דם (there is no opening of the קבר without blood). Nowadays, all new mothers are יולדות בזוב: beyond the days of Torah טומאה (7 for a boy, 14 for a girl), each must count שבעה נקיים (seven clean days) before טבילה. The exact time of טבילה is set with a moret kalla and the Rav; this matter, which touches body and soul, is lived with the support of the doctor.
A miscarriage is first of all a painful loss; it is also a serious halachic שאלה, to be brought promptly to a Rav, surrounded by medical support. In substance: a miscarriage, at any stage, makes the woman נדה even without seeing blood (אי אפשר לפתיחת הקבר בלא דם). Before 40 days (תוך מ' יום) there is no concern for a formed ולד, but there is concern for נדה. Later, since we are no longer expert in forms (אין אנו בקיאין בצורות), we are concerned for the ולד and reckon the days of the נקבה. The practical conduct (נדה, ולד, נקבה, counting, טבילה) is never decided alone: it is settled with the Rav and the doctor.
The Shulchan Aruch (YD 194:14) rules that if the blood came out only through the wall (דופן) — a true יוצא דופן — the mother is טהורה from לידה, from נדה and from זיבה. In practice today, during a caesarean, blood generally comes out also by the natural way; this is why most mothers who give birth by caesarean are נדה. This is a שאלה that must be brought to the Rav, with the medical details of the birth; it is not decided on one's own.
For twins or a multiple birth (YD 194:13), one counts the days of טומאה from the last child born, and considers the זכר / נקבה combinations (the days of the נקבה prevail out of concern). As always in this siman, the precise counting — days of טומאה, שבעה נקיים, the time of טבילה — is set with the Rav, with the support of the doctor and a moret kalla, in the dignity and delicacy that this moment deserves.