The postpartum vaginal discharge that is thick and dark red for the first 2-3 days after birth is called:

1. Postpartum vaginal discharge, called lochia, changes character over the weeks following birth. 2. In the first phase, it is thick, dark, and red. 3. This first phase is called lochia rubra, lasting about 2-3 days. 4. Lochia serosa is the thinner, pinkish stage that follows, not the initial thick red discharge. 5. Lochia alba is the final, scant, creamy stage, and vernix discharge is not a real postpartum term at all. 6. So lochia rubra is the earliest, reddest stage, correctly matching the first 2-3 days. _Source: OpenStax Anatomy and Physiology (CC BY 4.0), Ch 28 "Development and Inheritance", p.1346 §Afterbirth_