Lochia or period?

I am 3 weeks and 5 days PP. I am drying up my supply slowly (I was pumping exclusively). Now I only have a pump session every 6-8 hours. I had a csection (my 2nd) and never experienced actual bleeding. Only had some brown spotting and light clots. Then that turned into a pinkish/orangish/brownish spotting with continued light clots. Well the past 2 days I have had awful cramping/soreness and this morning the spotting was becoming more than it had been. So I switched from a liner to a regular pad. By lunchtime I was sitting in bed taking care of baby and a huge gush of blood came out (went forward in the pad and leaked over it through my underwear and shorts...ugh). The color was dark red/brownish. Doesn't seem like true blood to be a period. I dont remember this in my first pregnancy. I did research that there is a dark red phase of lochia, the third. Is this it since it is so early?