{"id":2676,"date":"2021-07-19T23:21:03","date_gmt":"2021-07-20T04:21:03","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/womensintegratedhealthcare.com\/?p=2676"},"modified":"2021-07-19T23:21:03","modified_gmt":"2021-07-20T04:21:03","slug":"the-third-stage-of-labor-delivering-the-placenta","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/expioconsulting.com\/macarthur\/wih\/the-third-stage-of-labor-delivering-the-placenta\/","title":{"rendered":"The Third Stage of Labor: Delivering the Placenta"},"content":{"rendered":"

Delivering the placenta is the third and final stage of having a baby.<\/span><\/h2>\n

\"baby<\/a>You\u2019ve made it through your pregnancy and the big delivery, and now you\u2019re holding your precious newborn baby. You might be thinking, \u201cGlad that\u2019s over!\u201d But actually you\u2019ve entered the final stage of delivery.<\/span><\/p>\n

The third stage of childbirth is the delivery of your placenta. And while it may seem anticlimactic compared to meeting your little bundle of joy, this stage of labor and delivery is very important and symbolic for many mothers.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

During pregnancy, the placenta provides everything the baby needs, including nutrition, water and oxygen. It also removes what isn\u2019t needed, like waste products and carbon dioxide. The delivery of the placenta represents the end of an important era living in the safety of your womb. It\u2019s the beginning of a new stage of life \u201con the outside.\u201d\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

The placenta is a disk shaped organ attached to the mother\u2019s uterus on one side and the baby\u2019s umbilical cord on the other. It has two sides. The maternal side is usually dark red in color, while the fetal side is almost translucent in color and shiny. The doctor will examine the delivered placenta to ensure each side appears the way it is expected to.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

How is the Placenta Delivered During Vaginal Birth?\u00a0<\/b><\/h2>\n

With a vaginal delivery, the uterus will continue to contract after the baby is out. These contractions move the placenta forward for delivery. Mercifully, these contractions aren\u2019t typically as strong as labor contractions, and some women don\u2019t even feel them (if you can believe that!). Your doctor might press on your stomach or ask you to push to help move the placenta forward. Typically, the placenta delivery is quick, happening within five minutes after the baby is delivered. But it can take longer for some women.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

Some women report being so focused on their baby for the first time that they don\u2019t notice the placenta delivery. Others, however, observe an additional gush of blood after delivery that\u2019s followed by the placenta.<\/span><\/p>\n

How is the Placenta Delivered During Cesarean Birth?\u00a0<\/b><\/h2>\n

If your delivery is via c-section, your doctor will physically remove the placenta from the uterus before closing the incision in the uterus and your stomach.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

Active Management Vs. Physiological Management During the Third Stage of Labor<\/b><\/h2>\n

Generally, there are two options for how you complete the third stage of labor: active management and physiological management. But a combination of both may also be used.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

Active management uses an injection of a drug called syntocinon or ergometrine in your thigh soon after the baby\u2019s birth. This speeds up the delivery of the placenta, usually happening within 30 minutes of birth. This is the recommended method, as it lowers the risk of heavy blood loss.<\/span><\/p>\n

Physiological management is generally used in midwife-led units and home births. This gets the placenta to come out mainly by pushing, gravity, contractions and sometimes nipple stimulation. It does not include the use of oxytocin injections and can take up to one hour.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

What is a Retained Placenta?<\/b><\/h2>\n

The placenta should be delivered within 30 to 60 minutes after having the baby. If it isn\u2019t delivered or doesn\u2019t come out in its entirety, this is called a \u201cretained placenta.\u201d There are many reasons the placenta may not fully deliver. The cervix may have closed and is too small for the placenta to move through. The placenta may be too tightly attached to the uterine wall. A portion of the placenta may break off and remain during delivery.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

Retained placenta is a major issue because the uterus needs to clamp back down after giving birth. Tightening of the uterus helps blood vessels inside to stop bleeding. Therefore, if the placenta is retained, you may experience bleeding or infection. Your doctor will work with you on your best options to remove the placenta entirely.<\/span><\/p>\n

If you\u2019re pregnant or planning to get pregnant, contact us today to discuss your birth plan! We are here to help and answer any questions you may have.<\/span><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Delivering the placenta is the third and final stage of having a baby. You\u2019ve made it through your pregnancy and the big delivery, and now you\u2019re holding your precious newborn baby. You might be thinking, \u201cGlad that\u2019s over!\u201d But actually you\u2019ve entered the final stage of delivery. The third stage of childbirth is the delivery of your placenta. And while it may seem anticlimactic compared to meeting your little bundle of joy, this stage of labor and delivery is very important and symbolic for many mothers.\u00a0 During pregnancy, the placenta provides everything the baby needs, including nutrition, water and oxygen. It also removes what isn\u2019t needed, like waste products and carbon dioxide. The delivery of the placenta represents the end of an important era living in the safety of your womb. It\u2019s the beginning of a new stage of life \u201con the outside.\u201d\u00a0 The placenta is a disk shaped organ attached to the mother\u2019s uterus on one side and the baby\u2019s umbilical cord on the other. It has two sides. The maternal side is usually dark red in color, while the fetal side is almost translucent in color and shiny. The doctor will examine the delivered placenta to ensure each side appears the way it is expected to.\u00a0 How is the Placenta Delivered During Vaginal Birth?\u00a0 With a vaginal delivery, the uterus will continue to contract after the baby is out. These contractions move the placenta forward for delivery. Mercifully, these contractions aren\u2019t typically as strong as labor contractions, and some women don\u2019t even feel them (if you can believe that!). Your doctor might press on your stomach or ask you to push to help move the placenta forward. Typically, the placenta delivery is quick, happening within five minutes after the baby is delivered. But it can take longer for some women.\u00a0 Some women report being so focused on their baby for the first time that they don\u2019t notice the placenta delivery. Others, however, observe an additional gush of blood after delivery that\u2019s followed by the placenta. How is the Placenta Delivered During Cesarean Birth?\u00a0 If your delivery is via c-section, your doctor will physically remove the placenta from the uterus before closing the incision in the uterus and your stomach.\u00a0 Active Management Vs. Physiological Management During the Third Stage of Labor Generally, there are two options for how you complete the third stage of labor: active management and physiological management. But a combination of both may also be used.\u00a0 Active management uses an injection of a drug called syntocinon or ergometrine in your thigh soon after the baby\u2019s birth. This speeds up the delivery of the placenta, usually happening within 30 minutes of birth. This is the recommended method, as it lowers the risk of heavy blood loss. Physiological management is generally used in midwife-led units and home births. This gets the placenta to come out mainly by pushing, gravity, contractions and sometimes nipple stimulation. It does not include the use of oxytocin injections and can take up to one hour.\u00a0 What is a Retained Placenta? The placenta should be delivered within 30 to 60 minutes after having the baby. If it isn\u2019t delivered or doesn\u2019t come out in its entirety, this is called a \u201cretained placenta.\u201d There are many reasons the placenta may not fully deliver. The cervix may have closed and is too small for the placenta to move through. The placenta may be too tightly attached to the uterine wall. A portion of the placenta may break off and remain during delivery.\u00a0 Retained placenta is a major issue because the uterus needs to clamp back down after giving birth. Tightening of the uterus helps blood vessels inside to stop bleeding. Therefore, if the placenta is retained, you may experience bleeding or infection. Your doctor will work with you on your best options to remove the placenta entirely. If you\u2019re pregnant or planning to get pregnant, contact us today to discuss your birth plan! We are here to help and answer any questions you may have.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":5,"featured_media":2678,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[11],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-2676","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-birth"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/expioconsulting.com\/macarthur\/wih\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2676","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/expioconsulting.com\/macarthur\/wih\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/expioconsulting.com\/macarthur\/wih\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/expioconsulting.com\/macarthur\/wih\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/5"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/expioconsulting.com\/macarthur\/wih\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=2676"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/expioconsulting.com\/macarthur\/wih\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2676\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/expioconsulting.com\/macarthur\/wih\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/2678"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/expioconsulting.com\/macarthur\/wih\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=2676"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/expioconsulting.com\/macarthur\/wih\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=2676"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/expioconsulting.com\/macarthur\/wih\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=2676"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}