Please or to access all these features

Add post

Watch this thread

Save thread

Start a new thread

Flip thread

Hide thread

My feed

Active Unanswered threads

Getting started FAQ's

Unanswered threads Acronyms Talk guidelines

Hide shortcut buttons

Talk

Childbirth

Share experiences and get support around labour, birth and recovery.

Flip

Original poster

Idle question to which no-one probably knows the answer, but I'll ask anyway on the off chance

25 replies

Miaou · 28/05/2006 23:39

When I had ds (no. 3), I had him in the local midwife-led unit. All went well, until I had to deliver the placenta, and it wouldn't budge. I ended up being transferred to the city hospital 2 hours away by ambulance to have it pulled out (with theatre standing by in case the cord snapped or the placenta wasn't detatched properly). I noticed in my notes that it is down as a "major complication".

So what do you think are the chances of me being able to have my fourth (theoretical at this point) in the midwife unit? Anyone had any similar experiences?

OP posts:

Are your children’s vaccines up to date?

Set a reminder

hunkermunker · 28/05/2006 23:40

What were the births like with your DDs? Any complications with placenta delivery?

(I'm posting as a bad mouse, as you know, not a midwife!)

Original poster

Miaou · 28/05/2006 23:43

hunker - you know what it's like , the answer really is "ring the midwife unit and ask", but it's 11.45pm and I want to know nowwwwwwwwwwww......

Dds were straightforward from that pov but I had the jab - didn't have it with ds (policy of the unit).

OP posts:

hunkermunker · 28/05/2006 23:45

From what I read when I was deciding about the jab, it can cause as many complications as it stops iyswim.

So it sounds like (again, posting as a mouse, a bad one at that) it was just bad luck with DS and it shouldn't affect your chances of having your fourth at the midwife unit.

Mears will be along in a minute to cut off my tail with a carving knife, I reckon

Original poster

Miaou · 28/05/2006 23:50

lol - I think that's why they didn't generally offer it at the unit tbh.

I have a theory about my retained placenta - I think that, since they removed 1.5 litres of wee from me before removing the placenta at the city hospital, it could have been my bladder that was stopping it from coming out, and if I had been catheterised at the unit it might have been ok.

Um, was that TMI?

OP posts:

hunkermunker · 28/05/2006 23:56

No, not TMI (I've never weed as much as after I had DS1 - could've finished War And Peace on the loo, I think!).

Just googled and can find a lot about homeopathic remedies (you know the sort of thing - hand hanging by a thread, sinews visible on thigh - give two pillules of pulsatilla and rub chamomilla on forehead ) and more about retained placentas in cows. Hmm. Will wait for Mears, I think...

Original poster

Miaou · 29/05/2006 00:03

rofl hunker!! I will bump this if I see her about (and perhaps you could bump it if you see her too)

Must go to bed - have turned into a pumpkin ...

OP posts:

hunkermunker · 29/05/2006 00:06

Will do, Miaou (funny how we get on so well, one being feline, one being...er...mouseline?!). Night night x x x

hunkermunker · 29/05/2006 00:06

Rodent! I knew that!

Doh!

Tortington · 29/05/2006 00:11

why do you wnt more kids
fucks me

Original poster

Miaou · 29/05/2006 00:20

er ... good question custy, not sure I know the answer to that one?!

pg and birth is such a small part of it though - am not worried about it in the slightest, will be mightily pissed off if I am expected to travel up to the city hospital whilst in labour though

OP posts:

mears · 04/06/2006 20:36

Miaou - sorry I missed this. Retained placenta is something that could occur again so different units have different views on it. The statitics are not easy to come by. In my own area we will not stop women using the midwifery unit or have a homebirth if they have had a previous retained placenta.
You are right that a full bladder could have stopped placenta delivering.

Also,if you had syntometrine injection to help deliver the placenta more quickly - it itself can cause cervix to close down and trap placenta. If that hadn't been given then I think that should have been tried first before transfer.

If it was pulled out without the need for theatre then you did not actually have a retained placenta. You had a prolonged third stage. I would let you deliver in MW unit next time if it was up to me

Original poster

Miaou · 04/06/2006 20:39

oooh thanks mears - based on your last para I would be quite happy to argue the point if it came to it then

OP posts:

mears · 04/06/2006 20:43

Did you have the injection at the MW unit out of interest?

expatinscotland · 04/06/2006 20:45

they didn't even ask me if i wanted the injection when i had roisin!

i had her, was holding her and seeing if she wanted to suckle and then i felt the jab. OUCH!

right in the thigh.

Xavielli · 04/06/2006 23:06

Same here Expat, with both. Wanted to see if breast feeding alone would do it.

hunkermunker · 04/06/2006 23:07

Oh, I'd have been LIVID if they'd done that to me - would've sued for assault. How very DARE they?!

mears · 04/06/2006 23:09

It is technically an assault to give a medication that you have not consented to. Very bad practice I have to say.

hunkermunker · 04/06/2006 23:10

I'd have honestly swung for anyone who'd done that to me

expatinscotland · 04/06/2006 23:11

the first time i didn't feel it b/c i had forceps and epidural maxed out.

but yeah, second time round i was like, what was that? ow! cuz it did hurt.

i was too shocked at the whole thing to make any protest - i still couldn't believe i'd had her so quickly.

VeniVidiVickiQV · 04/06/2006 23:12

I had the injection and mine wouldnt come out very easily with DS.

It took a good while and they were tugging the cord quite a bit and starting to look panicky.

Original poster

Miaou · 04/06/2006 23:31

No I didn't have the injection at all mears, either at the midwife unit or at the city hospital. I think they were planning to give me the injection at the main hossie if it wouldn't come away with a pull - but can't remember for certain - I was shaking all over at that point (adrenaline?) and wasn't really listening!

OP posts:

EmmyLou · 05/06/2006 00:21

Midwife called in student dr to deliver placenta for dd2. He was pulling and she kept repeating "Gently!" till cord snapped and she told student to "Get a Dr - QUICK!" . I'd had the jab. Managed to avoid d&c not sure how - was too out of it.

mears · 05/06/2006 08:03

You are not meant to pull inless you have had the injection

I would have thought it would be best practice to have the injection available at the midwifery unit. I do wonder whether you got it and didn't raelise Miaou? It is commonly given as 'routine' preferably with prior discussion but as we have seen on this thread, the discussion bit does not necessarily happen.

Original poster

Miaou · 05/06/2006 15:53

I'm pretty sure I didn't have the injection, but I have to say that once ds was born I was totally uninterested in anything else! Policy in our midwife unit is not to give the injection - I think because it can cause as many problems as it solves (I seem to remember being told at the time).

Midwife at the city hospital didn't really pull as such, more pulled it taut whilst I was contracting (which I was still doing, argh) and I pushed it out. It came away in two contractions and was completely fine (though absolutely enormous! Dh reckoned it was half as big again as the placenta I had had with dd2).

OP posts:

2plus2plus1 · 07/06/2006 11:03

Yes I had a delivery in a midwife led centre after a previous retained placenta (removed in theatre, firmly stuck to uterus wall). BUT I was pregnant with twins AND delivered at 27wks, which I belive are the two biggest risk factors for a retained placenta. My second preganacy was a singleton & went to full term. In addition the midwife led unit was in the same floor in the same building as a consultant led unit in a major hospital. The midwife delivering did have to double check with Docs though when I was in labour & I may have been fortunate that the midwife wanted to deliver me (she was on my community team) & the consultant unit was very busy. Nobody had told me it would be a problem before I was in labour. Talk to your midwife, HTH.

Flip

Swipe left for the next trending thread