Weird question - was the placenta manually removed?

[BraveLilBear]

As title suggests, I have a weird question.

My DS was delivered by forceps in theatre under a spinal due to having his head in the wrong position. I'd been induced with drip about 30 hours after my waters had broken, due to lack of progress.

I have a hazy memory of the consultant telling me that 'the placenta is stuck behind the cervix' after they were trying to deliver it.

It suddenly occurred to me that he might have manually removed it. What does that mean if he did? Are there implications for future births? Could this explain the lack of vaginal toning high up (16 weeks on)? Could this have caused the internal tearing?

Have been thinking of requesting a birth debrief (if my trust offer) but in the meantime, I feel a bit odd if he did manually remove it and I didn't know...

I don't think anybody can confidently answer your question.
Of course you can speak to your consultant or midwife to discuss what happened with the benefit of your notes in front of them.

A friend of mine who is training to be a midwife said that if you have been prescribed antibiotics after birth it is often because they have done a manual extraction. Manual extraction just means that someone had to stick their hand in to help the placenta out I think. Like pacific said probably best to talk to your midwife though.

That's an interesting point - I wasn't given any antibiotics as far as I know so maybe he just meant they needed a second bash at it.

My DP thinks I should just leave it in the past and move on but I feel like I need to understand what was going on first as I keep getting odd flashbacks that invariably raise questions!

Thanks.

Mine was manually removed and I didn't get antibiotics so I'm not sure that tells you anything.

And I did have antibiotics but mine wasn't removed manually. Did take a long time to appear though (1+ hour)

I had a manual removal first time round after a long andcomplicated labour. Absolutely no probs second time around. I was told that retained placenta is v rare and unlikely to happen a second time but I still got hold of my medical records from first time and asked medic friend to talk me through them.

Good luck!

I had it manually removed both times because it wasn't shifting and I was haemorrhaging. No antibiotics prescribed. First birth was an induction, ending in forceps. Second birth was a rather large poo! I had to be admitted after my accidental home birth specifically to have the placenta removed under anaesthetic - and subsequently to have a 3 unit transfusion.

If you decide you would like to read through your birth notes, you might think about employing an independent midwife to go with you, just so that you know you are getting an impartial, yet professionally knowledgeable viewpoint and explanation.
It helped me no end having someone who knew what she was reading about with me, to explain and spot anything significant.

Sorry all. My friend was clearly wrong!

Not necessarily bunny, she could be right that 90% of antibiotics are prescribed for manual extraction- just might not be that 90% of extractions are prescribed antibiotics afterwards iyswim.

Thanks for the tip amistillsexy (I'm sure you are btw lol) - that sounds like a really good idea. I'm not great at challenging 'authority' so having an advocate would probably be hugely beneficial.

Don't know where I got that 90% figure from!

90% is always a good guess!

If you're not sure and it's on your mind, then perhaps you should ask to see your notes.

My placenta was manually removed after my first dc; it was a long and complicated birth ending in forceps. I did get antibiotics but I was ill anyway, so don't think it was related to the placenta thing.

After my second birth, the placenta was being a bit stubborn; the consultant was getting quite a sweat on and I was beginning to think I'd be having another MROP but eventually it came away with some coaxing rather than a proper manual removal. Another complicated labour and forceps delivery so I wonder if that's why I had reluctant placentas!

Thanks OneMore I will contact Pals this week to try and set that up.

Sounds like you have stubborn placentas! Hope it wasn't too traumatic. ..

Part of my interest/concern is that there was a weird bitof mmisinformation surrounding the site of my placenta. It was identified as low at 20 week scan (0.8cm from cervix) but they never checked it had moved (despite saying I'd need further scans and that I had to cancel holiday etc), assuming it would.

I didn't suffer excessive bleeding but I do wonder if the placenta getting 'stuck behind the cervix' was connected to that.

Hmm, could be related to that. Definitely sounds like you need closure on this so I hope you manage to get some answers when you go through your notes.

My births were fairly traumatic, but I've come to terms with what happened. It was just one of those things (or should that be two?!). Needless to say, I don't plan on giving birth again!

Good luck, make sure you update us when you've seen your notes/spoken to pals.

Mine was manually removed as it had started to break down. It came out in pieces, and I was asked to keep an eye out for large clots post- birth. I wasn't prescribed antibiotics either. It will be on your notes. A debrief may help you come to terms with any post-birth trauma. I know I felt a bit of a failure when the docs had to resort to forceps.

I had a manual removal of placenta with DS. It was done in an operating theatre under a spinal. No antibiotics.

I had placenta praevia with both DD's and one of the consultants was doing a study into whether manual removal of placenta (which apparently can cause scarring) may lead to placenta praevia.

I thought it would be fairly obvious but I was pretty hazy from pethidine and exhaustion by this point, and had had a spinal so could feel nothing.

Will try and get a debrief soon - although I think it says on the AIMS website that I need to request access via GP or midwife which could be tricky. Will see if PALS can help (just need enough time to get my laptop out - easier said than done!).

Just an update to answer my own question in case anyone else was wondering something similar...

The placenta wasn't manually removed. But it seems that the cervix had started to close (or something) so it seems that he reopened or stretched the cervix slightly to help it out.

Apparently this happens (who knew?).

Thanks all for your help - would really recommend a debrief to anyone upset by or confused about what happened when they gave birth.