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

1 2

Original poster

Syntocin injection to deliver placenta - is it worth it?

39 replies

impatientfirsttimer · 16/10/2006 22:39

I've got a factor 10 deficiency which means from time to time my blood fails to clot properly - cue heavy periods etc. But I haven't really suffered from it badly for years. Yet my consultant has strongly recommended I have the syntocin injection to deliver the placenta because I'm planning to deliver at a lovely little midwife unit and they would have to transfer me if I bled too much.

My personal feelings are: I'm planning to breastfeed immediately, I don't like needles, I wanted to donate the cord blood (for research) and I won't be able to if they have to clamp the cord immediately and I think they are just being a bit arsey because I've refused to go to a 'proper hospital' to deliver.

To be fair to the consultant she may be right but having been told that 'since this is an important baby you want to make sure you are in the right place' which seems to translate into 'come to our big scarey hospital and be poked a lot' I'm suitably dubious.

So I was wondering what the experience of mums out there was.

Should I tell the consultant that actually having considered her advice I'd like to stick to my original plan (entenox/water/no doctors and as little intervention as possible), or should I agree to the injection?

Also how long after delivery can you wait before having the injection because if you can wait fifteen minutes then maybe it'd come on its own anyway?

Rachel
40+3

OP posts:

Are your children’s vaccines up to date?

Set a reminder

evilanniedividedin2byalargeaxe · 16/10/2006 22:40

Rachel, with dd1 I said in my birthplan I didn't want it because I don't like needles. The MW thought that was fairly hysterical as she said I wouldn't even notice it. She was right, and I had the jab, and didn't realise... HTH (good luck BTW!)

diNOLOOKINGOVERYOURSHOULDERsau · 16/10/2006 22:41

FWIW I refused the injection when I had my DS3 as I had retained placenta after DS2 and had to go to theatre and have it removed manually - which was not the end of the world, but was not an experience I was keen to repeat, either!

I have to say though that I did bleed quite heavily afterwards - although no-one but me seemed very worried about it - and in fact the mw decided to give me a shot of it after I'd delivered the placenta naturally.

TooTickyTheAppleBobber · 16/10/2006 22:42

I could be wrong but I think I was allowed 30 minutes to deliver placenta. I did it just in time!Medical intervention is a big thing these days and most people are better off without it. Sorry, I'm not much help and have no experience of your condition.

TheBlonde · 16/10/2006 22:42

I thought there wasn't much evidence/research as to whether or not you lose less blood with the injection

You don't need to decide until after you deliver - you can refuse it at the time

Original poster

impatientfirsttimer · 16/10/2006 22:47

Thanks all of you. It does sound like my consultant is talking out of her bum again! I can have the injection at the midwife unit but if there is any question of excessive bleeding I'd have to be transfered after delivery which is what I want to avoid because our local hospital is crap/filthy/staffed by doctors who seem to want to practice their salad tongue weilding skills rather too often (they have a 27% c section rate!!!!!)

OP posts:

TooTickyTheAppleBobber · 17/10/2006 11:02

Hospitals are disgusting!

PinkTulips · 17/10/2006 11:16

1st baby - synotocin injection (against my wishes btw, was too busy watching my dd being resussitated to notice what she was doing) i had a massive PPH

2nd baby - no injection, beautiful calm realxed third stage while i was holding my baby, not uncomfortable at all and no excessive bleeding.

should add though at my hospital its standar practice and none of the student midwives ahd ever seen a birth without the injection and were facinated! however i definitely would never have it again. unnatural and unneccessary imo

Monkeychopsmummy · 17/10/2006 11:44

I wanted to have a natural 3rd stage and said so on my birth plan, but I also said I would be happy to have the injection once the cord and stopped pulsating and had been cut. I don't think it took too long for the cord to stop pulsating - but I wasn't having very strong contractions and nothing seemed to be happening with the placenta - I was exhausted by then so I kept saying "I'll have the injection now" but the mw kept saying try a little longer - I think so the smw could experience a natural 3rd stage! I eventually said I want the injection and the placenta was out v. quickly after it had been administered. I had a tear that bled for the 45 mins it took to get the placenta out - would have lost less blood if I'd had the injection sooner. Next time I will let the cord stop pulsating before it is cut but have the injection straight after.

Highlander · 17/10/2006 12:04

I donated cord blood with DS2 recently. Clamping the cord makes no difference there.

TBF, you have a medical problem, it's the consultant's job to look at everything from a worst-case scenario. You're clearly looking at the birth from the other end of the spectrum - given your problem , is that a bit unrealistic? Can you both meet half-way?

I am biased though. I witnessed a horrible PPH in my room when having DS2 and I'm going through a sobering 'childbirth still kills' phase.

trice · 17/10/2006 12:04

I had the jab both times. Or so it says in my notes, I don't remember a thing about it. I think that once you have the baby in your arms you just want the whole think over and done with so you can get down to some serious falling in love.

diNOLOOKINGOVERYOURSHOULDERsau · 17/10/2006 12:19

trice, that's very true, but the concern is that in some cases, like mine, having the injection makes retained placenta more likely, so instead of curling up with your baby, you get taken to theatre and given a spinal block for manual removal of placenta which means you are numb from the waist down for the next twelve hours

lulumama · 17/10/2006 12:19

breast feeding immediately after birth will help the uterus contract down and will encourage the placenta to detach and be expelled physiologically.....

If it doesn't happen naturally, you are at risk of major blood loss and with your medical condition, that could be serious....

you hate needles - well, the syntocinon is administered as the head of the baby is crowning i believe, or just as the baby is born and you won't feel it as you will be so into the birth....

if you wanted a physiological 3rd stage you'd have up to an hour to deliver the placenta before they started to intervene....depending on their protocols which might be more relaxed in a midwifery led unit

i think this consultant is being reasonable in encouraging you to have the injection rather than being arsey....

Mumpbump · 17/10/2006 12:19

Highlander - what's pph?

Rachel - I was planning on a natural third stage, but by the time I got there was knackered so asked for the injection and my labour was only 8 hours long. I'd keep an open mind and see how exhausted you are at the end of it all...

lulumama · 17/10/2006 12:24

PPH - post partum hemorrhage - unexpected and large blood loss after birth...

Bethbe · 17/10/2006 12:48

I went to an active birth class at a m/w led unit and they told us there is only an increased risk of bleeding if you don't have the injection when in a labour ward, as the m/ws there are less experience in the 'natural' methods and pull on the cord in the wrong way or something. If you stay in the birthing centre, there is no increased risk, - and we were given research references to back this up!

PinkTulips · 17/10/2006 12:54

forgot to say,as well as the pph i had a chunk of retained placenta aftert the birth as well, not nice

my placenta can out within 1/2 an hour, less i think. could you not just ask to be given a tril to see will it come out itself and be given the injection after half an hour if not? or be given it if theres excessive bleeding?

Original poster

impatientfirsttimer · 17/10/2006 15:44

Highlander - I didn't explain this very well. I had a medical problem in the past but there are no indications that I do at the minute. Factor ten deficiencies can be caused by crap diet/physiological stress following surgery etc. and are not permanent (hopefully). Mine was caused by endometriosis coupled with a stupid diet I went on to lose weight to stop my periods being so heavy (which didn't work btw, I just got sicker and sicker).

My platelet and blood count has been higher in the past year then ever and so I reckon she's just trying to get me to go to her hospital rather than the midwife unit.

I guess it does depend on how exhausted I am by that point, I may well be demanding every drug that is available and sending husband round the corner to the pub for top-ups if they don't have enough - as a first timer I don't expect to know how it'll all work. I can just have a plan and if it gets thrown away...ce la vie. A healthy baby at the end and me not bleeding to death would be a good outcome!

OP posts:

lulumama · 17/10/2006 15:53

if your bloods are fine, then it may be the consultant is being overcautious--if you are keeping an open mind about this then you that is the best approach....

beckybraAAARGHstraps · 17/10/2006 15:55

I had a big bleed after my first delivery, and it is something you want to avoid if you can! I was very anaemic afterwards and got lots of infections in the first 6 weeks which was miserable. I also bled extremely heavily following a miscarriage. With my second I had the injection and some IV as well to prevent it happening again. I don't know much about the pros and cons of the injection in 'normal' cases, but I do think a lot about how the third stage goes depends on how your labour has been.

littleducks · 17/10/2006 16:06

I had physiological third stage, which according to my notes took 52 mins, i was breastfeeding in that time, my initial plan was to try without injection for 20 min or so then have it but at te time no one was worried so i didnt notice the time go past, the midwife did come and get me to push as i couldnt feel contraction (lets just say compared to labour it tickled slightly). My cord wasnt cut either until placenta was delivered. I was at a birth centre, midwife led but within a hosp.
Why don't you ask the midwives at the cntre for their opinion and decdide at the time?

expatinscotland · 17/10/2006 16:10

I had it and I thought it hurt like a bastard.

Highlander · 17/10/2006 16:15

aaaaaaaaaaaaaah, impatient. What does your midwife say?

belgo · 17/10/2006 16:16

Yes have it have it have it - there is more risk of you bleeding too much if you don't. I didn't have it for my second birth, and the placenta was delivered very quickly, but then I had constant pain for an hour, and bleed loads, until finally I recieved the syntocin injection to help the uterus contract properly, rather then one hour long contraction. Next time I will insist on the syntocin.

rebelmum1 · 17/10/2006 16:31

I wanted a physiological 3rd stage but had some complications. They can give it to you quickly if they have any concerns, they did with me to be cautious. I'd see how it goes, it's easy to plan an ideal birth but you need to go with the flow. You may have had a long labour and just want it to be finished.

rebelmum1 · 17/10/2006 16:39

Sorry just read the first bit again. If you want to go to a mid-wife led unit, you'll have to have the syntocinon if they consider you at risk. They wont take uncessary risks. In the end I was induced and had to have some syntocinon. They didn't cut the cord though until the blood stopped pumping (at my request). It was a compromise but to be honest I was spent by the end of it and just wanted it to be over. If you have blood deficiency problems you may need to take some iron after the birth, you need to talk to your GP.

Flip

1 2