Third stage - managed or not?

[michelle276]

There is a history of retained placenta and haemorraging in my family.I have been advised to have a managed third stage of labour because of this, but have read that active management may make a retained placenta & haemorraging more likely. Does anyone have any advice? (33 weeks, planning on an active home birth). Any advice much appreciated, thank you.

I have no medical experience whatsoever Michelle, though can say through personal experience that with DD1 and a managed 3rd stage I lost a lot more blood and retained the placenta for much longer than I did with DD2 and an unmanaged 3rd stage (at home ).

In fact I was sure that the syntometrine, fundal pressure and traction I had with my first placenta contributed to the blood loss and retention.

Due to this I asked for none of the above to be part of my 3rd stage second time around, it just slithered out of it's own accord!

Skin to skin contact and breastfeeding can encourage the release of oxytocin (which aids the natural expulsion of the placenta) yet I found that I didn't experience an urge to push it out, it was squatting that helped it along.

Best wishes for your homebirth!

Thank you BadgerBadger - that kind of ties in with the research I've been doing. I'm seeing the midwife on Monday so will talk to her again about it...cheers!

Hi Michelle, my mum had retained placenta when she had me, but I had a natural third stage and was fine.

I had put that I didn't mind having syntometrine on my birth plan, but the midwives said that since I'd had a natural waterbirth, there was no need to introduce drugs as it would probably all just happen naturally - and it did. I would have a natural third stage again. Placentas are fascinating, btw

Hope it all goes well for you - not long now!

no idea at all about the medical aspects of this but just to let you know, i had a maaged 3rd stage with ds1 and felt like crap afterwards, dizzy vomiting, etc.midwife in 2nd preg told me this can be down to syntometrine which can also cause blood pressure to go up etc.naturals 3rd stage with ds2, felt great afterwards!