Labor and delivery (11)
- Signs of labor: Know what to expect
- Episiotomy: Can you deliver a baby without one?
- Inducing labor: When to wait, when to induce
- see all in Labor and delivery
Postpartum care (7)
- Exercise after pregnancy: How to get started
- Maternity leave: Tips for returning to work
- Weight loss after pregnancy: Reclaiming your body
- see all in Postpartum care
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Stages of labor: Baby, it's time!
Stage 3: Delivery of the placenta
After your baby is born, you'll likely feel a great sense of relief. You may hold the baby in your arms or on your abdomen. Cherish the moment. But a lot is still happening. During the third stage of labor, your health care provider must deliver the placenta and make sure your bleeding is under control.
How long it lasts: The placenta is typically delivered in about five to 10 minutes. In some cases, it may take up to 30 minutes.
What you can do: Relax! By now your focus has likely shifted to your baby. You may be oblivious to what's going on around you. You may even want to breast-feed your baby.
You'll continue to have mild contractions. Your health care provider may massage your lower abdomen to encourage your uterus to contract and expel the placenta. You may be asked to push one more time to deliver the placenta, which usually comes out with a small gush of blood.
Your health care provider will examine the placenta to make sure it's intact. Any remaining fragments must be removed from the uterus to prevent bleeding and infection. If you're interested, ask to see the placenta.
Your health care provider will also determine whether you need stitches or other repair work. If you do, you'll receive an injection of local anesthetic in the area to be stitched if it's not numb already. You may also be given medication to encourage uterine contractions and minimize bleeding.
Now what?
Savor this special time with your baby. Your preparation, pain and effort have paid off. Revel in the miracle of birth.
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- Labor and birth. The National Women's Health Information Center. http://womenshealth.gov/Pregnancy/childbirthandbeyond/laborandbirth.cfm. Accessed Jan. 9, 2009.
- Normal progress of labor. In: Gabbe SG, et al. Obstetrics: Normal and Problem Pregnancies. 5th ed. Philadelphia, PA: Churchill Livingston/Elsevier; 2007. http://www.mdconsult.com/das/book/body/116077551-3/790123043/1528/125.html#4-u1.0-B978-0-443-06930-7..50014-1--cesec17_621. Accessed Jan. 9, 2009.
- Delivery of the placenta and fetal membranes. In: Gabbe SG, et al. Obstetrics: Normal and Problem Pregnancies. 5th ed. Philadelphia, PA: Churchill Livingston/Elsevier; 2007. http://www.mdconsult.com/das/book/body/116077551-4/0/1528/127.html. Accessed Jan. 9, 2009.
- Funai EF, et al. Mechanism of normal labor and delivery. http://www.uptodate.com/home/index.html. Accessed Jan. 9, 2009.
- Silverman F, et al. Management of the third stage of labor. http://www.uptodate.com/home/index.html. Accessed Jan. 9, 2009.
- Simkin P, et al. Nonpharmacological approaches to management of labor pain. http://www.uptodate.com/home/index.html. Accessed Jan. 9, 2009.
- Funai EF, et al. Management of normal labor and delivery. http://www.uptodate.com/home/index.html. Accessed Jan. 9, 2009.
- You and your baby: Prenatal care, labor and delivery, and postpartum care. The American College of Obstetricians and Gynecologists. http://www.acog.org/publications/patient_education/ab005.cfm. Accessed Jan. 9, 2009.
- Management of normal labor. The Merck Manuals Online Medical Library for Healthcare Professionals. http://www.merck.com/mmpe/sec18/ch260/ch260d.html. Accessed Jan. 9, 2009.
