How can you accelerate the afterbirth?
One way to shorten the postpartum period and accelerate the dissolution of the placenta is to use the hormone oxytocin. Oxytocin has contraction-promoting properties and can be used at various stages of the birth process, not only in the postpartum period. When oxytocin is used, postpartum contractions become more effective, allowing the placenta to be born more quickly. In addition, the active ingredient has vasoconstrictive properties, which means that there is usually less blood loss when the placenta is dissolved than without the active ingredient. If the afterbirth phase lasts too long, the dissolution and expulsion of the placenta can also be simplified and accelerated with the help of special handles by the doctor or midwife.
How does the afterbirth of a cesarean section work?
Since a Caesarean section opens the woman’s abdomen and thus prevents the child from passing through the natural birth canal, the placenta is not born through the vagina either. Therefore, there is no classic postpartum phase after a Caesarean section, which is the last phase of natural delivery to complete the birth process. Nevertheless, the placenta must be removed from the patient’s uterus after delivery by Caesarean section to prevent infection.
This is done after the child has been aborted. Depending on the hospital and urgency, different procedures are used in different hospitals. For example, the surgeon can trigger contractions by rubbing or lightly pressing the uterus and thus attempt to manually release the placenta with the help of contractions.
Oxytocin, a contraction-promoting agent, is also frequently used to promote the placenta’s dissolving process. Violent and abrupt release of the placenta can be accompanied by severe bleeding, which is why a gentle procedure is always indicated. After the placenta has been removed from the uterus and checked for completeness, the uterus and overlying abdominal layers are surgically closed again layer by layer.
What happens when remains of the afterbirth remain in the uterus?
Since remaining remnants of the afterbirth in the uterus can lead to complications, the placenta is always checked for completeness in order to remove placental remains if necessary. Nevertheless, small remains can be overlooked and subsequently lead to an infection of the uterine lining. This is usually the so-called endometritis, which can, however, depending on the extent of the inflammation and delayed antibiotic treatment, also affect other adjacent tissues such as the fallopian tube.
If the inflammation spreads further, the entire blood system may be involved and sepsis may result. In addition to the infection, residual placenta in the mother’s uterus carries the risk of secondary bleeding. The bleeding can be continuous or intermittent and vary greatly in extent.Placental remnants also interfere with the natural regression of the uterus, which should become smaller again over time after birth. If parts of the afterbirth remain in the uterus, the reduction in size may be hindered by the remains inside.
