Is placental detachment painful? | Placental detachment after birth

Is placental detachment painful?

The placental detachment and afterbirth is usually not painful. Even if the uterus continues to contract, as is the case with contractions, these afterbirth contractions are very gentle and do not cause any pain. Women also hardly notice the ejection of the placenta because the birth canal is already pre-stretched.

If the afterbirth pains are not sufficient, the woman herself can press a little and speed up the expulsion or a contraceptive drug (oxytocin) can be administered. This is usually not painful either.

  • Birth Pain
  • Contraceptive means

Duration of placental detachment

Placental detachment and afterbirth usually take between 10-20 minutes. If it takes longer than 30 minutes, the placenta/placenta residue should be removed manually from the uterus to avoid greater blood loss. In principle, however, you should wait as long as possible to see if the afterbirth does not detach itself.

If there is no relevant bleeding after birth, it is possible to wait a little longer for natural placental detachment. Any manipulation carries the risk of incomplete placental detachment with additional bleeding. However, it is sometimes unavoidable, since no remains of the placenta may remain in the woman’s body under any circumstances

How much blood loss must one expect in placental abruption?

In a normal afterbirth, the woman usually loses 250-500ml of blood, anything beyond this is called post-birth bleeding. The blood loss during a normal afterbirth usually causes no symptoms and is not dangerous for the mother. However, if the blood loss exceeds 500ml, complications such as

  • Circulatory fluctuations,
  • Tachycardia or
  • In severe cases shock may occur.

How can I speed up the placenta birth?

Women can promote the afterbirth by pressing along in sync with the pain, just as in the previous birth of the child. Circular movements of the pelvis when kneeling or climbing stairs can also support the expulsion of the placenta. Warm baths or showers can also be successful. Slight pulling of the umbilical cord by an experienced midwife or obstetrician can possibly bring about a release of the placenta. However, this always carries the risk of incomplete placental detachment with bleeding.