'delivering' the placenta

[Anonymous]

How is it done here? Do they just wait to let it happen by itself or do you get a injection to speed it up? This happened to me when I delivered my first in Europe. Immediately after the baby was born I got a shot in my thigh and the placenta just slipped out. Is this something they do in the US?

[Anonymous]

Not to my recollection. It was pretty uneventful, and I barely remember it. Definitely no shot!

[Anonymous]

No shot for me either time. I do think they may have pushed on my abdomen a little bit to try to "get it out" a little faster. To be honest, I was in such a haze at that time with the baby being here and all that was going on, I barely remember it! But definitely no shot.

[Anonymous]

OP, I wonder if the shot they gave you was pitocin? I have heard of women getting pitocin after they deliver to control hemmorrhage (sp?).

[Anonymous]

Almost every woman who has a baby in a hospital in this area gets Pitocin to aid in the delivery of the placenta and to control any potential bleeding. For those of you who don't remember getting a shot, you probably already had an IV hooked up and were getting Pitocin through your IV, making the shot unneccessary. It is standard procedure, so you might not have been aware of it because they don't make a big deal out of it. If for some reason you don't have an IV (this is not common at the hospital) then they will either quickly hook up an IV, or give you a shot in the thigh.

OP, if it is something that you don't want (unless it is necessary, of course) then make sure to discuss with your doctor or midwife ahead of time so that they don't do it.

[Anonymous]

I got pitocin in an IV after the birth. I didn't even know until after it was in. I was later annoyed that I hadn't been told. But at the time, so thrilled with the new little one I didn't care.