Afterbirth

The placenta is a unique and very important organ that exists only during pregnancy. Often, the placenta is called a child's place, because it connects the baby with the mother's body, providing the crumbs with the necessary nutrients. Upon completion of the fetal release from the womb of the woman during childbirth, the final third stage begins, when the latter leaves. It includes not only the placenta itself, but also the membranes and the umbilical cord. The process usually takes no more than half an hour, accompanied by a sharp contraction of the uterus and bleeding.

Birth of the Afterbirth

Not always the placenta is removed as it should be. In some cases, contractions of the uterus do not lead to anything, then the doctors ask the woman in childbirth to carry out actions that contribute to the separation of the afterbirth:

• pull the nipples or massage them, the irritation of the nipples reflexively strengthens the contractions of the muscles of the uterus;
• put the baby to the breast;
• Raise the pelvis and rotate it, leaning on the hands and feet - to accelerate the circulation in the uterus;
• deep breathing belly and chest simultaneously, this will help the front abdominal wall to make intensive movements.

If the placenta did not separate naturally, one of the ways of manually isolating the placenta is used:

1. The way of Ambuladze. After emptying the bladder, the obstetrician grasps the abdominal wall with his hands so that the two rectus abdominal muscles are tightly covered with fingers. Then the woman in childbirth needs to strain. In most cases, the placenta after delivery is easy due to a significant decrease in the volume of the stomach and eliminating the divergence of the straight muscles.
2. Method Krede-Lazarevich. Used when there is no effect from the previous method. The doctor makes a shift of the uterus to the middle, then performs a massage of the uterine fundus in a circle to cause contractions. It is important to simultaneously press on the uterus with the entire surface of the hand (palm from top to bottom and fingers from front to back).
3. Method of Genter. Squeezing afterbirth after delivery with the help of bilateral pressing with fists. Pressure on the uterus gradually increases, directed downward and inward. This method is quite traumatic, so apply it with great caution.

Consequences of manual separation of the afterbirth with the normally occurring third stage of labor:

• violation of the physiological process of detachment of the placenta;
• change in the rhythm of contractions;
• infringement of the afterbirth;
• delayed separation of the placenta due to spasm of the uterus;
• increased bleeding.

The detachment of the placenta during childbirth should occur only after the birth of a baby. If this happened earlier, the fetus may die as a result of oxygen starvation. Premature detachment of the placenta is an indication for an emergency caesarean section.

What does the latter look like after the birth?

A normal mature placenta has an average thickness of 3-4 cm, diameter up to 18 cm. More often than not, it happens more than parents assumed. The baby's place after birth is uneven from the side of the attachment to the uterus. On the other hand it is shiny and smooth with an umbilical cord in the middle. The latter resembles a large piece of the liver.

Evaluation and examination of the afterburn

The newly born midwife examines carefully. To do this, lay it on a flat surface, then detect the absence or presence of violations, check the integrity of the tissues. When examining the afterbirth, special attention is paid to turn to its edges, as pieces of tissue are more often torn off in the peripheral areas. The surface should be smooth, have a bluish-gray color. When a vascular leak is detected, it can be said that there is tissue left in the uterus. In this case, the uterine cavity is checked manually and the separated placenta is removed. Defects afterburn are the areas of fatty degeneration, calcifications, old blood clots. Be sure to determine whether all the shells were born, and the place of rupture of the shells. If necessary, conduct a laboratory analysis of the placenta. All data are recorded in the history of childbirth.