Delivering your placenta (third stage of labour)
Once your baby has been delivered, we wait for the delivery of your placenta, known as the third stage of labour.
There are two options for delivering the placenta:
With a physiological third stage, your body delivers the placenta naturally, which may take up to an hour. No hormones are given, and your body produces its own hormones to trigger a strong contraction of the uterus. You may feel pressure and the need to bear down or push to deliver the placenta. Once it is delivered, the cord is clamped and cut.
An active third stage means that the delivery of the placenta is managed by the medical team. This approach is recommended if you have had your labour induced with hormones or if you are experiencing more bleeding than desired.
During an active third stage, an injection is given into your thigh as the baby is being delivered. If you are concerned about injections, you may not feel this one, as it is given discreetly, but consent will have been obtained beforehand. Delayed cord clamping can still take place with active management of the placenta delivery.
An actively managed third stage usually lasts five to ten minutes after the birth of your baby. However, the hormone injection used for active management can cause nausea, sickness, and significant tummy cramps, so it is important to keep this in mind.