Afterbirth
After overcoming nine months of waiting and a certain number of hours in the labor room you can finally hold your baby in your arms .. but that's not all! The last effort awaits you, painless and short enough (on average it takes about twenty minutes): the expulsion of the placenta and the fetal appendages. This phase of the childbirth is called afterbirth.
La placenta and the cord that protected and nourished the fetus during the months of gestation can now be safely expelled with a few pushes and the help of the midwife, although it may happen that the afterbirth occurs without the new mother noticing.
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What's happening?
La placenta it separates from the uterine wall and is expelled spontaneously through the cervix and vagina. In the event that the placenta is partially or completely expelled, the intervention of the obstetrician will be necessary: to facilitate the expulsion process, the latter may in fact exert a slight pressure on your belly or decide to administer a small dose of oxytocin. via an injection into the umbilical cord.
It is important that the integrity of the expelled placenta is checked, and that there are no residues inside the uterus, as they could cause bleeding, infections or simply, at the 40-day check-up visit, have you undergo an unpleasant curettage. .
Do not be afraid if there is a huge loss of blood: it is due to the rupture of the blood vessels that supplied the placenta during the nine months of gestation. The uterus, contracting to return slowly to its original size, will act as a "hemostatic", however limiting its intensity.
Read also: The four stages of labor explained in detailAfter giving birth you will still have to "endure" for a few days the lochings, blood losses similar to abundant menstruation, which in the first days will have a very bright red color, which will gradually diminish. The lochi will carry any residues of uterine mucosa with them. It is precisely for the lootations that you are asked to put in the suitcase to bring in hospital those giant post-partum pads, don't skimp on their purchase because you'll need a lot of them.
After that, you can keep the birth experience in your scrapbook and prepare body and soul for the wonderful adventure of being a mom!
