Q: How is the placenta delivered?
A:
The placenta can be delivered either naturally or by active management. A natural birth of the placenta simply means allowing it to deliver some time after the baby. The umbilical cord is clamped and cut after it has stopped pulsating. The placenta is awaited. Normally it will emerge after about 15 minutes but it can take more than an hour. The small risk of waiting is vaginal bleeding. If this happens, an injection is given to cause a contraction of the womb and the placenta is delivered. The alternative is for an injection to be given routinely with the birth of the baby to encourage early delivery of the placenta. This lessens the risk of bleeding.
