Retained Placenta

I have never had a retained placenta. But I did have to have a D&C after a miscarrige. I got pregnant with my now 21 month old son 6 months later & I am having my 2nd in 3 days! So just because you had a D&C does not mean you cannot get pregnant successfully again or that you will have any problems. But I question why did you not deliver the placenta at the birthing center? Was there a problem delivering it or is it just something birthing center don't do? I think birthing center are wonderful but hospitals with midwives are much safer! Good luck!!!!

I just had my second child bout 10 mos ago and did it all naturally with NO retained placenta or d&c. my first labor was way more complicated than yours sounded like but the retained placenta and d&c were real trauma to my system. So i was very nervous coming up to the second child but the ob said it wasn't very likely and there was a lot he could do to help me out by checking on me there and then. After the baby was born I kept asking all the nurses when the bleeding would start. They laughed (gently) and told me it wasn't, it already would have and it was not going to be the same as last time and so I could just sleep and tend the baby and quit worrying... second times the charm...

Hi R.!
Hi I've had issues with my placenta at birth as well. My first born my placenta was left behind but only partial but that led to a hemmorhage so the second time around I had a placenta abruption in which the placenta was shredded. After both incidents they put me on pitocin and methagin (sp?)to help contract and help with clotting. Needless to say I'm finished having my children but am so very greatful for the ladies I have! My advice to you would be to have your children at the hospital next time because the it only takes minutes for something to go wrong....We are both very lucky to be here (my second and myself) that was pretty severe and if it was'nt for the special care unit who knows what it would've happenend.

Best of luck with your family!

I am not a medical person, and I do not have a medical answer for you.
I am a mother of seven . Mostly with the last few pains I would have a sniff of a gas called Trylene (sp?) It did not put me out, it did not affect the infant who was already crowning..it sorta made me "drift" away from the pain a bit.
The last four I used the trylene once.
Ok, that being said. I had pretty much what is called natural childbirth these days I think.
I had what was called a "lazy uterus" did not contract well to expel placenta nor to clamp down on the bleeders afterwards.
When the placenta did not deliver,and the contractions were very weak, a nurse, or doctor , would push down on my tummy and sorta make the placenta deliver. I never had a d&c for a retained placenta.
I am wondering why your midwife did not do this for you?
It worked. Everything was fine after.
Now, every pregnancy, every delivery is different. There would, of course , be some similarities but for the most part each is unique.
Because you did not deliver placenta first birth does NOT definitively mean you would not deliver it a second birth.
Perhaps you may want to discuss the possibility of retaining with your midwife.
You may even want to consider , if not having a doctor present, at least using midwife in a hospital setting just in case.
Perhaps you could ask her if she could manually dispel it as the doc and nurses did with me. I had no negative afteraffects .
I wish you the best.
God bless
Grandmother Lowell

Hello,
I delivered both my girls naturally. The first I had a retained placenta and had to have a spinal block to have it removed. I was worried about it before my second delivery because I used Hypbirth and didn't want to have another spinal block but it delivered completely on its own. My midwife said there is no way to know if it will happen again but usually won't.

I had a similar experience with my first son. I delivered only part of the placenta and had a D&C as well. I'm happy to report that my second son's delivery was perfect, and the placenta was delivered fully. (I had them recheck it twice!) There were no issues in conceiving either.

Best of luck to you!
L.

I had retained placenta on my third babe,
just a piece, which passed just before I was to have the D&C.
on my last babe (fourth; all four naturally, too), I had no issues with retained placenta - so good luck and don't worry about it!

Hi R.,

The title of your message caught my eye because I've been dealing with something similar. My daughter was delivered at 39 weeks in December 2006. The birth was uneventful except for the fact that there was difficulty delivering the placenta. Unlike you, mine was actually delivered so no D&C was required. The ob examined it and deemed it in tact so we thought that was that.

Fast forward to December, 2007... My husband and I began trying for baby #2. With our daughter, we conceived on the first try. After several months of trying this time around with no success, we saw a reprodcutive endocrinologist (infertility doc) who performed uterine surgery and found a little (1 cm) piece of retained placenta in my uterus, 19 months after I had my daughter - yikes! Apparently, it was acting like an IUD and preventing pregnancy. After two months of healing post-surgery, we have just begun to get back to trying.

It seems to me that retained placenta is a bit uncommon common (I can't find too much about it on Google!). I hope I'm not over sharing but thought it might be helpful to share my experience. Most likely, you won't have any trouble with a second pregnancy, but if you don't have luck conceiving in the timeframe you'd expect, you might want to consult an RE to make sure that your uterus is in good shape for pregnancy. I understand that infrequently, D&Cs can result in scarring of the uterus that could make it tough to get pregnant. As for the risks of pregnancy iteself, I only wish I could speak to that, but we haven't gotten that far yet!

Best of luck to you.

My placenta didn't come out after my son was born, either. My midwife had me try and push for a while, then called for the doctor and he reached in and scooped it out. Even with the epidural I'd had (ya-HOO!) I could feel him poking around in there and it almost made me vomit, ugh. He was in there up to his forearm! At least it was over right then, and I didn't need anything else done later. They told me it wasn't an unusual event, but depending on the reason, having this happen once in no way dictated the stats on having it occur with a subsequent pregnancy.
Best wishes, and yay for the midwives and doctors who help bring our children safely into the world and keep us Mommies healthy so we can care for them!

Hi R.,
My first delivery was induced with Pitocin at 32 weeks, after a complicated and tense pregnancy, and issues continued after my premature son was born with a retained placenta, which proved to be yet another hurtle for me. Luckily, I was in excellent hands with my OB and came thru it well. My second delivery (after a high-risk pregnancy that went remarkably well), was completely different......a 2hrs. labor (natural) and placenta delivered completely. Just goes to show, no two preganancies are alike. Of course, this is an important part of your medical history.......but I would think the odds are in your favor.

I had a natural child birth, as well. (You go mama!)
A piece of placenta was left in me and we didn't figure it out until I was 5 weeks postpartum and it came out!(like birthing a grapefruit in the middle of the night!) It totally screwed up breast feeding (you're pregnant/you just had a baby hormones duking it out!), but mt 2nd was conceived on the first try, delivered naturally (and easier) and no placenta issues, although it hurt more coming out 8(
I understand your concerns, but it's probably really fine.
Congratulations.

p.s. - I saw some other feedback -you did a great job and if future pregnancies are normal and healthy - then don't let fear interrupt your choices!

Hi R.,
I'm sure someone who experienced this will be able to answer your question better than I. While I did not have any problem deliving the placenta, my best friend did on all three of her pregnancies. With her first child they had a lot of trouble getting the placenta out. Her second child she had a DNC and the third was a C setion so it was taken care of after they delivered the baby. After her first child her doctor said it was something that the delivering doctor would need to be aware of in future pregnancies. I would just check in with your OB on your next pregnacy to have the plan in place. I hope that answer helps a little.

Take care