afterbirth

Eva Rudolf-Müller is a freelance writer in the medical team. She studied human medicine and newspaper sciences and has repeatedly worked in both areas - as a doctor in the clinic, as a reviewer, and as a medical journalist for various specialist journals. She is currently working in online journalism, where a wide range of medicine is offered to everyone.

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The birth of the child is followed by what is known as the afterbirth: after birth pains the uterus shrinks so that the placenta can be completely detached from the uterus and excreted. Only after the birth of the mother cake is the actual birth complete. Find out more about the afterbirth below!

Postpartum period

In order to expel the afterbirth as soon as the child is born, prostaglandins are released from the placenta: These tissue hormones cause the uterus to contract strongly, so-called after labor. They come irregularly and are much weaker than labor pains. Its purpose is to shrink the inner surface of the uterus so that the placenta can peel off. It is then passed along with approximately 300 milliliters of blood. The strong contraction of the uterus during this phase also helps stop bleeding.

The postpartum period usually lasts ten to 30 minutes. During this time, the mother remains in the delivery room for surveillance.

Hormonal support

The release of the afterbirth from the uterus begins in the center of the uterus in three quarters of all births. The child's side with the umbilical cord is born first. In the remaining quarter of all births, the placenta separates from the edge, so the edge area is born first. The blood loss is slightly greater in this case.

To promote the dissolution of the placenta, the mother is given the labor-inducing hormone oxytocin.

The afterbirth is checked for completeness

The afterbirth is carefully examined for completeness immediately after its “birth” (placenta, membranes of the amniotic sac, umbilical cord): It is about the size of a plate, two to three centimeters thick, soft and somewhat spongy. Their weight is about one sixth that of the child.

If remnants of the afterbirth remain in the uterus, it can lead to bleeding, growth, or infection. So if the expelled placenta is incomplete, the doctor will do a scraping, which is done under a short anesthetic.

In contrast to the birth of a child, the postpartum period is usually relatively painless and usually runs without complications. The puerperium begins following the elimination of the afterbirth.

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