Help please!!! 3rd stage of labour

i am doingan assignment on the third stage of labour

which is all good and well as i can find loads of information on that...

my problem is i need to write about how and when women are given the information about having an active or physiological third stage. but i cant find anything about this.....

its really stressing me out!!!!

can anyone help? any ideas?

Hola Amy

Welcome to the site. Aha! hot topic! Womens hand held notes contain information on management of the 3rd stage. Women are encouraged to write a birth plan in their hand held notes and this should contain their perference for a phys or active mgt.

However, many women dont complete a birth plan and may just ask their midwife in antenatal clinic what they would advise. Most midwives refer them back to thier notes saying its thier choice based on the information in the notes.

In reality it often goes like this........... first stage of labour regular contractions, mum in pain, in between contractions midwife asks 'do you want the injection for the afterbirth at the end?' Most women either say Yes, I dont care it hurts or what does the injection do and where do you inject me;.

Its a common thread and pet hate of many midwives that women arent properly given informed choice on the 3rd stage. Ideally it should be discussed well in advance of labour and the choice made then, not in the middle of trying to have a baby!

Heres a few links that you may find informative. The NICE guidelines (Sept 2007) intrapartum care will have 3rd stage info.

http://www.nice.org.uk/CG55

http://www.thirdstageoflabour.org/index.html

http://www.radmid.demon.co.uk/pph.htm

Hope that helps!

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StudentMidwife.NET Founder & Director

What do we live for, if it is not to make life less difficult for each other?
(George Eliot, 1860)

humm. I have never been asked about it. I have a vague memory of being told I was having an injection and a second time I only knew Id had one because my partner asked me about it after.

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overexcited http://www.studentmidwife.net/../../...t5_b/party.gif Can u tell?

thanks very much for that hun,

see this is the problem i know what happens and that alot of women have no idea about the injection until it comes to it being nearly given but its finding the sources to back it up!

i will take a look at the websites you have mentioned!!

Thank you!!!!

I think you'll struggle to find any sources tbh. I did an ethics and law presentation on exactly that, the use of syntometrine without informed consent and I could only quote best practice and personal quotes from women.

Let me know if you come across anything!

__________________
StudentMidwife.NET Founder & Director

What do we live for, if it is not to make life less difficult for each other?
(George Eliot, 1860)

I wasn't given ANY information on it at all.. I remember being told... "I'm just going to give you a quick jab in the leg to help you expell the placenta" assumed it was needed.

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Yup, same for me. The midwife (matron of our trust) simply said 'are you ahppy to have the injection to get the placenta out?'

I said yes and it was given. I naively thought this was neccessary to deliver the placenta

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Hi Amy,

The text book Midwifery Best Practice 2 has a chapter on the third stage of labour, different methods and also informed choice. Not sure if it will be any help to you, but thought I would mention it.

Good luck. Pauline x

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Midwifemissy x

Student Midwife 2007
Student uni rep
Educational Resources Manager

PAB Support Worker

I also thought that the injection was needed> the midwife just said that she was going to give me an injection and that was it.

That's not good!

I wrote on my birthplan both times that I didn't want the injection. I was fully informed right through my pregnancies I think. Although it may ahve been soemthing I learnt at my non nhs pregnancy classes. However, when it came down to it seconds after both boys were just born, the midwives did ask me what I wanted to do and I just said give me the flippin' injection to get it all over with - I was exhausted!!