Renee,
It is a really painful thing to be removed from your child post birth and I am sorry that this happened to you.

I would advise really researching this and asking some questions. Find out from your care provider (if you don't have the same one as last time you can access your records via Freedom of Information and ask another health care provider to help you understand them) what happened last time.

Asking for a physiological third stage (where no drugs are given to deliver the placenta) can help decrease the chances of retained placenta. After your baby is born, sitting upright (a birthing stool is often used) and breastfeeding your baby can help to deliver the placenta. Having a midwife or doula that can support you and advocate for you through this process can and will also help. Since the advent of medically managed third stage the delivery of the placenta is often rushed. If the placenta isn't out within about 20 mins medical people often want it out by other means... Not always - but often.

Sometimes it is so that the placenta just doesn't want to budge and of course this increases the risk of haemhorrage. Then there is the need for the placenta to be removed in theatre. You can ask that you feed your baby first and then go to theatre (if you are not bleeding excessively). This is something that you can have in your birth plan to help minimise the stress on birth day.

Many older midwives suggest drinking dark grape juice throughout labour - this is an old remedy to help with bleeding and the birth of the placenta.

Hoping you can get what you need from this birth and that that placenta is born smoothly.