Hey Sara

from a purely academic view point

a managed 3rd stage...where you have the syntocinon injection in your upper thigh, with the delivery of the baby...will result in the completion of the 3rd stage withing 5-15minutes. Most hospitals do prefer you have a managed 3rd stage, as it reduces the risk of PPH...of course if you have no predisposing risk factors for PPH (such as twins, previous PPH, bleeding during pregnancy, abnormal placental placement, blood disorders etc) you do not have to have the injection...you must give consent

a physiological 3rd stage...where the uterus contracts from the body's own level of oxytocin...will result in a 3rd stage lasting up to about an hour. This process can be naturally encouraged by simply putting your baby to the breast (which stimulates the release of oxytocin)

hope this helps

xx yogababy