What are the disadvantages to having the injection for 3rd stage?

[Jac]

Sorry if this has been asked before but I was wondering what all the fuss was about whether to have/not have the injectin to assist the delivery of the placenta. My OB recommended this for our first child so we had it without giving it much further thought (as I presumed my OB had my and my babies best interests in mind).
If the cord is left to pulse before the injection is given then how does having the injection negatively affect the mother or baby? I'm asking this question so I can make an informed choice with my next delivery.

[The[cookie]Doctor]

Hey Jac.
Im not sure that there are any medical disadvantages to having the injection - it's moreso that you'e putting an unnecessary drug into your body after having a natural birth and labour (if you do).
It is given to help the placenta detach from the uterus, and to reduce the risk of post partum hemmorage. As you know if and when the injection is given the placenta is likely to be birthed in the next contraction (mine was anyhow).
If you don't have the injection, the placenta will naturally detach with the help of the release of oxytocin from skin to skin contact and breastfeeding your new baby. It will take longer to be expelled as obviously oxytocin is released naturally whereas the syntocinon is injected straight into the blood stream.

HTH

[River]

Big disadvantage is that it rushes the natural process and *from my experiences and research* you are more prone to a retained placenta (ironically) if you do this. If the body is left to be, the process is that the cord continues to pulsate, all the blood is delivered to the baby, after which, the placenta knows its done its job, as a hormone is released, which makes the placenta detatch from the uterus. Breastfeeding triggers the uterine contractions too.

Yes the synto has its place, if you look like you are starting to haemorrage, it is important to have it. If the placenta doesn't look like budging after about half an hour after the cord has finished pulsating, you should look into having it. It doesn't need to be routinely given in a normal birth however, as the body has its own processes for delivering the placenta. Meddle with this and its just screwing with the natural process and you might run into more problems than you solve.

For most people it might not have any negative effects, but it also might not have any positive effect either.

I hope this has helped you make an informed choice on the matter .

[*Efjay*]

I will be asking to not have this injection with this baby. All three of my others I was given it before I even knew about it. Well actually I expressed concern about having it (the needle, not the drug) as I have a phobia of needles & when I think about it, it annoyes me that I was just told to suck it up & stop being a sook instead of actually being told it probably wasn't something I needed at all awayway.
So yeah with Evan & Isla she just snuck it in as I had said don't let me see any needles because you wont get near me with it. But Glenn I did see it & made a fuss & she just jabbed me anyway

[ticklish]

I agree with River and have read the same things in my reading and research that it can increase the risk of retained placenta and hence heamorrhage and needing to have a D&C - which seems contrary to the reasons it is used.

Ask your DR how quickly it acts? My understanding that it is pretty quickly and can be given when the need is shown.

It is usually given as the baby is being born, therefore it can interrupt the flow of the cord blood to the baby as the placenta can detach early and bubs can miss out on the cord blood.

Talk to your DR about it in your circumstances.

TICKLISH

[River]

One other thing I wanted to mention also about the cord clamping and the synto was that you do not have to cut the cord early if you have the injection. The body will not let too much blood flow to the baby, and don't you let them convince you that it will. Mother nature is not stupid and won't let the baby get 'flooded' with blood. Many women have natural contractions as strong as those with the synto, so there's no way it would mean a negative impact on the baby. As ticklish mentioned, you might have the placenta detatch prematurely, but that doesn't mean you should clamp the cord prematurely either.

HTH