what r your views on pitocin AFTER birth - Page 3

[Belle]

In just my anecdotal experience.

For my first birth I was given a shot of pitocin immediately after the birth. I was not told what it was, It was just told it would "prevent bleeding". The cord was clamped right away. The doctor then grabbed the cord and pulled with all her weight. This was no "guiding the placenta out" She pulled hard. My estimated blood loss on the birth report was 1000cc. It took 10 minutes for the placenta to be born. I breastfed my baby about an hour after she was born, once the doctor had finished her repair to my perineum.

For my second birth at home. I gave birth upright. Placenta was birthed on its own. No pitocin. The placenta took 11 minutes to be born. My estimated blood loss was 250cc. No repair needed on my perineum. I breastfed my second daughter 20 minutes after the birth.

[HotJabanero]

I think routine use of pit for placenta managment is ridiculous and very likely dangerous when used willy nilly.

However I am one of those that is choosing it this time as I start heavy bleeding before my placenta comes out that turns into massive blood loss before my body lets go of the placenta.

Actually my midwife will be watching carfully and as if/when she sees the blood faucet turn on it will be promptly administered. I want to feel good after this birth not like last time where it felt like a vampire had got me.

[elanorh]

Originally Posted by mamakaya

what do you all think about delaying cord clamping and the shot of pitocin?

i've heard one school of thought that says it is dangerous to delay the cord clamping if the mother gets pitocin. the reason is that the uterus would contract so strongly against the placenta that the placenta would gush all this blood up the cord and into the baby.

what do you think?

my ob/gyn just let me know that the pitocin shot is "routine" for all births in hospital here. i was hoping to delay cord clamping for this baby if possible, and its kind of a bummer that it can't happen because of some BS routine procedure that shouldn't even be routine.

It's 'routine' at our hospital, too. I had a 100% natural birth with #1 (I thought) - it wasn't until two years later when I was filing stuff and found the bill and reviewed the details and saw that I was given pitocin. It was for 'third stage management,' just routine.

We told our OB that we wanted delayed cord clamping and no pitocin with #2, regardless of hospital policy. He didn't normally do either (people didn't ask) -- but said he was fine with that, as long as I was aware that if there was an emergency, he'd have to give me the pit. And yes, all I read and what the OB said was that pit was NOT OK with delayed cord clamping, due to the risk of the blood rush. So by default, in choosing to delay cord clamping, we were choosing no pitocin, too.

The nurse tried to give the pit after #2 was born, and our OB told her to get it out of the room, don't charge us for it, it wasn't in our birth plan and he didn't request it, and he didn't want it to show up on our bill either.

So, long story short, I'd say that if you have a supportive OB, you can have delayed cord clamping and no pit. We did (and we're convinced it's part of the reason that #2 was so different as a newborn from #1).

I did a lot of research on Pit and brought my research with me to discuss it with our OB prior to #2's birth. And I am almost positive that I read somewhere that pit could, in fact, sometimes result in retained placenta and the very 'complications' it was supposed to prevent. Unfortunately that was a different computer and I don't have my links ... maybe someone else has read this somewhere and can provide links? It's been 3 years I think since I researched it, but I swear that at the time, WHO said that it did not recommend routine pit, because of its expense and the fact that it didn't always do as hoped [they also set the 'blood loss concern' level at double what the USA set it at].

I would take pit only in an emergency situation. And I highly recommend delayed cord clamping! Go for it.

[Queen of my Castle]

elanohr- I'd really like to know more about this. I'm expecting my 3rd baby in about a week and a half- and it's my first homebirth. I have a great mw who I used with my last baby too, and she's very non-medical. However, I've lost a fair amount of blood with heavy clotting with both previous pregnancies, and that combined with precipitous labours has left me 'anemic' for weeks, despite great hemoglobin levels.

We've devised a plan this time to prevent the hemhorrage, and this included delaying clamping until placenta was delivered. However, my mw has suggested, as she previously did, the routine shot of oxytocin to help my uterus contract. I've agreed; I've had it each time but am wondering about not getting it.

Please let me know if you find any of the sources you mentioned!

[wbg]

I have had pit given routine and then no pit. Honestly, I have to say the only thing that I noticed was that delivering my placenta without the pit, was less painful? I do not know if the pit had anything to do with that or not, but that was the only thing we did differently. I have found with the benefit of experience, that I do not agree to anything "routine". I just say absolutely not, because in the event of a real emergency they will talk to me about administering the drug anyway, so i can deal with that in the event of a true emergency.

[nuwavemomma]

Originally Posted by elanorh

So by default, in choosing to delay cord clamping, we were choosing no pitocin, too.

(Bolding mine)

This is worth repeating all on it's own. You cannot delay cord clamping if you have PP pit before the cord is clamped (and I'd assume cut). I was doing some reading on cord clamping yesterday and read this for the first time. I'd had delayed cord clamping on my birth plan for my first birth, and then accepted a shot of pit 3 hours into pushing. I pushed my son out while they were still administering the shot and nothing was ever said beforehand that I was giving up delayed cord clamping (which was really important to me) by accepting a shot I'm not sure I even needed. That was my only birth intervention that time and I regret it and wish they would have told me the implications.

[BekahMomToOliver]

Originally Posted by nuwavemomma

(Bolding mine)

This is worth repeating all on it's own. You cannot delay cord clamping if you have PP pit before the cord is clamped (and I'd assume cut). I was doing some reading on cord clamping yesterday and read this for the first time. I'd had delayed cord clamping on my birth plan for my first birth, and then accepted a shot of pit 3 hours into pushing. I pushed my son out while they were still administering the shot and nothing was ever said beforehand that I was giving up delayed cord clamping (which was really important to me) by accepting a shot I'm not sure I even needed. That was my only birth intervention that time and I regret it and wish they would have told me the implications.

This upsets me. I had no idea this was the case, in fact I was adamant that we wanted to delay cord clamping and cutting. I had no idea that by also consenting to a pitocin shot that I was nullifying our (more important) decision to delay clamping. My midwives (I had four or five) all neglected to mention this. After my son's birth, I was zonked, but I was lucid enough to look shocked when they clamped right away. I was then led to believe that they couldn't delay clamping because he had a "short cord".
This is definitely something I'm going to adress before our next birth.
Thanks ladies, this really cleared it up for me!

[Queen of my Castle]

Hi mamas,
I can't find any information on the web about the incompatibility of delayed cord clamping and the pitocin shot. As I said above, my mw is planning to do both with my birth.
Does ANYONE have any links???

[Materfamilias]

I've no info on cord clamping and pit, but when I gave birth I was very clear about not wanting pitocin or interventions of any kind, particularly without being consulted. So imagine my surprise when I caught sight of the nurse readying to draw pit into a syringe while we were waiting for the placenta. I told her I absolutely did not want it. She looked surprised, but put it away. :