pitocin post birth???

[aswbarry]

Hi all,
I am planning a VBAC and due in about six weeks. I was recently talking with my OB about my birth plan and we ran down the usual procedures I was hoping to avoid. Anyway, she mentioned that pitocin would be administered post birth to aid in birthing the placenta. I didn't quite understand the logic in not augmenting labor but then giving it to deliver the after birth. She stated that it would help the uterus contract back down, but wouldn't that happen regardless? Anyone else encounter this in a VBAC? Any thoughts would be helpful.....I am thinking I will let her know I will be declining this procedure unless I am hemorrhaging.
Thank you in advance.

[tika]

I think this is just standard protocol in many hospitals after any vaginal birth, not specific to VBAC. Though you have to think, most of these women are receiving pitocin to begin with so the post delivery pit isn't a big deal. Your body can deliver a baby, it can deliver the baby's placenta. Declining the pitocin sounds like a good idea unless medically necessary.

You can also nurse your baby immediately after the birth, that will help your uterus contract-naturally.

[Tummy]

Hi all,
She stated that it would help the uterus contract back down, but wouldn't that happen regardless? Anyone else encounter this in a VBAC? Any thoughts would be helpful.
Thank you in advance.


Yes, they give pit after birth to "make the placenta come out faster"... remember YOUR BODY, YOUR CHOICE. NO sOB can do anything to you with out your consent. YOU tell them NO, then they cannot do it. I did have pit with my second birth (induction) did not recieve it with my third birth.. I refused, placenta came out in 10 min. I received pit after my second HBAC.. only due excessive bleeding.

The placenta will come.. your body is not gonna want to hold on and keep it in for the next 9 months. Tell your doc that you would like to wait XXX amount of time, if the placenta does not come then perhaps pit.
YOUR BODY! YOUR CHOICE!

[dynamicdoula]

This is a standard protocol and there is a reason for it: the large percentage of women (as in, 90%+) of women who give birth in teh hospital recieve pitocin to 'speed things along' or during inductions. This intervention means that you have a higher risk of hemmorhage after the birth is over, and it also desensitizes your uterus to the lower levels of oxytocin you'd automatically produce after the birth was over, so you do 'need' more. Now, even if you have an unmedicated birth, they will still hang pitocin for you because it is routine, and not because YOU indivdiually have a medical need for it.

Remember: if you see that bag hanging there or see them about to hang it, you have every right to decline. They probably won't tell you they're doing it. Ask questions! "Are you concerned about how much I am currently bleeding? What other medical reasons are there for this? Is this a routine intervention? (Ooh I'd love to ask THAT question! :lol)"

Blessings,

[Desdamona]

I've got to second everything everyone has already said. For the most part pit after the birth is a CYA type of intervention. Keeping baby close to you, skin to skin contact and more importantly NURSING as soon as possible as well as no fiddling with the fundus or cord traction can all help with the normal and natural 3rd stage of birth.

[maureenfh]

I declined the pitocin, and my placenta took less than 10 minutes to come out. The pit is only necessary in an emergency, in my opinion.

However, if this is standard operating procedure with this OB, you'll need someone to watch vigilantly after the birth because you probably won't notice if they try to put Pitocin in the IV (you'll be busy with your new baby!). Ideally, you could decline an IV or even a heplock in order to guarantee that they can't give you the pit without you noticing.

[Belle]

I just want to mention that with my vaginal birth I had no IV. So the nurse came up to me after the baby was born holding a needle.

She said "We need to give this to you in your hip to prevent bleeding."
I was busy holding my baby and bonding with her so I kind of just said "yeah, whatever" and so technically I consented. But it was not an informed consent. My afterbirth pains were so painful I was begging for drugs. It never occured to me to have anything during the labor, but I was begging for relief afterwards.

I didn't even know I had been given oxytocin until after I got home and I read the report the on-call OB had written for my regular OB.

I did bleed slightly more than normal, but if they hadn't been yanking on my placenta and just let me Breastfeed, I might not have.

[aswbarry]

Thank you all for your replies. I see my OB this Friday where I plan to discuss it further with her. Luckily she was fine with me declining an IV and so if all goes as planned I will know if they try to give me pitocin. I will also let my doula know to watch for it just in case.

[minkajane]

I was given pitocin after my C/S. I wasn't even asked. I think it's standard protocol for all births in that hospital to prevent postpartum hemmorrhage. I can see how it would be useful for women who don't breastfeed, but nursing often is probably just as good.

[Lovinmy2babies+1]

It's only standard at my hospital to give pitocin after birth if you're not breastfeeding. I'd refuse it.

[aswbarry]

I talked with my OB yesterday about not wanting it and she was fine with it unless there is excessive bleeding. She even pointed out that it is routine and so I should let everyone in the birth room know that my wish is to not have it if I don't need it.
Thanks everyone for your advice and support!

[Heaz]

My sister just had a repeat C-section and was alarmed to find that they'd hung a bag of Pitocin on her IV pole after she was in the recovery room. Alarmed because no one bothered mentioning to her that she'd be receiving it. Oh, and she was breastfeeding! I'm headed for a VBAC and now I'm curious about whether I had this "routine procedure" done following my C-section as well. I was honestly so out of it by that point that I don't think "informed consent" was really a possibility.

Maybe with a C-section the risk of hemmorage is the primary reason? It certainly seems silly to me to do this for the sake of expelling the placenta (in the case of VB) or shrinking the uterus...ESPECIALLY if you're bf'ing! At any rate, I'm glad she mentioned it, and that I found this very helpful thread for some background information. I just gave a draft of my birth plan to the midwife this morning, with a "NO PITOCIN" order on it. (Since I'm a VBAC, we have to birth at the hospital...and this particular hospital is very pushy about the Pitocin...:irked:)