The treatments for a retained placenta will depend on how long the caregiver is prepared to wait, the preferences of the woman and the caregiver and if there is heavy bleeding, meaning more urgent interventions are required.
Natural interventions, helping the placenta to come
Medical interventions, manual removal of placenta
Natural interventions, helping the placenta to come
If the bleeding is minimal (and the caregiver is willing to wait), there are some natural interventions that some women will try before medical interventions are attempted. Minimal bleeding means that the placenta is still attached, and therefore no urgent need to deliver the placenta immediately.
Some therapies that some women have found help their placenta to come away include:
Nipple stimulation
Emptying the bladder
Massaging the lower back
Change in position
Eating and drinking
Herbs, aromatherapy and homoeopathic remedies
Acupressure points
Visualisation
Nipple stimulation. Stimulating the woman's nipples can help to trigger a release of her natural
oxytocin hormone. Some women will offer their baby their breast to help with this, (although most babies will take at least 20 to 30 minutes to become interested in sucking on the breast). Once the baby is searching for the breast, the caregiver also may suggest placing them on the nipple, to suckle to help release the oxytocin hormone, and stimulate the uterus to contract.
If the baby is still not keen on suckling (or you do not wish to breastfeed), letting them 'nuzzle' the breast with skin to skin contact, or even just looking at your baby and gaining some eye contact, can help the woman to relax and achieve a release of the oxytocin hormone. Stimulating the nipples with your fingers can also facilitate an oxytocin release. You may wish to revise
how to do nipple stimulation.
Emptying the bladder. A full bladder can sometimes inhibit the uterus from being able to contract down effectively.