The following lists outline what to expect from your caregiver in the 3rd and 4th stages of labour and are primarily focused on the care for the woman.
Class 10 will explore in depth the care your baby will receive soon after birth, including weighing, measuring, checks and administration of Vitamin K, which will often happen within the first hour after they are born (or the 4th stage of labour).
The 3rd stage of labour begins from the time the baby is born until the delivery or expulsion of the placenta, cord and membranes from the uterus. If you are birthing in a delivery suite (private or public), your caregiver will usually routinely actively manage the 3rd stage of labour and administer some form of oxytocic injection as the baby's shoulders are emerging in the birthing phase of the 2nd stage of labour.
Alternatively, if you are birthing in a birth centre or at home your caregiver will usually withhold the routine use of an oxytocic injection to allow time for the natural process of 3rd stage to take place. The use of oxytocic hormones would be reserved for any complications that may arise.
Whether your 3rd stage is actively or naturally managed, your caregiver will be looking for the same visual signs of placental separation and its readiness for delivery. During the time between the baby's birth and the delivery of the placenta, your caregiver may help make you more comfortable. For example, if you were standing, squatting or on all fours for the birth of the baby, they will help you into a sitting or semi-reclining position so you can hold your baby and deliver the placenta.
The 4th stage of labour encompasses the 1st hour following the delivery or full expulsion of the placenta, membranes and cord after the baby is born. It is at this time that the woman's body stabilises while the baby adjusts to life outside their mother's body.