The uterus continues to contract first to birth your placenta, and then over the coming hours and days until it shrinks right back down to it’s prepregnancy size! (Don’t sorry you won’t be having 3 full blown contractions every 10 minutes, but you will feel them to birth your placenta and often when breastfeeding as ‘after pains’ particularly second time +)
It must do this, because it is the contracting back down that clears the placenta and blood out of the uterus, and constricts the now open blood vessels where the placenta had been attached to the inside uterine wall- causing them to close and stop bleeding. If the uterus doesn’t contract in this way it can cause complications such as retained placenta/products or heavy bleeding/post partum haemorrhage.
It is crucial that your birthing environment is protected in the same manner as it was during labor and following the birth of your child. Your body needs the same wonderful cocktail of hormones to facilitate the immediate after birth physiology- so ensuring you feel safe, relaxed and undisturbed
Keep those lights off, keep people out of the room, keep baby close, skin to skin, encourage early breastfeeding and keep warm in the immediate hours after birth.
This is generally quite easy to facilitate at home and even on a birth centre. On a labor ward, there are times when people come in and out, the lights come back on, and the atmosphere can feel a little hurried. Since this time is still believed to be part of the birthing process, don’t be hesitant to be very clear about how you intend to safeguard it.
