Overview
The birth of your baby starts the third stage of labor, during which you birth your placenta. The expulsion of the placenta and the closing off of blood vessels in your uterus is critical to your health during labor. A retained placenta is a birth complication that affects about 2% of births worldwide. The top risks associated with this are postpartum hemorrhage and infection. These complications have a high mortality rate in underdeveloped countries but typically are managed well in the United States and other developed countries. This Q&A is from Lisa, who experienced a retained placenta during her last pregnancy and wants to be proactive in preventing it from happening again.
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