The Doctor's Runaway Bride

Her husband gave a shaky laugh. ‘We’d better start thinking fast.’

Tia gave an absent smile, her eyes on the student midwife. The placenta wasn’t coming away as quickly as it should and Kim was obviously concerned. Tia knew that with the use of oxytocic drugs and controlled cord traction, the third stage of labour—the delivery of the placenta—was usually completed in ten minutes in the majority of labours.

In Dawn’s case they were well past ten minutes and Tia was well aware that there was a danger of bleeding if the placenta was retained.