Let’s talk about the placenta…
Many people feel squeamish when placentas are discussed, but they are such an important part of pregnancy that I am going to raise the topic and hope that you too will see how incredible they are.
When an egg is released to be fertilised, the follicle in the ovary that it came from (called the corpus luteum) collapses and starts to produce the hormone progesterone. The corpus luteum also provides nourishment and support for the growing embryo during the first trimester of pregnancy.
At roughly week 4 of pregnancy, seven or eight days after the sperm has fertilised the egg, the beginning embryo (at this stage a mass of cells) implants itself into the wall of the uterus. Some cells from this mass split away and burrow deeper into the uterine wall. These cells will form the placenta and the placenta will take over nourishment and support of the foetus in the second trimester.
During the next two months of pregnancy, the placenta develops and grows so that it has all the structures it needs to be able to provide for the baby by week 12 of pregnancy when it takes over from the corpus luteum.
The placenta will continue to grow as the baby grows and by the time the mother is full term, the disc-shaped placenta will weigh roughly 450 grams and can be as large as a dinner plate.
In order for the baby to grow it needs nutrients, water, oxygen, glucose, antibodies against diseases, and it also needs a way to get rid waste products like carbon dioxide. The amazing placenta provides the answer to ALL of these. As the mothers blood flows through her uterus, the placenta takes up nutrients, immune molecules and oxygen molecules circulating through the mothers system. It transfers these via the umbilical cord that connects the placenta to the baby, and directly into the baby’s blood. When the baby builds up carbon dioxide and other waste products, the placenta passes these back to the mothers blood. The placenta is the lifeline between the baby and the mothers own blood supply. Because of this connection, pregnant women need to be careful about the kinds of drugs they take, alcohol consumption and caffeine as the baby will be affected.
The side of the placenta that is attached to the mother is called the “maternal side” and the side that the umbilical cord attaches to is called the “fetal” side.
The fetal side is covered in two layers of membranes; the inner layer is called the amnion and the outer layer is called the chorion. These membranes go around the developing baby and contain the amniotic fluid that the baby develops in. When a mother’s water breaks it is the membranes breaking and releasing amniotic fluid. The baby rests inside the amniotic sac which is connected to the placenta by the umbilical cord. The amniotic sac is filled with fluid that provides the baby protection from external life, such as bumps and knocks. The placenta also acts as a barrier, protecting the baby from most, but not all, bacteria and viruses and safeguards the baby from being rejected as foreign material by the mothers body.
If the mother is pregnant with fraternal twins, each baby will have its own separate placenta and umbilical cord.
There are three types of identical twins and the number of placentas depends on when the fertilised egg splits. If the placenta has already formed when the embryo split in two, one placenta will sustain both twins but they’ll each have an umbilical cord linking them to the shared placenta. If the split happened earlier, though, you may have two placentas, one for each baby.
In rarer cases, splitting might happen even later. In this case, both twins share an amniotic sac and they share the same placenta. The technical name for this is monoamniotic twins and they are often called MoMo twins.
Identical twins happen in around 1 in 250 pregnancies in Australia.
The placenta is incredible, not only does it sustain new life, but it also produces hormones and signaling molecules, such as human placental lactogen (HPL), relaxin, oxytocin, progesterone and estrogen, which are necessary for both mother and baby during pregnancy.
During pregnancy, the mothers body will start making colostrum (a highly nutrient-dense milk) inside her breasts in preparation for the suckling baby. Once the mother has given birth to her baby, she will enter the third stage of childbirth and will deliver the placenta. When the placenta is expelled, the production of prolactin, the hormone responsible for milk, is triggered, the mothers milk will replace the colostrum from around day 3 after birth.
At birth, about a third of the baby’s blood is in the cord and the placenta so it is a great idea to allow the cord to continue pulsating to ensure that the baby receives the full quota of blood including all the wonderful stem cells.
Because the placenta is such a magnificent part of the baby’s development, some parents like to honour the organ that has provided life and sustenance to their baby. There are many traditions, both new and old, that families might choose to do with the placenta either for connection, commemoration or consumption; but families that choose not to, can ask their health provider to dispose of it.
Here are some options for the placenta:
Burial - some people choose to bury their placenta in the ground, perhaps under a plant that blooms around the time of their baby's birthday. My husband and I chose this and we planted hazelnut trees for our sons and mulberry trees for our daughters.
Encapsulation - the placenta is considered the only “vegan meat” and can be consumed. Anecdotal evidence says that consuming a placenta aids in the increase of milk production and supply. A popular way to consume the placenta is to have it encapsulated. A trained professional will dehydrate it, and enclose it into capsules for easy consumption.
Tincture - part of the placenta is steeped in alcohol and this forms a treatment that will last long after your capsules have finished. The tincture is said to be beneficial for emotional support during times of hormonal fluctuations such as postpartum, premenstrual and menopause.
Umbilical Cord Keepsake - some encapsulators offer this service, the cord is dried and formed into shapes such as a heart, a spiral or a word like 'love'.
Placenta Prints - paint is applied to the placenta and a print is made. These can be beautiful as the print will often look like a tree.
Freezing - If you are unsure what to do with your placenta you can freeze it until you make up your mind.
The process of birth is one of life most fantastic experiences, and one that can be full of emotions. Usually, delivering the placenta isn’t painful and since the mum has her precious baby in her arms and they are getting to know each other, she may not even notice. But the important thing is that the placenta is delivered in its entirety.
If you would like to save your placenta, always let your healthcare providers and doula know in advance of birth to be sure that it can be properly saved and/or stored.