Placenta Facts

Getting back to our chat on birthing your placenta.⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀ ⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀ ➰Placenta praevia, where the placenta is covering all or part of the woman’s cervix is very rare and affects around 0.5% of pregnancies➰⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀ ⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀ ➰The mother’s blood and the baby’s blood do not directly mix during pregnancy or birth➰⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀ ⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀ ➰The uterine muscles will tighten immediately after birth to prevent excessive bleeding as a result of the placenta releasing from the wall of the uterus➰⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀ ⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀ ➰The placenta usually weighs about a fifth or sixth of the baby’s weight➰⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀ ⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀ ➰At birth, there is a redistribution of blood from the placenta to the baby. The placenta will continue to function until it separates from the uterine wall➰⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀ ⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀ ➰Approx 40% of the baby’s blood circulates in the placenta throughout pregnancy➰⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀ ⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀ ➰Delayed cord clamping (where possible) is becoming increasingly popular➰⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀ ⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀ ➰Following the birth of your baby, being undisturbed and having your baby in your arms enjoying skin to skin provides the best possible hormonal balance to stimulate the necessary release of natural oxytocin to expel the placenta➰⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀ ⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀ ➰If labour or birth has been induced or augmented using oxytocic drugs, this will inhibit a woman’s ability to produce her own natural oxytocin and therefore not advisable to aim for a natural placental birth➰⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀ ⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀ ➰Breastfeeding is not a prerequisite for a natural third stage; if the baby nuzzles near its mother’s breast or if she cuddles her baby, this will have a similar effect on the woman’s oxytocin levels. If this is not possible, this does not preclude physiological birth of the placenta ➰⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀ ⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀ ➰Clamping the cord early can lead to a reduction in blood volume by 30% and a reduction in red blood cells up to 60%➰⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀ ⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀ ➰Stem cells have miraculous healing qualities, and when the cord is clamped and cut at birth, the baby received almost a billion fewer of these cells➰⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀

Placenta facts