So you give birth to a baby. You're holding this amazing human being that you grew with your body. You've never experienced such an intense, emotional and incredible moment. "It's all over, my baby is finally here!", you exclaim. Then your provider says, "Okay, the placenta is about to be delivered. Can you give a push?" 

What is a placenta? 

A placenta (which is sometimes called the afterbirth) is an organ that exclusively grows when a person is experiencing pregnancy. Your placenta is connected to you by attaching to your uterine wall and baby is connected by the umbilical cord on the opposite side. It nourishes the baby (or babies!) by delivering nutrients and oxygen through the umbilical cord. Waste is also filtered from the baby's blood through the placenta, back into the birthing person's body and blood. Your blood will filter and dispose of that waste. The delivery of the placenta is known as the third stage of labor. 

So the placenta grows in my uterus. When does it come out? 

In an average vaginal birth, you can expect your placenta to detach on its own from the uterine wall within 5 to 30 minutes of your baby being born. It is routine in some local hospitals to give an IV administration or shot of pitocin to aid in the delivery. 

How is the placenta delivered? What should I expect?  

In a vaginal birth, the placenta is delivered vaginally using the same contractions and pushing techniques you used to birth your baby. At this point, you are likely snuggling your baby and generally unaware of what is happening around you. You are experiencing a huge rush of oxytocin that helps you to bond with your baby, supports milk production and also causes strong contractions that help the placenta to detach from the uterine wall. If your placenta is slow to detach or needs a little extra help, your OBGYN or Midwife may ask you to push again. Don't be discouraged- delivering the placenta is NOT like delivering your baby. While you still feel that something is "there", it does not have bones or a body or a head like your baby! It is a squishy, warm, soft organ that usually descends easily without much effort or pain. The hormone oxytocin acts in the same way that the prescription drug, morphine, does. Since you have that huge rush of the hormone immediately after delivery, it's likely that you won't experience additional pain during the placental delivery. 

In a cesarean birth, the placenta is delivered by your OBGYN through your birth incision. You will likely get a dose of pitocin that will be administered through your IV. At this point, depending on the hospital and the health of both you and baby, your baby will be on your chest as your provider finishes the surgery. If baby is not on your chest, you are likely to hear some of your baby's sweet first cries from the neonatal warmer. 

Your birth doula is an expert at helping you navigate through a hard third stage of labor. Occasionally, the placenta delivery can be difficult and there needs to be a little more focus on the situation. Your doula can help you get back into that labor mindset you quickly abandoned once you were holding your baby and navigate how procedures may work with your provider and options you have.  

What is placenta encapsulation? 

Placenta Encapsulation is a service that NPD provides to newly postpartum parents. It is the process of preparing, steaming, dehydrating and grinding your placenta for consumption in easy pills that look no different than an herbal supplement or prenatal vitamin. We put the placenta powder into easy to take gel, vegan, gluten-free capsules. Stemming from processes we've adapted from ancient Chinese medicine, we hear that placenta encapsulation offers many benefits. Clients report feeling more energized, having an easier postpartum recovery, decreased feelings of baby blues and postpartum depression & anxiety, increased milk supply and more. Since we are modern doulas, your safety during the consumption process is of utmost importance. We follow strict food handling guidelines, are blood borne pathogens certified and are rigorously trained to keep you safe as we prepare your pills. 

So there you have it, a placenta comes out after your baby. It's a normal, expected part of birth-- even if people aren't talking about it!

To learn more about birth, consider taking one of our informative in home classes or one of our group classes!