Placenta

The placenta is the connecting organ between you and the baby and is located against the uterine wall. Once the fertilized egg is implanted in the uterine wall, the development of the placenta begins. At around 12 weeks, the placenta is ready and the exchange of nutrients between you and your baby begins. Until then, the baby has been getting its nutrients from the yolk sac.

COMPONENTS

The placenta consists of two parts; a maternal and filial part that are separated from each other by a membrane. This membrane functions as a sort of filter between you and your baby. The blood circulation of you and your baby can come very close to each other, but there is no blood contact. The maternal part adjoins the uterine wall, and the filial part is connected to your baby via the umbilical cord.

FUNCTIONS

The placenta has several functions in pregnancy:

• Barrier between you and the baby's blood circulation, so that harmful substances do not reach your baby. Unfortunately, it does not stop all harmful substances (including nicotine and alcohol),
• Transport of substances between you and the baby (including oxygen, nutrients, and antibodies),
• Production of various hormones (including pregnancy hormone HCG).

LOCATION

Depending on where the fertilized egg implants, the placenta develops in the uterine wall. It doesn't really matter where this is, as long as the placenta is not over the cervix (= placenta previa). If this is the case and still at the end of the pregnancy, unfortunately your baby cannot be born vaginally, and a caesarean section will be planned.

For the 20-week ultrasound, the placenta is close to the cervix in about 5% of the pregnant women. With a low-lying placenta you have a slightly higher risk of bleeding, but fortunately the placenta usually grows up and this risk disappears. At the 20-week ultrasound and if necessary, at 30 weeks, we check with the ultrasound whether the placenta has been sufficiently removed from the cervix and then you can give birth vaginally.
If the placenta is against the front wall of your uterus, you may feel your baby's first kicks a little later than usual.

AFTERBIRTH

After your baby is born, the placenta must also be born. The placenta no longer has any function and slowly detaches from the uterine wall. In 97% of the deliveries, the placenta is born within 30 minutes (= afterbirth). If the afterbirth is not there after an hour, it must be surgically removed. Once the afterbirth is born, there is a wound in your uterus that will heal on its own. This wound does cause vaginal bleeding for a number of weeks, which can last up to 6 weeks after delivery.