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The Magic of the Placenta: The Only Organ You Grow and Leave Behind
Grab a brew, get comfy, and let’s talk about something I get genuinely, unapologetically nerdy about in the birth room: The placenta.
When we talk about pregnancy, all the spotlight naturally falls on the little person growing inside your belly (and rightly so!). But tucked away right beside them is the quiet, unsung hero of the entire journey.
Did you know your body literally grows a brand new, fully functioning organ from scratch! I know AMAMZING! Its purely to keep your baby safe, nourished, and thriving and then lets it go when the job is done?
If that isn’t pure physiological magic, I don't know what is.
What Actually Is the Placenta?
The placenta is the only temporary organ your body will ever make. It begins developing the moment a fertilised egg implants into the rich lining of your uterus.
What blows my mind every single time is that the placenta isn’t solely made by your body, It isnt made entirely by your baby either. It’s a shared creation, formed from embryonic cells and your own uterine tissue weaving together into the ultimate biological partnership.
By the end of your pregnancy, this disc-shaped wonder weighs around 500 grams (about a pound) and has a distinct, beautiful landscape:
The baby’s side : Smooth, glistening, and covered in a translucent membrane, with blood vessels fanning out from the umbilical cord. It looks remarkably like the branches of a grand oak, Which is why it’s lovingly called the Tree of Life.
Your side (the maternal side): Deep red, velvety, and segmented into lobes called cotyledons, which anchor firmly into the wall of your womb to exchange nutrients with your bloodstream.
What Does It Actually Do? ( Pretty Much Everything!)
Before your baby takes their first gasp of air or has their first milky feed, your placenta does the job of almost every major organ system combined:
Your baby’s lungs: It delivers fresh, oxygen-rich blood from your circulation to baby via the umbilical vein, and whisks away carbon dioxide through the umbilical arteries.
Their digestive system & meal service : Every vitamin, mineral, glucose molecule, and amino acid your baby needs to grow chubby little cheeks and strong bones passes through the placenta.
Their kidneys & liver: It filters out waste products from baby’s blood, safely transferring them back into your system to be processed and flushed away.
An immunological shield: Toward the final weeks, the placenta actively transfers your own protective antibodies (IgG) across to baby, giving them a tailored coat of immune armour ready for the outside world.
A hormone factory: It takes over hormone production early on, pumping out progesterone, oestrogen, and human placental lactogen (hPL) to maintain your pregnancy, loosen ligaments, and even prep your breasts for milk production.
And here is the cleverest bit: your blood and your baby’s blood never actually mix. They flow in separate, microscopic channels side by side, allowing vital nutrients and oxygen to diffuse across a paper-thin barrier without baby’s body seeing your blood as foreign. Nature’s work at its absolute finest.
How Does It Grow Your Baby?
In those first weeks, your baby is smaller than a poppy seed. By week 40, they are a fully formed, kicky little human with eyelashes, fingernails, and a whole personality waiting to meet you.
The placenta supports that entire transformation. Week by week, it widens its network of microscopic blood vessels to match your baby’s exponential growth spurts. It senses what baby needs and draws it directly from your reserves, which is why resting, nourishing yourself, and staying hydrated are so important. Every sip of water and bite of nourishing food is channelled through this incredible life-support system.
The Grand Finale: The Third Stage of Labour
Birth isn't quite over when baby lands on your chest. There is still one last, gentle chapter: the birth of the placenta (the third stage of labour).
Once baby is born, your uterus naturally contracts down. The placenta detaches from the uterine wall and slips down into the birth canal, ready to be birthed. Whether you choose:
Physiological third stage: Letting your own natural oxytocin (boosted by immediate skin-to-skin and your baby’s first snuggles) naturally birth the placenta in its own time.
Active management: Receiving an injection to help the uterus contract and birth the placenta.
...it is your choice, and knowing the logic behind each option helps you feel you are making an imformed choice.
My Doula Tip: Don’t Forget to Have a Look!
Whenever I’m supporting families at a birth, across Cheshire, at home, or in hospitalone of my absolute favourite moments (if parents are curious!) is doing a little placenta tour and some lovely photos.
When you hold it up and see that magnificent "Tree of Life", tracing the strong umbilical cord that sustained your baby for nine months, it is impossible not to feel in absolute awe of what your body has just achieved.
Some families choose to plant it beneath a memorial tree in the garden, make a cord keepsake, or simply take a moment to marvel at it before saying goodbye. However you feel, it deserves a round of applause for a job brilliantly done.
Trust your body, trust the physiology, and remember: you are already doing magic every single second. 💜
Planning your birth and looking for calm, compassionate, evidence-based doula support or 1:1 Hypnobirthing in Cheshire? I’d love to pop the kettle on and have a chat. Get in touch here to book a free discovery call.
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