Delivering the placenta?

[bclare]

As a first time mom I have watched lots of birth movies and heard many beautiful birth stories, but pretty much all of them stop once baby is born. I really don't understand what it is like to deliver the placenta. Does it take a long time? Is it painful? Messy? How long after the birth? Are you holding the baby at that point? I would love to hear about your placenta delivery. BTW- we are having a home birth and are planning to plant the placenta in the garden under a plant (we aren't sure what yet). Thanks.

[callieollie]

I gave birth to my dd in the tub and after nursing her, I went to the bed. I held her and after the cord stopped pulsating, we cut the cord. After that (which was probably about 30 minutes after her birth), I delivered the placenta. It didn't hurt at all. The midwife told me to push, but compared to pushing a baby out, it was more like passing gas than pushing! The placenta just slid right out. I think my dh was holding the baby at the time but I could have held her during it too.

[lurve]

it wasn't that bad. the only bad part was having another "pushing contraction" which hurt my arse more than anything else!

[ShwarmaQueen]

I just thought it would come out, easy peasy, but mine didnt come out by itself. Took a trip to the hosp and a manual extraction by an OB to get it out.

[LianneM]

for both of mine, I held the baby for a few minutes until the cord stopped pulsing, and then we cut it and handed the baby off to daddy to get dried off and kept warm on his chest (both of mine were born in water). About that time I had another contraction, but it was nothing like when there was a baby in there For me, the placentas plopped out pretty easily, it wasn't painful, just mushy. With my first, I was out of the water and on some chux and a midwife caught it in a bowl. With my second, I was still in the pool and it just came out in the water, then someone scooped it out.

[Geerbabe]

Just a note from my midwife: She says that if you plant the entire placenta under a single plant, you will likely kill it because the nutrients are too concentrated. You need to cut it up in small pieces and mix it in well with the soil.

[bclare]

Thanks, this is all very helpful. I guess in my mind, before getting pregnant, I hadn't thought at all about this and the story of birth ended with the baby coming out....so it's good to hear that for most of you it wasn't a big deal at all.

Geerbabe- thanks for the tip! Im not quite sure what to make of chopping it all up, but it made me smile. What did the rest of you do with yours? Thanks again

[groovynaturemama]

both of my placentas were delivered within 15 minutes of my babies coming out. we cut the cords after the placentas were out. as far as getting it out; it's easier. i mean, yeah your tired, and your yoni hurts, but there are no bones in a placenta :P

sometimes it's messy, but usually a birth attendant will catch the placenta, and all that follows it (blood), in a bowl or on a chux or something. usually when i'm at a birth the messy part is what we call the "separation gush", which indicates that the placenta has separated from the wall of the uterus and will come out shortly. usually at that point, mom is still in the tub or we've moved her to a couch/bed with a chux under her to prevent blood from getting on something it shouldn't.

as far as planting it after; i think planting it with a tree would allow for you to plant the whole thing as opposed to cutting it into pieces. that being said, my midwife's partner gardens and will plant whole placentas in garden beds (some clients don't want their placentas) without killing or causing the plants harm. in fact their garden boasts some mighty beautiful flowers and herbs!

[JennTheMomma]

With Hunter the placenta came about 12 minutes later. I didn't notice the contractions for it, but felt it come out, which was not painful at all. There was some blood, but not a lot and I wouldn't call it very messy. I wasn't holding Hunter yet, as he had to be on oxygen, but shortly after that I had him.

[LianneM]

Both of mine are still in my freezer.... we have plans to plant them under a tree but want to be in our "final" house if possible so we don't have to leave it behind

[MammaB21]

I had my DD in water and she came VERY fast. I got out of the tub after her birth and held her. We let the cord finish pulsating, and then cut it. It was probably 20-30 min after her birth (but to be honest, I didn't have a great concept of time at that point). I felt absolutely NO contractions after her birth. At least not that I remember. I wouldn't have known to push had my midwife not told me to. I thought, "no way, it's not ready to come out yet," because I didn't feel the urge to push like I had been told I would. But sure enough I gave the smallest little grunt of a push, and out it plopped. In all of its wonderful, warm, soft, healing glory. It was fantastic. It really felt great. I know that is weird to say, but after the ordeal I had just been through, it was exactly what my body needed. It was like that was innately part of its job, to heal me. It was a very memorable and powerful experience. I was filled with baby love and a birth high. We examined it to make sure it looked healthy. It was so interesting to see the thing that had helped nourish my baby for 9 months. I wish we had kept it. No one really talks about the delivery of the placenta as a satisfying experience, but I believe many women share that sensation. My mom just went to a birth as a doula where the mom actually said as the placenta was coming out, "this feels SOOOO good!!" I'm looking forward to that part of birth this time around.

[sweetpea_119]

I'm not sure how many minutes after giving birth mine came out, but it was pretty soon after. I was on the bed nursing DS & felt the minor contractions that went along with it when my midwife urged me to push a little to get the placenta out. It was like Jello. Seriously, that was what I thought of it when it came out...after pushing out a baby, it was a pleasure! LOL! It was awhile after that when we finally cut the cord.

[at_the_hip]

To me it feels just like after the baby's head is out, and their body comes bursting out behind...that slippery feeling is very familiar IMO and it is very little pain, again just like the body feels in comparison after the head.

[Courtney&Ry]

Originally Posted by bclare

Thanks, this is all very helpful. I guess in my mind, before getting pregnant, I hadn't thought at all about this and the story of birth ended with the baby coming out....so it's good to hear that for most of you it wasn't a big deal at all.

Geerbabe- thanks for the tip! Im not quite sure what to make of chopping it all up, but it made me smile. What did the rest of you do with yours? Thanks again

You'll also want to be sure to bury it VERY DEEP below whatever you're planting under - both to distribute the nutrients more so it doesn't kill your tree or plant(s) and so it does't get dug up by an animal.

[soso-lynn]

Mine came out within less than 10 minutes. I did not feel any contractions and was sitting up nursing at that point. My midwife just got a bowl to catch it and I actually wondered at the time how she knew it was coming.

I agree that the feeling was really awesome. It actually felt like everything in there was raw and that the placenta just made it all better.

I also noticed that as soon as the placenta was out I got really hungry. It really seemed like an evolutionnary instinct to eat the placenta.

[amrijane128]

DD was born in a hospital and the cord was cut shortly after birth, the placenta "plopped" out right after that. No contractions or anything, just warm, awesome, squishiness that made me gasp it was so surprising of a feeling.

[sunflowergrrl]

I agree with what most people said - delivering the placenta was very easy compared to the birth - my uterus did give me come cramps/contractions to help me push it out but they weren't bad at all.

You asked what we did with our placentas - I had mine encapsulated and took them like vitamins for several weeks after the birth. They are nutrient and hormone-rich and can help prevent PPD. Also, something I regretted not doing - found out about it afterwards - is making a placenta print. You get a nice blank sheet of art paper and simply put the "pretty side" of the placenta on the paper and it will make an imprint of the placenta. I have heard some of them are quite beautiful. Then you can frame it or just save it somewhere.

[josie423]

With my son, about 10-15 minutes after the birth the cord had stopped pulsing, we cut it, my midwife told me to give a little push into a bowl she had ready and out it came. I wondered how she knew, as I don't really remember contractions, maybe a slight cramping. It wasn't too messy, I did have some blood but not a ton.

With my daughter the placenta came about two minutes after the birth. I must have had some bleeding, because again my midwife got a bowl ready before I knew it was ready and out it came very easily. I had a fountain of blood pour out of me after the placenta came, which felt and sounded so weird. My husband was totally freaked out by the blood. I think it has really had a lasting impact on him as he still talks about it with fear and awe.

[Carson]

Originally Posted by LianneM

, I held the baby for a few minutes until the cord stopped pulsing, and then we cut it and handed the baby off to daddy to get dried off and kept warm on his chest (both of mine were born in water).

This was us, but I couldn't deliver the placenta on my own. After an hour latched on and not having a single additional contraction, the MW got me out of the pool and we tried pitocin (intramuscular). Still no contrax, so she had me do a supported squat while she very! gently tugged on the cord, and the placenta just slid out. It wasn't painful or awkward or anything.`

[Tizzy]

About 15minutes after DS2 was born, I was sitting on the couch (on a chux!) nursing him and feeling those wretched after-pains. There was this sudden feeling of fullness and I had the urge to push so DH handed me a bucket, I squatted over it and the placenta just slipped out. It's a very satisfying feeling because after pushing a baby out, it's SCARY to push even to have a bowel movement. But the placenta was painless and a lot less work than my mind was prepared for.

After the midwife looked it over, DH double bagged it and popped it in the freezer where it waited for a few months until we found a tree. As for planting it whole, we planted a crabapple tree on top of his, we didn't cut up the placenta or anything and the tree has flourished.