Checking the placenta

Specialties Ob/Gyn

Published

I know the placenta is supposed to be checked after delivery to ensure that it is whole. Is it typically obvious if it is not complete? Is there a protocol in place for question of retained placenta?

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It may or may not be obvious if some is retained. How you can usually tell if there is retained placenta is how the mother's uterus is behaving. If her fundus isn't firm, won't stay firm, and she is bleeding more than "usual", it's a safe bet something is still up there...

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Hmmm... I have a question. I haven't gotten to the OB rotation of my nursing program yet (I really hope you guys don't mind us students checking in.....) Although I am really looking forward to it!!

Is it often that part of the placenta does not come out? I had twins last year by c-section. About 3 hours after delivery (1:30am) I was having some intermittent cramping and asked for some pain medication. While my nurse was getting it, I felt something large pass and realized I had been having contractions. When I told the nurse and she checked, I could tell by the look on her face that it was not normal and she said "If this happens again you need to let me know right away". I was told at an ultrasound that my placentas had fused so it would probably be more difficult to determine if the whole thing came out, right? I have just been wondering. Now that I have gone through a few rotations I am very curious to see my charts. I may just pay the fee to get them.

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Specializes in Nursery, L&D, PICU, SICU.

You should have no retained placenta after a c-section because the placenta is manually removed while the uterus is outside of the body.

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I was under the impression that in most facilities the placenta went to pathology to examine, unless the family wants it for some reason ( GROSS! I KNOW!) apparently there are cultural reasons for this. I have heard of people eating them, or "planting " them in the garden:eek:

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Specializes in Community, OB, Nursery.
I have heard of people eating them, or "planting " them in the garden:eek:

Call me a loonytoon, but....

....I do want my next placenta to plant under our apple tree. Organic fertilizer at its best. :)

Re: eating the placenta - it's not that bad of an idea, considering not every society has such immediate access to protein and iron immediately postpartum as we do here. I'm not saying I'd do it here and now, but hey....Mother Nature knows what she's doing when she does stuff. ;)

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LOL it probably IS very nutritious. :yeah: Not OB related, but after my husband and I had gone fishing with his mom and had some of the dead fish left she mentioned that we should put the dead fish in the hole before we plant the new willow tree we had gotten. We did, and you would not believe how fast that tree grew. Dead fish = Great Fertilizer apparently. Must be the same thing with placenta too.

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I was under the impression that in most facilities the placenta went to pathology to examine, unless the family wants it for some reason ( GROSS! I KNOW!) apparently there are cultural reasons for this. I have heard of people eating them, or "planting " them in the garden:eek:

Ours get thrown in the trash unless there is a reason to send it to Patho. Another "gross" poster here, I really wanted to save my last placenta to plant under a tree but we are moving so we didn't. Kind of regret it now. I have had several patients take theirs home to plant and I think it is nice. I always offer to show my patients the placenta and usually they are very interested in it.

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Oh, I know I do this every time this subject comes up . . . . :coollook:

https://allnurses.com/ob-gyn-nursing/lotus-birth-what-94862.html

Our placentas get thrown out too.

steph

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Specializes in Community, OB, Nursery.

You had to, Steph. Without even clicking on it, it's the lotus birth, isn't it.....;)

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You had to, Steph. Without even clicking on it, it's the lotus birth, isn't it.....;)

You know me too well. :igtsyt:

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Oh wow! Thanks for posting about the lotus birth, even though its "gross" by our standards I really love the cultural aspect. I should have been an anthropologist I think. :yeah:

Sally

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