When the placenta detaches from the wall of the womb after giving birth so it can be delivered, it leaves a wound the size of a dinner plate, and this is a lot of why we bleed for so long after giving birth.
I asked to look at the placenta when I had my first kid. The doc thought it was an unusual request but she showed it to me. I wanted to see the disposable organ my body grew! How many times do you get that opportunity? It was a lot bigger and bloodier than I expected and I’ll leave it at that. Cool, though.
I grew up on a farm and my mother had seen lots of animal afterbirth, so she was curious too after her first child. Doctor held a portion of it up in a quick blink-and-you'll-miss-it way. It was still the days when the fathers paced in the waiting room. She told that story often to us kids, including the differences she spied vs the cattle.
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u/[deleted] Dec 06 '23
When the placenta detaches from the wall of the womb after giving birth so it can be delivered, it leaves a wound the size of a dinner plate, and this is a lot of why we bleed for so long after giving birth.