The amazing placenta is an organ that develops in the uterus during your pregnancy, and is the only organ that we grow, comes out by itself, and we throw away (usually)! Weighing in at 1 – 2 lbs., it is connected to the baby via the umbilical cord to allow for transfer of oxygen and nutrients to the baby, and it removes waste products from the baby’s blood. All this without letting the parent’s blood come into contact with the baby’s blood. Amazing!
A placenta can be attached to the side, the front, the back, or the top of the uterus, and occasionally it becomes attached at the bottom of the uterus. This may or may not present a problem since placentas can “migrate” up the wall of the uterus, away from the cervix as the pregnancy progresses and the uterus grows in size.
