02/03/2025
🌱 The Amazing Development of the Placenta in Pregnancy 🤰
The placenta is an incredible organ that develops specifically for pregnancy, providing everything your baby needs to grow and thrive. It acts as a lifeline, delivering oxygen, nutrients, and hormones while removing waste.
✨ How the Placenta Develops:
📌 Weeks 1-4: After fertilisation, the fertilised egg implants into the uterus, and cells begin forming the early placenta.
📌 Weeks 4-12: The placenta rapidly grows, developing blood vessels to support the baby. By the end of the first trimester, it takes over hormone production (like progesterone) to maintain pregnancy.
📌 Weeks 12-40: The placenta continues to expand, supplying oxygen and nutrients while filtering out waste. It also supports immune function, protecting the baby from infections.
✨ Why the Placenta is So Important:
✔️ Transfers oxygen and nutrients to the baby
✔️ Removes waste products from the baby’s bloodstream
✔️ Produces essential hormones to maintain pregnancy
✔️ Acts as a protective barrier against some infections
The placenta is delivered after birth (the third stage of labour). In some cultures, it’s honoured through special rituals, while in medical settings, it may be examined to ensure full delivery.
The health of the placenta is key to a healthy pregnancy! Have you learned anything surprising about the placenta? Share below! ⬇️