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When DS was born at 38weeks they said his placenta was :gritty: That he had eaten all the nutrients and thats why he was born, he had no nutrients left there...etc.
Is this placenta deterioating a medical condition?
Whats it called?
Anyone had anything like this happen to them ?
Hmm, sounds like calcification of the placenta?
i dont know what its called but DD2 was born at 36 weeks and at discharge they told me that the placenta was gritty.....then turned around and asked me if i knew why...??? lol ahhh nope. i didnt know they went gritty when the nutrients were all gone. actually im glad i didnt know that at the time
im just concerned that this time around i'll have the same problem...
I was suprised when DS came two weeks early, I 'd be terrified to have a baby any earlier in the pregnancy because of it
Ive googled and it says about miscarriages and the placenta not having sufficient nutrients but nothing about full term babies and placentas.... hmmmm
then this
The things your midwife looks for are the placenta's size, shape and thickness -
are these all normal?
The texture, is it gritty and calcified - meaning overdue looking?
Do any sections look like they were not functioning - darkened or infarcted because of no blood flow?
Are all the mounds of placental tissue present (called cotyledons, resembling liver), meaning that the placenta is complete? Do the membranes look complete or are they ragged and torn and could some be missing (left behind in the uterus)?
Are there 3 blood vessels in the cord - 2 arteries and 1 vein?
Im due to see my OB in a fortnight, will definetly be asking him.
i wonder if thats why DD2 came as early as she did....she tried at 35 but they gave me something to stop the contractions. oh gosh now i feel bad, what if she didnt have anything for a whole week b4 she born!!!
Wow theres heaps on Gritty Placentas on the net...
They recommend a u/s in late pregnancy to be sure its still functioning. The lady said mine stopped working about a week before DS was born too
But I was in a long posterior labour for 4 days !!!
Will definately be asking all this when I get a new doctor :) after we move house
lmao M2R Izzy was a 3 day posterior!! silly thing was not one person picked up on it until she was crowning!
i wonder if possterior is connected to the gritty placenta in any way?
That's all I can think of too.:
DD2's was calcified. She was 2 weeks over by my dates.
There was nothing left for her by what the Drs said.
However I had other issues with her pregnancy, so I don't know if they contributed.
if your placenta had stopped working your baby would not be here. placentas stop working when they are no longer attached to a blood source.
placentas get gritty with age(gestation) and also if you smoke.
obviously it didnt totally stop working but it wasnt supplying nutrients anymore it was only supplying blood etc. The midwife told this to me She said I was lucky he came when he did because it stops them growing anymore .."they just sort of wait to be born"
I never smoked and I was only 38 weeks..... I couldnt have been any further.....
Placenta's have a shelf life so to speak and it does sound like yours started to calcify a little earlier than what some do. Having a scan to check placental function is probably a good idea and will keep your mind at ease :hug:
In saying that, I had a scan at 38 weeks which showed some calcification but the Ob did say that it can be quite normal.
the nutrients are supplied through the blood.. the placenta doesnt serve up nutrients in a capsule form for baby. your M/W has said some bollocks.
38 weeks is still term and bubs was ready to be born. one birth and baby is not the same as the next..
Hi mum2Romone
Gritty placenta is the medical term. Basically it means that the placenta is getting towards the end of its life and not working as well as it could. It is often but not only seen in women who have smoked during their pregnancy. Often we do not know why one placenta is gritty and yet others are normal. If your placenta is very gritty then yes this can cause your baby to be born early. Your placents does not supply nutrients to your baby. It exchanges nutrients, waste and oxygen between mum and baby’s blood.