I got a very interesting question in my inbox today:
“Hanani, normally for us whose waterbag has burst first before giving birth, where’s the bag when baby comes out?”
Have you every thought about this? For most mothers who give birth in hospitals, they are usually not aware of their placenta or how it looks like. I asked about this in my class, and 90% of my students did not take note of their placenta after birth.
In a birth setting with a midwife though, the midwife will check the placenta *together* with the mother and explain what all the parts are (or if there are any missing parts). I remember after the birth of Husainy, my midwife checked my placenta and excitedly declared: “All intact! Would you like to see it??” At that time, I wasn’t very wise and I thought it very strange to be asked if I wanted to see it.
With Rosebud, my midwife went a step further and asked me if I wanted to touch/feel how strong the membranes are (the amniotic sac). Of course I wanted to touch it! SubhanaAllah, that bags of water that held my child safe for 9 months felt very tough! Its very thin, like plastic, but very tough, like rubber. SubhanaAllah SubhanaAllah SubhanaAllah…
Here’s a photo of the placenta with a burst amniotic sac (aka waterbag) without the baby. *warning – bloody photo* It’s not mine though 🙂
As you can see, the amniotic sac that surrounds the baby is attached to the placenta, so when it breaks , it will look like part of the placenta unless you stretch it as in the photo in the link below. Hope that answers your question, my friend! 😀
Yaqyn Birth (Doula Hanani) 