The first and most important function of the placenta is to deliver oxygen to the baby and remove carbon dioxide from the used oxygen. Since your baby is not breathing, the oxygen you have absorbed will pass through the blood and enter the placenta. The placenta extracts oxygen and injects it into your baby's blood. After the baby uses it, the placenta filters out the carbon dioxide and sends it back to the blood. This is the so-called "gas exchange".

Another important job of the placenta is to feed the growing baby. When your blood is filtered into the placenta, nutrients are extracted and sent into the baby's blood. They will get everything they need, such as fat, glucose, amino acids, vitamins and minerals. It also provides liquids for babies, which can not only hydrate the baby, but also make amniotic fluid.

Babies do not have the habit of defecation, so any waste in the baby’s blood will return to the body through the placenta so that you can expel it from the body. However, your baby's kidneys do produce urine, and the urine will pass out of your uterus in the form of amniotic fluid. This is also filtered out through the baby's kidneys and blood. All waste produced by amniotic fluid needs to be sent back through the placenta.

The placenta helps protect the baby from infection. You will produce disease antibodies and pass them to the baby through the placenta. This is passive immunity. You can rest assured that your baby will not have colds, flu, sinusitis or ear infections. However, certain infectious diseases may affect your baby, such as measles, chickenpox and whooping cough. If you are fully vaccinated, you can further protect your baby.

 

In some cases, the placenta cannot provide all the oxygen and nutrients the baby needs. It may cause your baby to be smaller than expected, which is usually caused by things such as high blood pressure, smoking, kidney disease and diabetes. The doctor will observe the baby's growth and may induce labor early.

This is the most serious complication that may occur in the placenta and is a medical emergency. The placenta falls off the wall of the uterus, cutting off the baby's blood supply, and may cause severe bleeding from the mother. If the pregnancy has progressed to the middle and late stages, delivery will be performed by emergency cesarean section.

At the beginning of pregnancy, the placenta can grow on the bottom of the uterus near the cervix. This condition is called placenta previa. It can cause bleeding and cramps in the second trimester. If it is a mild or "marginal" condition, it will not actually cover the cervix and may spread upward as the uterus stretches upward. In some cases, it may cover part of the cervical opening, while a complete placenta previa can cover the entire cervix. The doctor will monitor it with ultrasound, and if the placenta does not move up from the cervix, a cesarean section may be required.

Sometimes the placenta can grow deep into the uterine wall, which may cause severe bleeding before, during, and after delivery. Delivery is usually performed by cesarean section, and bleeding will continue to be observed after your baby is born. If the bleeding is too severe, the chance of hysterectomy is small.

Be careful: pregnant mothers who suffer from pregnancy-induced hypertension, chronic kidney disease, etc. may cause abnormal placental function, which will lead to bad outcomes for you and your baby.