# Shocking!! My sisters placenta, gross story btw



## Kerrieann

My sister just had her gorgeous baby son Rocky last week and after the busy week we finally had a good chance to catch up and chat about the birth etc, and well to cut a long story short she smoked in the pregnancy all the way through and with her first too and she said when they delivered her placenta, some of it was black and the midwife said straight away "are you a smoker" my sister couldnt even deny it and felt unbelievably guilty after seeing it, i am shocked i didnt know this happens and sickens me :sick: My poor baby nephew :cry: Obviously i know how bad it is to smoke when pregnant and i dont and never would but really didnt know this happens!! She has said it has shocked her sooo much she wont smoke in her next pregnancy but is still smoking now soi dont know if thats true or not! Oh well up to her!

Has anyone else heard of this happening?


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## veganmum2be

yup its disgusting. x


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## Newt4

Thats gross


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## SBB

Its awful, and when you think there's that much crap in the placenta, imagine what's gone into the bub :( 

X x x


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## aob1013

Vile.


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## Kerrieann

Thats what i was thinking, the baby gets everything "nutritous! From the mum and placenta!


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## emmi26

poor baby i could never do it smoking killed my beloved nan and grandad people just dont see the harm it causes xx


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## Claireyh

That is absolutely rank!! The poor little baby, I hope there are no lasting medical problems for him!!


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## Kerrieann

Claireyh said:


> That is absolutely rank!! The poor little baby, I hope there are no lasting medical problems for him!!

Thankyou, i hope so too. His sister is fine luckily.:thumbup:


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## Ella_Mummy

just lurking.I had a very gritty placenta with my first daughter and it was NOT caused by smoking and was horrified when my midwife asked if i smoked. I did some reasearch online and it can be caused by coca cola of all things...i drank gallons of the stuff. so please dont assume when you read that women have gritty placentas its always caused by smoking :)


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## Kerrieann

This is true, have heard this too and actually my sister also drank loads of coca cola and red bull too!


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## PeaceLoveBaby

Eww..didn't know it turned black.


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## Mrs Liamxxs

WOW, she must have smoked a fair few day hun, i smoked all the way through my first 2 pregnancies ( not had one now since i was 13 weeks) and my placenta was perfectly healthy, they didnt even know i smoked, they was shocked when i asked if i could go for a smoke after having my daughter. Hope there are no lasting effects on your nephew hunni xx


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## aurora

Oh God, thats gross!!!

They should use pics of smokers placentas and non smokers placentas to show women at the begininng of pregnancy!


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## DottyLottie

I don't know if this is strictly caused by just smoking - I smoked through my first pregnancy (I was 19 and very irresonsible what can I say!) and the placenta was fine, and yet with my second pregnancy (I did not smoke) it was very dark and gritty, as someone else described, I too was asked if I was a smoker when the midwife saw it, even though I hadn't been for almost 2 years at that point.

As someone else said, it can be caused by all manner of things.


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## Ju_bubbs

I was also a smoker right through my last 3 pregnancies (young and naive) and my placentas were all perfectly normal and healthy. Midwives said ach time, they would never guess I was a smoker from my placenta! Luckily, all 3 children are perfectly healthy too!

I gave up smoking at around 7 wks this time, tho I do drink a lot o coke, so will be interesting to see the placenta this time round.

I hope the baby in OP is as lucky as my children have been and has has no effects from the smoking :hugs:


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## LilDreamy

Oh gosh. Coca Cola can do this too?

:(

Now I feel bad.

I honestly can't go a day without a cup of soda. I've tried. But then I get super bad headaches, and the doctor said it was ok to have one a day.

My mom smoked when she was pregnant with me, and it made me premature by 3 months. 

I have never touched a cigarrette in my life. I also lost an amazing aunt do to smoking. So I could never bring myself to do such a thing.


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## minties

What exactly in cola is harmful to the placenta? Just curious.


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## mordino

I have never heard of this happening but wow, just wow! :(

Coca cola can be another cause as well? I can't believe it. I drink caffeine free diet coke from time to time during pregnancy, I hope it wouldn't affect my placenta too much....


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## ducky1502

That's really gross, and also a little sad.


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## bubbywings

Wow, thanks for sharing.


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## stardust599

I knew this. A smokers placenta can also be crumbly and is more likely to detach/rupture prematurely. It's also more likely to be retained as it doesn't come away in one piece - I think that would be a heavy smoker though.

I gave up on the day of my BFP, I wasn't concerned about the health effects on me but I have absolutely no right to affect the health of my bubs too.

I drink a can of coke a day though - hope I haven't done any harm :-(
xxx


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## chocolate

Thats quite an eye opener, I dont smoke but drink a lot of caffiene free det coke in my first pregnancy, but thankfully not this time.
Id love to see a documentary on seeing your food etc. go in and exactly what happens to it and what it all go to placenta and baby and label exactly what the baby is getting etc.
Would help me eat a bit better I think


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## Kerrieann

chocolate said:


> Thats quite an eye opener, I dont smoke but drink a lot of caffiene free det coke in my first pregnancy, but thankfully not this time.
> Id love to see a documentary on seeing your food etc. go in and exactly what happens to it and what it all go to placenta and baby and label exactly what the baby is getting etc.
> Would help me eat a bit better I think

That would be really interesting to watch actually, i think it would defo make me eat better!


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## jules_7k

my friend has never touched a cigarette in her life and with her DS the midwife asked if she was a heavy smoker...............to which she replied no and was quite offended, they said that looking at her placenta they would have guessed that she smoked around 20 per day.

as for the coke thing i could imagine that it would would harm your placenta apparently if you put a penny in coke and leave it over night it strips it.

i smoked with my first 2 :( young and niave (tho that is a very lame excuse) i took the help offered this time to quit (2 failed attempts obviously not able to do it alone) and am very proud of myself as i have done it!!! only wish i could have done it for my first 2 but thankfully they have no health problems.

when the smoking lady came to see me she explained that when you smoke it makes the babys tiny heart work so much more as it is trying to pump the blood around quicker to get rid of the harmful chemical etc in the cigs, that is the thing that upset me the most, the thought of putting un-nescessary pressure on babys heart :(


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## Fiore

My Grandma smoked through all of her pregnancies and now all my aunts and uncles have tonnes of trouble with their blood pressure whilst none of their children or cousins do. My mum is so certain it's from her mum smoking!

I didn't know that it could do this to the placenta though. Anyone who gives up for their children (even post pregnancy) is doing the right thing, obviously xx

(I've really gone of cola now too lol)


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## peanut56

Aww I feel horrible...I drink a fair amount of caffeine free diet coke! :blush:
My doctor told me it was okay though. I've been cutting down lately, I guess I'll make extra effort to cut it out completely. 
I smoked for 13 years and quit when we decided to TTC. It was very difficult, (probably at least my 10th attempt at quitting!) but I'm very glad I did it. I will be smoke free for a year on August 1st :cloud9:


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## Fiore

peanut56 said:


> Aww I feel horrible...I drink a fair amount of caffeine free diet coke! :blush:
> My doctor told me it was okay though. I've been cutting down lately, I guess I'll make extra effort to cut it out completely.
> I smoked for 13 years and quit when we decided to TTC. It was very difficult, (probably at least my 10th attempt at quitting!) but I'm very glad I did it. I will be smoke free for a year on August 1st :cloud9:

Nice one, I hope I make it to the year, FX!! This is the first time since I was 15 I've not smoked, I was on 30-40 roll ups a day before BFP. It's smelly anyway so glad I quit lol xx


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## peanut56

Fiore said:


> peanut56 said:
> 
> 
> Aww I feel horrible...I drink a fair amount of caffeine free diet coke! :blush:
> My doctor told me it was okay though. I've been cutting down lately, I guess I'll make extra effort to cut it out completely.
> I smoked for 13 years and quit when we decided to TTC. It was very difficult, (probably at least my 10th attempt at quitting!) but I'm very glad I did it. I will be smoke free for a year on August 1st :cloud9:
> 
> Nice one, I hope I make it to the year, FX!! This is the first time since I was 15 I've not smoked, I was on 30-40 roll ups a day before BFP. It's smelly anyway so glad I quit lol xxClick to expand...

Good for you, that's awesome! :happydance:


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## flubdub

Have heard this before :( So sad.
I am shocked at the coke though!! Totally put me off because I dont want the midwife thinking I smoked when pregnant when I give birth!! :dohh: x


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## Kitten-B

Almost wishing I hadn't read this - don't think I could bear to give up my diet coke too (even my meagre caffeine-driven ration)!

Does anyone know if the blackened placenta is actually a bad thing though? I know it sounds gross but is it actually harmful to the baby or could it just be a harmless discolouration? If coke was so bad (caffeine aside) you'd think we'd have heard this before - you do hear about everything else after all!


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## Kerrieann

hmmm im not too sure hun tbh, i agree about the coke thing, i never knew how bad it is, i hardly drink it myself but love a cold glass with lots of ice when i go out!


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## sonographer01

You can actually tell on the scans by looking at the placenta. Heavy smokers/unhealthy placentas look all bitty and calcified, not nice and smooth like a healthy placenta.


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## summer rain

Hi

I drank coke a lot in my last pregnancy (especially at the end) and my placenta was as healthy as anything completely smooth; the right colour etc, it could have been a placenta model lol, my son prior to that was late and they said they were surprised the placenta wasn't gritty or deteriorating at all as that is extremely common with babies a full two weeks overdue; they said a lot of times those placentas are black with bits coming off, yuck. 

Soph x


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## xLuciax

Wow ur poor nephew that's crazy I think there should be some law on women smoking during pregnancy


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## Fiore

Just thought I would mention that (from what we learnt at college) Diet coke is really bad for you anyway as it's full of carcinogenics (sp?) which can basically cause cancer. I stick to regular coke when I do have it (very rarely to be honest) as it's much healthier!xx


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## Agiboma

as far as i no smoking is a major cause of black placenta


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## flubdub

Fiore said:


> Just thought I would mention that (from what we learnt at college) Diet coke is really bad for you anyway as it's full of carcinogenics (sp?) which can basically cause cancer. I stick to regular coke when I do have it (very rarely to be honest) as it's much healthier!xx

Yes, its the aspartame in it (a sweetener). Terrible stuff. Its in all "no added sugar" drinks too, and most cordials, apart from High juice x


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## bramse

Yeah I had my child when i was 19. he is 18
months now. i stupidly smoked and drank all the way through pregnancy and when the placenta came out it was black (he was 3weeks early too as the cigarettes had killed the placenta basically) . the midwife knew straight away i had smoked and i felt overwhelming guilt which i still feel to this day. i am just so grateful that he has nothing serious wrong with him, such as fetl alcohol syndrome, which he would have to cope with for the rest of his life. luckily he is a happy healthy toddler now but iits just not worth the risk-i feel so stupid and selfish. ive now stopped smoking and barely drink and wouldnt dare consider doing either if i fell pregnant again.


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## LuvMyBoys

Just popping by to wish you congratulations on your new newphew!!

Also - I hung out with my girlfriend this weekend and she will often take her friends' placentas after birth, dry them, and then make them into pills for the women to take. Apparently it has amazing benefits. 

Anyways... she said that the placentas of smoking women are not really black, but that they are really stinky. Gross...

Edited to add that maybe every woman is different and their bodies are better able to filter things out, which might be why some placentas are black and gritty and others are healthy?


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## Ley

I unfortunately smoked through both of my previous pregnancies and where my 1st placenta was gritty and flimsy, the cord snapped before I had birthed the placenta.
My second placenta was perfectly healthy....

This time I have managed to quit smoking since 5 weeks....I do drink a lot of fizzy drinks but only drink cola on a rare occassion.
It will be interesting to see how my placenta is this time.


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