In many cultures, the placenta is more than tissue left over after birth. It may be understood as spiritually linked to the baby, treated as a companion or sibling, and buried to protect the child or connect them to family and land.

Yet in many maternity settings, what happens to the placenta after birth may receive little discussion unless a woman already knows she can ask to take it home.

For my doctoral research on migrant Nigerian mothers’ experiences of antenatal care in the UK, one mother described wanting to keep her placenta for burial after birth.

This was something she had done after the births of her other children. But while navigating maternity care in a new country, other questions took priority, and she did not feel able to raise it with her midwife.

Her placenta was disposed of with no discussion. She later said: “They are supposed to ask me about these things, if they had asked I would have explained.” She felt a sense of loss and grieved for the placenta.

Her experience shows why placenta disposal should be discussed during pregnancy, rather than left until after birth.

The placenta is a temporary organ that develops in the uterus during pregnancy. It links to the baby through the umbilical cord and supports pregnancy by transferring nutrients, oxygen and hormones, while removing........

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