STEAM Projects

I did my project as a model of a quick run through of birth stages and   show that the placenta can stay in the body and that it can be toxic. This covers the objective about the stages of birth and the complication that can arise with the last stage when the placenta and umbilical cord are retained. This is a very non-literal quick video just so that it isn’t too long and still shows the model.

One Comment

  1. Justyn Durnford
    Human A&P II

    Normally, upon delivering the baby, the placenta will emerge shortly afterwards, no longer serving any purpose. However, on occasion, the placenta may remain inside the womb, which can be toxic and harmful to the mother. Specifically, a retained placenta is defined as a placenta that has not been expelled from the womb within 30 minutes of birth. Treatment can include either natural expulsion with the use of medication, or manual removal, though this can come at the risk of infection and severe hemorrhaging, in this case primary postpartum hemorrhage.
    According to Andrew D. Weeks, “It complicates 2% of all deliveries and has a case mortality rate of nearly 10% in rural areas” (Weeks, 2001). Furthermore, primary postpartum hemorrhage, a common result of a retained placenta, “…affects between 0.6 and 3.3% of normal deliveries.” Fortunately, in areas with access to quality hospitals, rates of complications are much less, but that does not assist pregnant women in developing countries, making it one of hundreds of factors contributing to a lower life expectancy among females compared to males in such places, in contrast to industrialized nations, where the opposite is true due to higher medical coverage available.
    As for the video recorded and submitted by Abigail Sanborn, I feel that it is well constructed, creative, and informative of the subject such that it easily prompts the reader to further investigate and learn about the condition. Overall, I believe this to be a great STEAM project.

    -Work Cited-
    Weeks, A. D. (2001, August). The Retained Placenta. African health sciences, 1(1), 36—41. Retrieved April 27, 2020 from
    https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC2704447/

    jpdurnford

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