Measure the Placenta

The support, excitement, and energy we experienced to mark the first-ever Placenta Health Awareness Day blew us away!

Every re-share of our posts, every donation received, every story told, and every connection made all contributed to a powerful day to bring awareness to an understudied and under appreciated pregnancy organ: the placenta.

The placenta is a critical lifeline in every pregnancy and it’s time it is prioritized in prenatal care!

A note of gratitude for all of you helping to share our mission and improve pregnancy outcomes. We are already looking forward to the next one!

Measure. Track. Prevent. 🌳 |

Owen’s mom, Emma, received a proclamation for the state of Illinois to declare June 1st as Placenta Health Awareness Day! This is a huge part of keeping topics like stillbirth and placentas on the radar of policy and lawmakers.

Measure. Track. Prevent. 🌳|

Today is the day: the first-ever Placenta Health Awareness Day!

This day is dedicated to raising awareness about the vital role of the placenta in healthy pregnancies and stillbirth prevention.

June 1 (6/1) reflects the ideal term fetal-placental weight ratio of 6:1, a simple but powerful reminder of the placenta’s critical role in fetal growth and pregnancy outcomes.

To participate today, share this post. Share your family’s story on social media, and placenta facts & research highlights. Reach out to your local media to let them know about this day! Take part in a “Do What You Love 6:1 Adventure Challenge,” and join our team on Zoom tonight at 6:01pm CST for a virtual community gathering to celebrate everyone’s hard work.

Measure. Track. Prevent. 🌳 |

Celeste’s lucky small placenta survival story

“I am haunted by the thought of what could have happened.”

“On January 2, 2023, at 1:12pm our lives changed forever as we welcomed our daughter, Celeste Joy to the world. She weighed 2510 grams & was 19 in long. She arrived early at 36w2d after my water unexpectedly broke at home.

After pushing for about an hour, the nurse’s demeanor changed & I could hear concern in her voice as she asked someone else where the doctor was. Celeste’s heart rate was not bouncing back this time. The doctor gave me one last contraction to push on my own without the vacuum. I pushed with all I had & Celeste was born!

The OB immediately alarmed me when he commented on how small Celeste was. She was just barely over the low birth weight threshold by 10 grams. After I passed the placenta, again the doctor sounded alarmed, & commented on it being small & that he was sending it to pathology.

Fast forward 10 months & through a coincidence of events, the MTP website was brought to my attention. I referred back to the placenta pathology report that says Celeste’s placenta was in the “less than 10th percentile for gestational age.” This was something brushed off previously - my OB didn’t seem overly worried by these results.

When I used the EPV calculator app to view the specific percentile for the weight of Celeste’s placenta, it returned results that made my jaw drop. It was in the 0.5 percentile. Celeste’s birth weight was in the 35th percentile & her BW:PW was 8.5. Our story could have ended much differently. I am haunted by the thought of what could have happened if I had not gone into pre-term labor.

This thought has ignited a fire in me to advocate, educate, & do my part to create change in care during pregnancy.”

Measure. Track. Prevent! 🌳|

To share about the upcoming first ever , these templates are available to screenshot & be posted from your own accounts! Spread the word about the critical importance of this pregnancy organ by sharing the name of a baby who died due to or lucky to have survived a small placenta, and their birth stats including placenta size (if known). Even if your baby didn't have a small placenta, and you know their stats, please share!

To close out the inaugural , Measure the Placenta will host a virtual meet up focused on connection and remembrance, sharing
names, stories, adventures, and reflections.

Join us on Zoom!
🗓 Monday, June 1
🕕 6:01 PM CT

measuretheplacenta.org/placentaday

Start spreading the word about how you plan to acknowledge by sharing this post in your stories and add what adventure you’re choosing to do! Encourage friends & family to do the same.

Extra credit points if you find a way to tie in the six to one connection as 6:1 denotes the ideal ratio of baby to placenta size at term. The possibilities are endless!

We have so many ways to get involved for the upcoming, first-ever Placenta Health Awareness Day!

🌳A super simple way: send over a $6.01 donation! We are all about recognizing the ideal fetal to placental ratio at term, which is 6:1. You’re welcome to donate other amounts too, of course. Extra credit if you want to join a team to designate an amount to a specific activity!

🌳Start spreading the word about how you plan to acknowledge Placenta Health Awareness Day by using the second slide in your stories and add what adventure you’re choosing to do! Encourage friends & family to do the same.

🌳We want to hear from you! Share your plans and activities so far with the interest form linked on page 1 of the toolkit. This is completely non-committal, simply information gathering so that no adventures fall through the cracks! We want to be able to acknowledge and celebrate all the work you’ve done to share the word about this critical and understudied pregnancy organ.

Measure. Track. Prevent. 🌳