The pandemic has changed our day-to-day life in every way, but the huge impact it has had on maternity and birth has been scary. With anything to do with COVID, there are so many questions. This blog is to help with the biggest question we have at the moment.
“Are you allowed in the hospital to collect my placenta?” “Does my partner have to meet you somewhere?” “The midwife said no one can come on to the ward to collect?”
Over the past 12 months, we’ve found that hospitals have been amazing in adapting to ensure our mums can still access our service safely.
In answer to “can we collect?” Yes, we provide you with your hospital pack for your placenta to go in. Once your placenta is in the box and ready to be collected you call us. As our couriers are licensed to transport human tissue they can collect from the hospital. Your hospital will let you know at the time if there are any specific procedures for visitors to follow, but we’ve not had a courier turned away.
We always request that the placenta pack is kept with mum at all times. If your partner is asked to leave the hospital before we get there it can cause stress around what to do. We are at collection pretty quickly, usually within 2-3 hours, but we have had dads asked to leave within an hour of birth. Understandably your partner will have to leave if asked, so leaving the placenta pack in the hospital with mum is best. When our courier arrives at the hospital they will go to the ward you are on. A member of the hospital staff will then ask him for your name and details. Normally a midwife will then come and get your placenta and hand it over to our courier. Hopefully, there’s no stress as it’s pretty straightforward.
Many midwives have said over the last 12 month’s that no one can go to the ward to collect. There is an element of truth in this, in that it applies to visiting placenta specialists. If you were to book with a placenta person, who operates from her home, you will find they wear many hats, one being a courier. As they do not hold a human tissue license they will be seen as a visitor to the hospital. I cannot stress this enough our service is not run from domestic premises and we use the correct form of collection and transport for your placenta.
I hope in the next few months things in maternity and birth return to some normality, but even if general restrictions carry on, our service will continue to run as smoothly as it always has.
Best wishes,
Danielle