One of my wonderful doula clients wrote this endearing poem. He gave me permission to share. So, without further ado, and for your reading pleasure…

Like a Mother: an Ode to Placenta

by Duncan, new father of Kiyotaka, Jan 2013

Oh Lady Placenta!
What a life you lived in magenta.
From progesterone to waste recycling,
Your service was superb and unrelenting.
Day and night without a rest,
For nine months you gave him your best.
Yet from placenta previa to GD,
You shouldered the blame for his malady.
“Oh! Oh! Oh!”
Your baby’s rockin’ and roll.
Forty some weeks of hard work,
All but for this one big hurt.
Push, breathe, hum and push,
His show ended with a yelp and a whoosh!
Ten minutes later you quietly slipped out,
Trying not to take away what it was all about.
Like an orderly sneaking out of backstage,
Your life concluded its last page.
Yet those in gloves inspected your corpse,
Scrutinize, so not to miss any odds.
But they’ll never find what’s actually missing,
For what’s missing, is a gentle “thanks-for-giving!”
But you of all knew that his every chuckle and every cry,
Shall be the result of your labor long after you die.
Fret not, mama. For after you’re gone,
Your baby still knows you like when he was born.
Because you, unsung hero, and his heart,
‘til his last breath shall never be apart.