Placental samples have proven to be particularly crucial in obtaining living cells when a stillborn baby is significantly macerated.
The key to appropriate placental sampling is insuring the fetal side is being sampled. This is most easily accomplished by inverting the membranes around the umbilical cord to recreate the amniotic cavity, the inner surface of which will, of course, be the fetal side.
Near the insertion of the cord, peel away the membranous covering.
Using clean technique cut a one half centimeter square piece of placenta about 2 to 3 millimeters deep from beneath the peeled away membranes and process like the other kinds of tissue samples.
