X3 and X4 - and a question

So - I had Vala's due date as tomorrow - but she has been laying on her side a lot lately and just looked ready - This morning at 8 she had one little baby - then a 1/2 hour later she delivered the after birth - then a 1/2 hour after that another baby was born - I thought the after birth came after all the babies were delivered. Clearly i was wrong. My question is.. is there an afterbirth with each baby or only one per pregnancy?

- i havent taken them out to weigh or sex yet, I figured i'd leave them under momma for now and ill check them later on. - and post pics then too

thanks

There should be a placenta after each baby, sometimes it comes with/attached to the kit. The afterbirth is everything else leftover; uterine tissue/lining/etc. I guess it is possible to see part of the afterbirth or a separated placenta delivered in the middle of a litter. But the majority of the afterbirth should be after everyone is delivered.

now I am not a breeder, but as listed aboce makes the most sense. Was it the placenta you saw or just after birth "suff" for lack of a better word

well, seeing as she delivered another after that - 2 after what i thought was afterbirth - must have been the placenta I saw. This is the first birth ive seen, usually i find dry babies all cleaned off. was very cool watching the birth. not to mention a little nerve racking.. but all 3 seem well - and all under momma.

Afterbirth is the common name for placenta, and each kit should have one attached unless they are true twins, in which they will have shared one. They should follow each kit as they're born, though not always. Most mothers will eat the placenta shortly after it is delivered so an accurate count is not always possible. A retained placenta however can become toxic.

The placenta/afterbirth is not part of the uterine wall or lining. Rather, it attaches itself to it. I have come to think of it as almost parasitic, it will attach itself to whatever is convenient. The uterus is the organ most capable of sustaining the pregnancy, however in ectopic pregnancies in which the embryo can't reach the uterus for whatever reason, the placenta will attach itself to anything with a blood supply - stomach, intestines, ovary, etc.