The Tree of Life

The placenta, Tree of life, the life support of the unborn child... I often see pictures, and descriptions of the placenta, but i rarely see illustrations... This particular one I drew not long ago is not perfectly drawn by any means, the proportions are skewed to my own desires so that it might convey what i interpret to be the placenta... The tree of life...
I will always remember the first time a midwife shared this perception with me. It was at my mother's first birth... ( i  was 9 yrs old)  After the birth I helped the midwife wash and examine the placenta.. I was fascinated! what an amazing feat it had accomplished... from that time on I always helped to clean and examine the placentas as my mother bonded with her baby... and now as an adult having my own babies.. I clean and examine my own.. I look in amazement at the work it has done, at how this entire organ has formed in my body, even feeding my baby ....and i try to decipher it's secrets :)
As a midwifery student it intrigues me even more and I plan to draw and interpret it often!

What are your thoughts on the placenta and the work it does?