Did you EAT the placenta?

[Raene]

I am thoroughly grossed out by placentas...the idea that people freeze them and bury them, save them, etc just really freaks me out.
However, I had heavy bleeding the last birth (the one and only) and I've been reading that eating the placenta helps stop the heavy p.p. bleeding. Also, it supposedly, according to Chinese Medicine, cures Postpartum Depression. Anyone tried to eat it? I've heard of people making placenta smoothies! Again, I'm so disgusted. But curious...that bleeding during the birth really scared me...*maybe* enough to consider taking a bite...but I'm not sure. I've seen some people dehydrate them and make them into capsules...I just don't know...but I'm curious.
Then again, I've been vegan for 3 years, but I feel like being vegan to me is about not harming other animals...and the placenta, being made by me, wouldn't seem to go against my veganism.
:) Hope people respond!

[shakti17]

no....the midwife asked if i wanted to keep it....i was like "keep it, why?"

i love it as my son's "house" but that's it!

[heabrook]

You don't just "eat it" at least, most people don't...

My midwife took the placenta and "brewed" it with a few other things (like scallions, but she said that was mainly just to help the smell :) and then encapsulated it for me and I took it. It made so much that I have left over. It helps your body recover too.

[coco]

i respectfully planted it into the earth. the other one is in the freezer until the ground thaws.
what are you supposed to do with it exactly? you can't put it into the garbage, it's a human body part after all and tossing it into the trash is not legal (did you know it's also illegal to dispose of human feces in the trash? hello pampers landfill planet, where do they think those parents are putting the poop? weird).

eat it? no. though i kept an open mind about that, when i birthed it i had no desire or attraction to the thought of putting it into my mouth. and i sure wouldn't have cooked it up to eat it, i won't cook broccoli, i sure am not doing it with placenta.
perhaps if i had been in dire need of assistance healing after my births i would have looked at it as medicinal but rest and good food were all that i needed when my children were born. it isn't something i wanted at all.

[JennaBoBenna]

I've seen my pet rat give birth and eat her placentas and was just grossed out entirely! I know it's a natural thing blah blah...but...I don't know...

[Peace Love and Rawness]

I had no desire to eat mine as well. However, my mom wanted to take it home and bury it. I thought it was a cool idea so I let her, but I don't think I would have had the time/energy to do that myself haha...

[trinity082482]

I don't think my man would kiss me ever again if I ate mine. ;)

[elfinbaby]

Actually, I am planning on a uc. I've had 3 hbs w/mws and this time I just didn't feel like a mw was necessary. Almost from the beginning of this pregnancy I felt different. I usually LOVE finding a mw, visiting, talking birth. I visualize a birth w/family around but this time was different. I felt private, protective, I couldn't see where the mw would fit in. Birthing is an awesome experience and I have only had very caring, "hands off" type mws but I'm ready to do this on my own. I'm looking forward to experiencing birth with only dh by my side.

I've had 3 hbs w/mws with no problems at all. My last birth I did the Hypnobabies homestudy course and I had the most amazing birth ever. It was quiet, peaceful, totally serene. The mw didn't really think I was going to birth that night yet I did:) I didn't make a peep (unlike my other births) until I started pushing. I think it's that experience that really gave me the confidence to know that birth CAN be simple.

Which leads me to the what if's and taking responsibility. I'm reading, taking notes on what I need to do in the event of a complication, checking off my personal what if's, eating right, exercising, tuning in. It's a big responsibility which is the part that nay sayers miss. No one is more responsible for the outcome than me and dh and that includes preparing and taking care of myself during pregnancy. I also spoke with a mw who is supportive and said I could call her if I needed her which takes some pressure off of dh.

Which leads me to eating the placenta, lol. I don't have a history of pph but if a sliver of placenta is going to be to my advantage, then I'll eat it I'd rather play it safe. Believe it or not - I'm not a risk taker. I know that may sound wrong to some but it's true.

I've been reading alot of uc books. My favorites so far are Unassisted Homebirth, The Power of Pleasurable Childbirth - big fave, Special Delivery. There are other good ones but those are my standouts. I should add that I've been reading preg/birth books since my first pregnancy in 1997 so there are many, many good reads about birth in general. This list is just my recent exploration of ucing. I also just read Journey Into Motherhood. It's a collection of birth stories which, honestly, I'm tired of reading. HOWEVER, this is a great collection that covers births in the hospital, home, and from many perspectives. All inspirational and thought provoking. Highly recommended.

[Raene]

Have you read Primal Mothering? I haven't but I heard it has a great story in the back about someone eating RAW and her baby just slipped out ever so gently.
I have read a bit too about UC and I love it. I really do. But I'm one of those people who freaks out at pain so I just want to make sure I'm totally ready to do it with the support of only my partner.
I LOVE the UC videos on youtube, too. They are soooo peaceful and beautiful. I'm just hoping I can have enough confidence in myself to do it b/c it does ideally seem to be the best way for both baby and mama.

[elfinbaby]

I have it on hold at the library so I haven't read it yet. I read a few things about the author on the internet and I've been hesitant to read it. It's a parenting book and, from what I read about the author, she made some wildly different decisions than I would concerning her daughter. However, I decided to order it anyway - it's the internet, you never know what the circumstances actually were and I can still benefit from the book regardless.

I did read Jinjee's Raw Pregnancy book though. Very helpful. www.thegardendiet.com

[Raene]

I haven't read Jinjee's yet, either.
I did hear the author of Primal Mothering had her daughter taken away.

[therawmichelle]

What an interesting topic! As far as i know, animals eat the placenta for extra nutrition, whereas human mothers have no medical or nutritional need to eat the placenta, because they can get all the nutrients they require from a supplemented diet after giving birth.
The placenta is supposed to contain a hormone that encourages the uterus to shrink to its normal size again, as well as oxytocin, which relieves birth stress and helps with the release of milk from the mammary glands. If you want my own personal opinion, which i would not want to force onto anyone, i find the idea of eating the placenta of your baby to be a bit of a barbarism. It is, after all, raw human tissue.

[Anais]

I did eat my placenta, raw and right after the birth. It felt right. I don't know if it changed anything, but I know I didn't have any postpartum depression which I had a little bit after my previous birth, and I bled very little. I felt very strong right after eating it, actually got up and took a shower. I ate half of the placenta raw and cut up, and it felt full of nutrients and gave me so much needed energy. I tried to eat what was left in the fridge the next day and it felt and tasted incredibly gross! So I guess hormones and texture of it change.... My poor husband and midwife who cut it up for me were so disgusted by it....

[StarFire]

.... .... no.

[StarFire]

JES KIDDING!!! ... I know that there are alot of cultures and peoples that do - and there are great benefits from doing so.
I didn't but - back when i was having my family - i was not very health oriented and so was very ignorant of a lot of things. I did believe in natural child birth and took herbs throughout my pregnancy - but i had never heard of eating the placenta until I became a rawbie and my 'horizons' expanded a bit. I do have friends that have eaten the placenta and some still have the umbilical cord in their freezer. hmmm... interesting, but I make sure not to grab jes anything from their freezer/fridge and eat it! (okay okay ... just kidding again!!) ... as those of you that know me -- yes I'm still sassy!! heheheeee!!