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...

[Eva]

Oh my, this is the first I've heard of this idea. It's really fascinating!

heabrook: Were you raw at the time that your midwife made this special brew for you? I'm just curious. :)

[Eva]

And just a comment on this... I wonder if hundreds of years ago, that would have been commonplace. It seems that some things that in the past were seen as natural and normal... are now bizarre and unheard of. And vice versa; I'm sure that in the past, people would have been shocked by the things our society does to food and how much time we spend in front of the computer not exercising, etc.

Just a thought. :)

I've been oil pulling for almost a year now, and I'm sure most people (even raw) would find the idea of swishing oil around your mouth to be strange, but for me, it's been really helpful.

I guess ya can't rightfully knock somethin' until ya try it, whether it's raw food, oil pulling, eating placentas, and whatever else!

[Stina]

If we lived in undernourished, famine conditions, eating it could save a mother's life, restoring all of the lost nutrients.
I like the idea of people respectfully giving it back to the earth.

[dogmd]

yep..i ate mine. i steamed it, sliced it and dehydrated it . then put it in my vitamix and pulverized it into a powder. i then put the powder into gel capsules and took 6 a day for 2 months. i had a huge placenta. last pregnancy i didn't eat my placenta and much of my thick hair fell out at 12 months post partum. this pregnancy, my chinese dr instructed me to save my placenta and eat it... my hair is the best it has ever been...thick and long...hopefully it stays that way. sorry all lower caps.. i am feeding the baby while i type with one hand.

[Raene]

Well, it used to really freak me out, but I'm actually considering it now!
I want to have a Lotus Birth, meaning that you leave the cord attached to the baby until it naturally falls off--2-10 days, when it's ready, and then there's no risk of infection b/c there's no wound, and the baby often is better-adjusted this way.
But I'm thinking of also taking a small piece from the placenta, and actually what I've been reading is that you can just stick it in the blender with frozen fruits and make a raw smoothie. Sounds gross, but you know what, if it helps prevent pp hemorrhaging and PPD, why not try it? You can't taste it with enough berries. Maybe sounds disgusting to some, but whatever works...

[elfinbaby]

This is actually being discussed on www.mothering.com in Unassisted Birth right now. There are tons of threads on it and a couple of books. It's not an unheard of practice - but I operate in semi-crunchy to crunchy crowds.

For pp bleeding, you can just take a sliver and place it inside your cheek. Or take a cube and eat it. Or cut some up w/some oj and strawberries, blend well

I've never done it but I will this time. I'll need all the help I can get w/a speedy recovery since this will be baby #4.

[Raene]

Are you planning on UC? I am, but I only know of one other person who has done it. I go back and forth between feeling like we're just animals and can do what they do...naturally and without someone "coaching" us b/c our bodies know what to do..to being scared and thinking I'm a nutcase for considering it. Lol.

[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.