Let's talk... PLACENTAS! - Page 3

[aramat]

Originally Posted by gini1313

Although I have had issues with depression with both of my other pregnancies (and this one too) but never had a problem with PPD... It seems like once the baby comes out, I am all good, it is just the hormones during pregnancy that make me blue

Hugs to you!

I had PND (prenatal depression) with both of my previous pregnancies. The first time around, I didn't know what it was. The second time, I tried a zillion natural remedies (herbs, supplements, yoga, counseling, etc!) but eventually went on a very low dose of Zoloft in my 3rd trimester. (Which. Was. Awesome!) Went off of the Zoloft around 3 weeks postpartum because I just didn't need it anymore, at all; instead of making me super-awesome-calm like it did during the pregnancy, it made me feel numb and bored. ...So, yeah, I'm backwards, too.

This pregnancy, though, I am not having the same mood swings (or suicidal thoughts, or threats of divorce over trivial things...); I actually feel like a normal pregnant person. So not sure what that means for me postpartum this time, but I still want to consume the placenta for help with my physical recovery. Both postpartum periods were the worst I've ever felt physically, and I really hope to somehow make it go easier this time.

[Rikki Jean]

Originally Posted by moondiapers

when you ask for info on the best way to get the hospital to release your placenta....they send it in some crazy format that can only be openened in outlook.

Oh, lame!

Originally Posted by gini1313

I have to chuckle a little at the thought of asking my dh to touch it, let alone cut it up for me to eat it.

He got dizzy at both of my births (the first one because it took "so long" that he had "time to see everything" and the second one because it was so quick that he "didn't have time to get used to it.") and is absolutely grossed out by EVERYTHING. I think asking him to look at/touch/cut up my placenta would put him over the edge. Especially if it was because I was gonna eat it!!!

Luckily for him, the idea sort of grosses me out (not touching it or looking at it, but eating it), too, so he is off the hook

Yeah, my DH would not be too interested either, which is why I'm thinking that having someone else do it will be the best for us. He passes out at the sight of his own blood (seriously), so other blood does not go well for him. He's okay with birth blood, but the afterbirth makes him a little queasy, so I doubt that he'd be too into chopping up the placenta for me.

[gini1313]

Originally Posted by aramat

This pregnancy, though, I am not having the same mood swings (or suicidal thoughts, or threats of divorce over trivial things...); I actually feel like a normal pregnant person.

Lol to the divorce threats... I have not actually ever threatened it, but I had to ask my friend to remind me the other day that I always want to get divorced when I am pregnant, and it will go away after the baby comes. Wouldn't you think that would be counterproductive to continuing the species/our family line? When I am pregnant, I should be most into being married to my husband... Instead, I just want to divorce him everytime he does anything that makes me even remotely mad... Go figure.

[Ninetales]

I only recently became open to actually eating it. I was all for encapsulation only but when I saw how much darn work it is, and how much it costs to have it done I decided I'd reconsider. Now I'm excited about it!

[AnabellasMama]

I am encapsulating it. Here is the easiest way I've seen to do so.

Cut away as much of the sac as possible.
Blend in a blender until smooth.
Place onto a dehydrator (make sure that soild plastic tray thing is on the shelf!) and dehydrate until no mositure remains (typically 7-10hrs.)
Then cut up into smaller pieces and blend again until a powder.
Encapsulate and thats it.

I am ordering 250 gelatin capsules online and thats all I am spending on this.
This hint that I have seen is to wear gloves for the encapsulating process bc the placenta may leave a strong smell on your hands once dehydrated.

My dh thinks I have lost it with wanting to do this and my parents who are quite "hippy dippy" looked at me funny so its definately not a very popular idea in general lol

[aramat]

Originally Posted by Rikki Jean

A friend told me about this site: http://placentabenefits.info/services.asp They sell the kits, and they have "specialists" that can do it for you. I haven't used them, and I'm still checking out the site, so don't count my reference as an endorsement.

I've seen this site referenced frequently on my doula-ing message board (there are a lot of doulas who want to become specialists).

...I just don't know how I feel about it, when the process seems simple enough (although time-consuming) to do at home (just as AnabellasMama posted!). I haven't yet been convinced that there is anything particularly special about the kit or the certification process.

My midwife did tell me that there are pharmacies in Brazil that will encapsulate my placenta with "special herbs" added in; I'm going to ask her more about this at our next appointment. I wonder what herbs??

Although I am nervous to let my ONLY PLACENTA walk out the door into the hands of gawd-knows-whom...

[Rikki Jean]

Does anyone have any experience with placenta smoothies? Is there any way to make it taste...not like a placenta?

Originally Posted by aramat

I've seen this site referenced frequently on my doula-ing message board (there are a lot of doulas who want to become specialists).

...I just don't know how I feel about it, when the process seems simple enough (although time-consuming) to do at home (just as AnabellasMama posted!). I haven't yet been convinced that there is anything particularly special about the kit or the certification process.

My midwife did tell me that there are pharmacies in Brazil that will encapsulate my placenta with "special herbs" added in; I'm going to ask her more about this at our next appointment. I wonder what herbs??

Although I am nervous to let my ONLY PLACENTA walk out the door into the hands of gawd-knows-whom...

Yeah, it does seem like a LOT of money to spend. My friend found someone there and is spending $250 to have it done. I don't think I could bring myself to spend that much, especially when my husband is working a ton of extra hours right now just to pay for the birth (I LOVE HIM! ).

However, I asked my mw if she knows anyone that does it, and she gave me the name and number of a lady that lives near her that does it, who charges $100-$200 on a sliding scale. I just left her a message, and I'm eager to hear back from her. If it's an income-based scale, we'll be on the lower end of it anyway, and I can definitely justify spending $100ish for someone else to do it.

I considered doing it myself, but I'm usually soooooo tired for days after my babies come, and I take a while to heal, so I'll be way too useless to do it myself. I would ask my husband, but since he doesn't do well with blood, that is so not going to happen!

[hippie_mommy]

The prices vary so dramatically. We don't live in a particularly inexpensive part of the country, but the going rate for encapsulation by a midwife or apprentice is only about $65. Almost all of the apprentices here do it as a side source of income.

[aramat]

Originally Posted by Rikki Jean

Does anyone have any experience with placenta smoothies? Is there any way to make it taste...not like a placenta?

I've read repeatedly that there is no "placenta taste" in smoothies made primarily with frozen [red?] fruit.

[Rikki Jean]

Originally Posted by aramat

I've read repeatedly that there is no "placenta taste" in smoothies made primarily with frozen [red?] fruit.

hm, interesting...i guess i just assumed that it would taste gross!



i forgot to say that i want to do placenta prints. we did them with ds1, but it was with a stamp pad, and they look kinda cheesy. i love the one here: http://miracletome.blogspot.com/2009...ta-prints.html my friend who is a mw says that you can still encapsulate if you do prints, but i'll have to ask the encapsulation lady when i talk to her.

[buckeye_bebe]

I'd like to do something more useful with my placenta this time around, but I haven't figured out how to get it out of the hospital yet.

[Lauren31]

Does anyone know if this is common in Europe??? I wish I could ask my doctor this without being utterly confused... I asked him WHERE the placenta was located on the ultrasound and he looked at me and smiled like, quiet you. I am not sure he understood what I was even saying. I wish I spoke German...

[MommaSomeday]

I talked to Garrin about it last night, and he (predictably) freaked and grossed out. I knew he wouldn't be able to wrap his mind around the idea. he agrees with my that encapsulation would be okay, as long as someone else does it. He couldn't handle the idea of touching it or anything, and asked em to stop talking about it.

Come to think of it, he's probably never seen one - he was already gone when I birthed Gideon's placenta. Poor guy.

[itsajenism]

Originally Posted by buckeye_bebe

I'd like to do something more useful with my placenta this time around, but I haven't figured out how to get it out of the hospital yet.

I posted some information about this on the first page, along with some links.

You would have to check with your hospitals policies and/or sign a waiver to have it released to you.

[Mommy2Austin]

Other than a slightly metallic taste, my placenta smoothies tasted just like a regular smoothie. I usually made a berry smoothie (strawberries, blueberries, etc) and it covered the color

[123]

I did the placenta smoothie with my last one and made my sister's into smoothies when she had her son in May. I couldn't taste any difference and she said she couldn't either. I plan to do the smoothie thing again this time, it definitely helped last time.

[boigrrrlwonder]

I'm going the smoothie route!

[leila1213]

I usually put avocados, greens and probiotics in my smoothies (along with bananas and strawberries), so the placenta color might actually make it look MORE appetizing.

[Nicole730]

How did everything go with eating the placenta? What did you do? How do you feel?

I had some in a smoothie on the day she was born and the next day. Since then I've been taking 6 pills a day, but I'm going to cut down to 4 a day now that Elsa is a week old.

-My milk came in the day after she was born!
-I haven't had any baby blues - or urge to cry over anything
-Bleeding was down to a regular size pad lasting a whole 24 hours at 4 days post partum (I don't remember how long I bled a lot with DS, so I don't know if this is placenta related)
-I haven't had any "brain fog", like I had with DS for weeks
-I haven't been that tired...just normal tired - not like exhausted tired

What did your placenta do for you?

[TexasMum]

I ate it. It didn't seem to do anything. I'm just proud of myself for actually going through with it. I did the smoothie route. I still have a little left in my freezer. I want to bury it and have a plant or something on top that I can dig up and put in a pot to take with us when we get stationed. Anyone have any experience with burying their placenta or making a birth tree or whatever?