where do the placentas go? - Page 2

[love2all]

The placenta readings I have heard about are sort of like astrological forecasts. For example- one friend was given insights and info about the relationship between the dad and child (parents are not together) and it has helped her realize the special tight bond that they have. I mean I know that that is a given but the readings seem to make sense and help explain issue that arise or may arise. Am i explaining anything here? I have major mush brain these days.........i am ready for baby to arrive.........

[bunny's mama]

okay, just a little OT here, but if i had a miscarriage or still born baby, there is NO WAY IN HELL i would leave that hospital without the remains. that is just terrible that any grieving family is robbed of being able to bury their baby's remains how they see fit.

i had dd in the hospital and they had a "strict policy" about not taking your placenta home. i said BULLSHIT. we snuck that sucker out in a tupperware inside dh's backpack.

i hate how hospitals act like they own you. the truth is that you are free to do whatever you want, you just have to be really really assertive about it (which you're usually not in the mood for after just giving birth, LOL). i said i would sign any paper or talk to any hospital administrator, but i wasn't leaving that place without my placenta. if they'd told me i couldn't have it, i would've picked up my baby and my palcenta and walked right outta there. luckily, our MW was cool with our taking it, so she's the one who helped us package it all up.

[merpk]

Remembering an outrageously hysterically funny thread some time ago titled something like "Who has placenta in their freezer?"

Am thinking it was archived in TAO or some such ... gotta dig around for the link ...

[pamamidwife]

Yeah, it's one thing when it's YOUR placenta in the freezer, my talk to my dh - three weeks ago we had FIVE placentas in our freezer, none of them mine. He was having a COW.

[julie128]

Originally posted by Greaseball
T
I hear that most hospitals have a rule of "If we remove it from your body, it's our property." (I guess this does not apply to babies, though some hospitals make you wonder, the way they take them away when they want and make rules about how and when they can be fed!) But if you get your arm amputated there is no way you're taking it home with you. Though I'd like to see that rule changed...

My husband's friend had to have his leg amputated. He has its ashes in a box somewhere.

[tofumama]

I was able to bring home both dc's placentas, with ds it sat in the freezer for 2 yrs until we moved, then I planted in with a special tree that he picked out, in a ceremony. With dd, my midwife helped me 'sneak' it out of the Hosp. b/c it was biohazard, blah blah blah. I did the same ceremony/tree planting with hers. Sort of off topic, but I was really upset after the fact that they (hosp. staff) took the cord blood. Dd was a preemie, so they didn't leave her attatched until the cord emptied. I was never asked, nor did I agree to donate that cord blood. Since we will use the same Hosp. when we concieve #3, I am going to make a stink about it then...I'm not against donating it, but geez, could you ASK me at least??? (Incidentally, we did 'bank' ds cord blood- my mother is a nurse...)

[applejuice]

RE: placentas

After each of my four homebirths, I buried them in the ground and planted a rose bush over it.

My DS2 has a white rose bush, and when he was in high school, he would cut a rose off of it and give it to his girlfriend...

I do know of a friend who delivered her babe at home only to be transported for the third stage of labor; the hospital refused to give her the placenta. WTF?! (The hospital sure got even with her - dang you, homebirthing mother...!!)

I heard they use it to sell to drug companies to manufacture synthetic oxytocics/pitocin. Ahhh, the cycle of life...:

[Plady]

I had a homebirth so hospital policies didn't apply but I ate some of my (dd's?) placenta in soup right after birth (freshest meat I've ever had!! ). Dh also had a bite and we fed some of the rindy bits to the dogs and the cat (it was along the lines of the baby bringing the older sib a present from the hospital!).

After that my doula took it home with her and she made it into medicine for me and dd. I still have the capsules which I take when I'm feeling really out of sorts and it helps every time.

[tofumama]

Plady, that is so AWESOME!!!!!!

[mamaroni]

http://www.geocities.com/virtualbirth/placenta.html

I don't think this link has been posted yet.

I have an acquaintance that dried her placenta and put it in capsules. She has 100s of the capsules now, and takes them occasionally.

[momto l&a]

We have two in our freezer, our oldest turned four this past January.

We havent found the right place to bury them.

My parents planted mine under a Walnut tree.

[Changed]

I read somewhere a while back, the instruction on makeing a placenta tincture. Basicly you put it in a jar with vodka and sit it in the sun for a few hours and then add some other stuff. I *think*. I is suposed to be great for PPD and a ton of other stuff. They say it should last for a LOOOONG time. Maybe ill try that. My luck, if I buried it the dog would dig it up and eat it! And I coudl never ever eat it!!! I am not one who believes we are in any way related to mammals and can't see any reason to eat it. Maybe there are, I haven't ever looked into it.

[eilonwy]

Eli's placenta was small, stiff, gray and obviously infected. I know that it went to the pathology lab for testing; it was probably burned with other biohazardous materials afterwards. From the way my sister described it, I'm glad that I hadn't had my heart set on taking it home because I would have been heartbroken.

Before I had children, I wanted to keep the placenta and bury it under a tree. The thing is, we don't own a house so I'd feel wrong about burying it in our backyard. Coupled with our lack of a freezer, I think we'll just let the hospital dispose of it.

[lorijds]

At our birth center, we ask if the mom/couple want to take it home. If not, we send it with the rest of our biohazard. We used to take it to the hospital for incineration....since the placentas were mixed with all the other biohazard material, I doubt that they were sorted out for anything.

But the hospital no longer accepts outside waste, so we contract with a biohazard disposal comapny. They take *all* of our biowaste. Interestingly enough, they don't burn it. They sterilize it, and then bury it?

So I guess it is getting buried one way or another. But I like the idea of donating it to a search and rescue team. We are considered such freaks in the community anyhow, though. I hate the idea of calling up the local sherrifs office and asking if they want our used placentas! I can just seem him rolling his eyes..."...uh, no thanks lady." Well, I'll have to check it out, anyhow.

Lori

[sharksmum]

I knew that creepy things were done with placentas at the hospital, so I informed the nurses that I wanted to keep mine. They labelled it and put it in the fridge for me.

We were so anxious to get out of the hospital that we rushed out a couple of hours after dd was born and didn't think about the placenta again for months!

Who knows who found it or what they thought it was when they did! heehee

[Mamid]

I was asked if I wanted to do anything with mine cause I asked to look at it - my son's that is.

I didn't.

My daughter's was examined 10 feet from me and I didn't even get a look at it. Apparently there were bits left over.... cause he ripped it out maybe?

My lost one's was cut from him and gods know what was done with it. I think they pathed it but thankfully gave him the dignity to not cut him up to bits.

[USAmma]

When I gave birth recently the nurse *asked* me if I wanted to keep the placenta! I wasn't intending on it but thought that was really nice that they asked. I did take part of the cord home and they put it in a biohazard bag for me.

Darshani