Placenta Plans?

[tracymom1]

Just curious as to what everyone is thinking about doing with their placentas... I have found a wonderful, but expensive, woman who will dry and encapsulate mine for me.  I hoped to consume mine last time around but time got away from me - I am thinking if I actually have someone who comes and does it for me I will be more likely to follow through with it.  I had horrible PPD with my last and don't want to fall into that abyss again.  I don't think I can eat it raw or in a smoothie - I have a very sensitive stomach as it is and can't see that being a viable option for me.  

Is anyone else thinking of consuming the placenta? Has anyone done it before? How did you do it and how did you feel?

[kawa kamuri]

Last time I planned on making smoothies but just never did. By the time I even thought about it post-birth the placenta had been uncovered in the fridge for too long for my comfort. I took photographs, made blood prints, put it in a baggie and there it sits still in my freezer. That reminds me - I hear the prints won't hold up and haven't looked at them since they dried. I should dig them up. 

[weliveintheforest]

I don't know yet!  Last time, I planned to do a lotus birth, but we ended up cutting the cord after about 36 hours.  I felt like it had been sitting out too long to eat... and now this time I don't know what I will do.  I don't feel like I can stomach consuming it fresh, but I would love to avoid PPD.  I doubt I will be up to encapsulating it myself but it is something I should ask around about.

[jshannyn519]

I would love to have it encapsulated for me, but I can't afford it. I honestly don't think that I could do it myself, even though it's supposed to be very easy. There is NO way that I could eat it raw in any form unless it was eat it or die. Even then it's questionable... I don't know what I'm going to do. We'll be moving from my mother's house into an apartment or something about a month before the baby is born so planting it in the yard (if it's even possible) doesn't make sense.

[imalego]

I had a smoothie after my last birth(strawberry, banana, yogurt, placenta...it was GREAT) and plan to do the very same thing again.  We also made prints and it's still sitting in my freezer waiting for....I don't really know yet.  I should probably bury it this spring before new babe comes and I've got more placenta in my freezer than anything else!

FWIW, we used frozen strawberries(I was concerned about small chunks of placenta still intact and I thought small bits of strawberry would make it not noticable), and I could only taste a tiny bit of metallic/blood flavor after it had not all been consumed in 10 minutes.

[BarefootinBrooklyn]

I have some doula friends who have an encapsulation service so I'm planning to give them a call to help out. :) I also want to make a print and save some to plant with a special shrub for this baby. 

[JosieAK]

So how much does encapsulation cost? I know someone who does it locally and I will ask her, but I thought I would ask you for an idea of what to compare it against. I cannot imagine it would be the funnest, easiest job, but it is still a pretty neat idea. I guess if I cannot afford to have it encapsulated, we will plant it under a little flowering bush in our new yard. Maybe I will smoothie a chunk of it with some berries, but I cannot imagine I could eat the whole thing raw. Is there something special that you have to do to make a print? It is just blood? Do I need special paper? I feel sad about my DD's placenta. I was really excited about it and wanted to save to plant under a pink flowering bush. It was just so meaningful to me. We asked the hospital not to toss it. However in the exhaustion of leaving the hospital we decided not to make the effort of saving it, so it stayed behind. We informed the nurses on the way out, "By the way, there is a placenta in the closet". I wish I had insisted on someone taking it home and putting it in the freezer, but it really is small beans in reflection, and I was blessed with a pretty smooth postpartum. This time, hopefully, I'll have my home birth and I'll be a little more in control of what goes on!

[mad4mady]

I am planning on getting the placenta encapsulated. The Doula I am considering has a encapsulating service so I think that is the easiest way to go. It is not cheap but, I know this is the only way I can use it and I really want to have it for all of the benefits. I know there is no way I could eat it any other way

[tracymom1]

It is around $1,000 here!!  We certainly don't have the money, but if we UC, which we are leaning towards, then we can use the money we saved for a midwife towards that.

[Bald_Bull's_Mama]

A gal in my parenting group does encapsulation for $100ish, maybe less. She isn't licensed or certified or whatever; not sure if that makes a difference in price. I didn't really have any PPD issues, so I'm not having it done. I think I'd like to look at the placenta this time before they discard it. I didn't even see DS's. I guess I'm not that crunchy. :P

[Mamatoabunch]

Burying it in my garden or under a plant, as usual.

[Tumble Bumbles]

Edited. 

Edited by Tumble Bumbles - 4/10/11 at 1:41pm

[BarefootScientist]

I don't really have any interest in consuming my placenta in any form, nor in doing any type of art with it, and we rent an apartment so I can't bury it or plant it. Can I just throw it in the dumpster with regular trash??

[tracymom1]

Originally Posted by BarefootScientist 

I don't really have any interest in consuming my placenta in any form, nor in doing any type of art with it, and we rent an apartment so I can't bury it or plant it. Can I just throw it in the dumpster with regular trash??

I guess that depends on a few things... do you live in an area where mice, rats or other critters could dig through your trash?  If so, I recommend putting it in your freezer or fridge until trash day and then getting it in the garbage can right before the truck comes.  Make sure you put it in a couple of bags, at least, and that as much air as possible is removed from them and they are secured.

 It is technically considered a biohazard and 'should' not be put in the regular trash, but other than burning it, I don't see much of a choice, right?  Unless you know someone who works in a hospital and can dispose of it properly.  DD's is still in my freezer and I will probably keep lugging it around with us until we find our 'forever' home!

[tracymom1]

Originally Posted by Bald_Bull's_Mama 

A gal in my parenting group does encapsulation for $100ish, maybe less. She isn't licensed or certified or whatever; not sure if that makes a difference in price. I didn't really have any PPD issues, so I'm not having it done. I think I'd like to look at the placenta this time before they discard it. I didn't even see DS's. I guess I'm not that crunchy. :P

Do you think she would come to Chicago???!!!  

[mad4mady]

Originally Posted by tracymom1 

It is around $1,000 here!!  We certainly don't have the money, but if we UC, which we are leaning towards, then we can use the money we saved for a midwife towards that.

Wow that is a lot!! I would not be able to do it if it cost that much.  I have not shopped around at all for pricing so I may be getting the deal of the century but, I am having it done for $150.

[kawa kamuri]

Originally Posted by BarefootScientist 

I don't really have any interest in consuming my placenta in any form, nor in doing any type of art with it, and we rent an apartment so I can't bury it or plant it. Can I just throw it in the dumpster with regular trash??

Your MW or someone with a garden may want it. 

[kawa kamuri]

Originally Posted by JosieAK 

So how much does encapsulation cost? I know someone who does it locally and I will ask her, but I thought I would ask you for an idea of what to compare it against. I cannot imagine it would be the funnest, easiest job, but it is still a pretty neat idea. I guess if I cannot afford to have it encapsulated, we will plant it under a little flowering bush in our new yard. Maybe I will smoothie a chunk of it with some berries, but I cannot imagine I could eat the whole thing raw. Is there something special that you have to do to make a print? It is just blood? Do I need special paper? I feel sad about my DD's placenta. I was really excited about it and wanted to save to plant under a pink flowering bush. It was just so meaningful to me. We asked the hospital not to toss it. However in the exhaustion of leaving the hospital we decided not to make the effort of saving it, so it stayed behind. We informed the nurses on the way out, "By the way, there is a placenta in the closet". I wish I had insisted on someone taking it home and putting it in the freezer, but it really is small beans in reflection, and I was blessed with a pretty smooth postpartum. This time, hopefully, I'll have my home birth and I'll be a little more in control of what goes on!

A doula local to me charges $150 in her home and $200 in the clients home. $1000 seems wildly too much!

I just used blood on high quality watercolour paper but most I see are done with paint. I personally don't care for the look. Maybe a thin, red paint? I might could go for that. My last placenta was awesome to see as it had marginal cord insertion.  

Edited by kawa kamuri - 1/18/11 at 4:00pm

[astar326]

i hope to encapslate. i would do it myself, but dh feels weary about it and wants a trained professional to use her own pots/coffee grinder, etc. plus i wonder if i would be able to do it in the days after birth. i like that the pills will last forever in your freezer, so you could use it to help with menopause later in life. ds was a c/s so we were not able to take his placenta home and bc of pitocin it wouldn't have been edible anyway. 

[Bald_Bull's_Mama]

We're 3 hours south of Chicago. Maybe you guys could work something out. If you want, pm me your email address and I can pass it along to her. :)