I'm considering doing this. My midwife is having a group session next month to learn more about it. Anyone else?
The placenta from my last baby is still in the deep freeze, we meant to plant it under a tree last spring and forgot. Maybe I'll thaw it out and have extra? 
I will absolutely be consuming my placenta!!!! I have done it for 3 out of my 5 births and the results are absolutely amazing!!!!
With my first 2 babies I really didn't know about placentophogy so just buried the placenta instead. Then my 3rd and 4th pg ended in m/c. When ds3 was born I fell into really deep ppd.I was excited about my son but it really brought up my losses as well. My m/w suggested encapsulating my placenta when ds3 was 5 days old. The thought really grossed me out. The placenta was in the freezer and when he was about 7 wks old i didn't care how disgusting it was I knew I had to do something. So I encapsulated my placenta. It was really time consuming but really worth it. The ppd started to decrease within days. My energy returned, it was amazing. When my next child was born I knew that I would use the placenta but didn't want to do the capsules. I did my research and decided to make smoothies. I read that you can not tase it and really you can NOT taste it. My m/w prepared the placenta immediately after birth by cutting it up into quarter size chunks and putting it in a ziploc. Then she made me a smoothy with a few chunks, strawberries, rice milk, bananas, etc. I couldn't tase it at all. My energy returned and I didn't have any ppd. It replaces the iron and contracts the uterus. My uterus was completely contracted by 5 days!!! The bleeding had stopped at 5 days, it was amazing. I just couldn't believe the ammount of energy that I had.
When I found out my son had died at 17 wks pg I knew that I would make good use of the placenta. My m/w made me a smoothy right away. I was able to get about 5 smoothies out of the little placenta. My uterus was contracted by 4 days!! I felt good physically and the depression was minimal considering what I had gone through.
I highly recommend placentophogy, you won't regret it!
Here is some info that I have collected over the years.
Placentophagy (from 'placenta' + Greek φαγειν, to eat) is the act of mammals eating the placenta of their young after childbirth.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Placentophagy
Placenta Benefits Info http://placentabenefits.info/medicinal.asp
I highly recommend that you contact Jodi Selenger with placenta benefits info. She was extremely helpful and seems really devoted to plecentophagy. Her website contains a wealth of information.
Placenta Resources http://www.essentialhealth.us/birthessentials/placentaservices/resources-websites.html
Mothering.com
http://www.mothering.com/discussions/showthread.php?t=361394
https://www.mothering.com/discussions/showthread.php?t=361394
http://www.mothering.com/discussions/showthread.php?t=225844&highlight=placenta
Placentophagy articles
http://loveuponlove.com/doula/downloads/PlacentaPostpartumWellness.pdf
http://www.usatoday.com/news/health/2007-07-18-placenta-ingestion_N.htm
Placenta Smoothie
http://community.livejournal.com/naturalbirth/769316.html
http://www.mothering.com/discussions/showthread.php?t=935130
Placenta Encapsulation
http://www.vivantemidwifery.com/placenta.html
http://naturalmomstalkradio.com/blog/placenta-encapsulation-and-ingestion/
http://www.mothering.com/discussions/showthread.php?t=912886
http://mamamojo.wordpress.com/2008/06/10/placenta-dehydrationencapsulation-phase-one-complete/
http://www.ganesabirth.com/Placenta_Encapsulation.html
Enjoy
I won't be. After I get to check it out, it's going to incineration. Not a placenta-eater.
I will be. I don't know that I can handle actually eating it...but I've heard a lot about the benefits and see it as a valuable piece of recovery. There's a group here in my city that does encapsulating services.
Nicole, out of pure curiosity, how many, normal dosed "smoothies" do you think would one get out of a full term placenta? (there's a question I never thought i'd ask...haha!)
What i don't completely understand, is if one is more beneficial than the other-encapsulating vs. eating as is. It does seem that you would use it up faster going the smoothie route, which might be better?
I've never done this, so i'm open to advice...
Planning on having it encapsulated. I had mild ppd last time and think the extra hormones and nutrients from the placenta could really help this time around. Postpartum is hard enough, so anything natural I can do to make it potentially easier sounds like a win-win situation to me. Also, taking into account that most mammals do consume their placentas, it makes sense on another level.
Last time, we transferred to the hospital and I had Pitocin, so I was wary of consuming the placenta. Anyone know about that? Do you have to have an entirely natural birth to eat or encapsulate it?
I will not.
I would love to, but I won't be able to do it myself, and I know my husband won't. I'm wishing I had someone to do it for me. Anyone close to me want to be a good friend? ;) lol!
I didn't plan on it for my first birth, but after i bled too much and was very weak my midwife recommended encapsulation and she had the pills to me the next day. It was my first birth so i have no comparison but I was blissfully happy and i felt great. I healed very quickly from my tear, and I had tons of milk. Depression has been an issue for me in the past so i worried about post pardom depression. I will always eat my placenta somehow because i know how scary depression is and i am so grateful that i didn't have any after having my first. I would do anything to prevent it!
We have a service in town that comes and gets it from your house, encapsulates it and bring the capsules back in a nice jar. I think it costs about $250.
I totally couldn't handle doing it myself or mixing smoothies or anything. More power to the ladies that can!
Either way, my husband thinks I'm a little nuts, but the more I've read about it, the more it seems like a good idea.
I plan on consuming my placenta as well, but I'm not sure in what form. All those links are awesome, btw.
One of my midwife instuctors shared placenta preparation. These are from my class notes.
Fresh placenta is best! Rinse placenta, removing any blood & clots. Keep amniotic sac and umbilical cord intact. Place placenta in metal steamer. Add ginger slices, jalapeno (or other spicy pepper) + 1/2 lemon in water. Let steam for 15 minutes on first side, then flip over and steam other side for 15 miunutes, or until you no longer see blood when poked by fork. Remove placenta (it will shrink significantly!) and place on cutting board. Cut in thin strips (no more than 1/8th inch) and place on stainless (not alumunium) cookine sheet. Place in middle of oven set at lowest setting (max 200 degrees) and let placenta dehydrate. You can put in dehydrator as well, but it will take longer. It is done when it breaks with a snap and is perfectly dry. Then break up into bits and grind in coffee grinder or hand grinder if you have one. Capsule powder and hake 2 capsules 3x/day for about 2-3 weeks. The remainder of capsules can be saved for baby, during sickenss, separation, growth milestones like walking/weaning, or for yourself at menopause.
You can also make a tincture, but I heard this can be more challenging than other tinctures.
Also, outside of the raw smoothie option, it can be VERY LIGHTLY sauteed like beef with olive oil, garlic, red pepper and salt. Because it is SO high in iron and other nutrients & hormones your body needs, to many women who have given birth, this will apparantly taste delicious.
Ironically, I actually have 2 placentas in my freezer right now, from one of our midwifery classes. My husband is fully supportive of me eating OUR placenta. But the other day, I had to reassure him that I have absolutely NO intention to eat someone else's placenta!
I am this time, I had no idea about it last time. I have suffered depression in the past and I am scared of getting PPD. I plan to have a little in a smoothie right after birth and the rest encapsulated. DH thinks I am strange, but said whatever floats you boat.
I will definitely be consuming it this time. I still have my first one in the deep freeze as well, just waiting til we get a house so I can plant it under a tree lol. There's a girl in my mamas group here in my city that does placenta encapsulation for I think $60 or so. She comes over and does it right in your house. There's no way I'm letting it go to waste this time!
I am this time, I had no idea about it last time. I have suffered depression in the past and I am scared of getting PPD. I plan to have a little in a smoothie right after birth and the rest encapsulated. DH thinks I am strange, but said whatever floats you boat.
Yeah my DH thinks it's disgusting but said the same thing along with "I just hope you don't expect me to eat it too...."
lol
I buried DC1's placenta under a tree. I was going to encapsulate DC3 because I had PPD with DC1 and 2 but hubby BURNT it. Happily, I still had DC2's in the freezer so I hauled my butt out of my bed and prepared that. It was totally worth doing and I will be eating placenta again. I never want to have PPD ever again. Ever.
Thanks for all the great links Nicole!! This is something I want to do..not sure I will be able to do a smoothie but capsules should be no problem. Who knows maybe I will be brave and try one smoothie after birth and encapsulate the rest. Hopefully I can find someone to do that for me for not to much money. I too have suffered PPD and would love to not have to go through that again!
Ok, when you say "fresh placenta"...does this mean to wash and steam it and then eat it? Or actually eat it as is, raw? (smoothie etc.) I'm assuming you'd still wash it either way?
I plan on consuming my placenta as well, but I'm not sure in what form. All those links are awesome, btw.
One of my midwife instuctors shared placenta preparation. These are from my class notes.
Fresh placenta is best! Rinse placenta, removing any blood & clots. Keep amniotic sac and umbilical cord intact. Place placenta in metal steamer. Add ginger slices, jalapeno (or other spicy pepper) + 1/2 lemon in water. Let steam for 15 minutes on first side, then flip over and steam other side for 15 miunutes, or until you no longer see blood when poked by fork. Remove placenta (it will shrink significantly!) and place on cutting board. Cut in thin strips (no more than 1/8th inch) and place on stainless (not alumunium) cookine sheet. Place in middle of oven set at lowest setting (max 200 degrees) and let placenta dehydrate. You can put in dehydrator as well, but it will take longer. It is done when it breaks with a snap and is perfectly dry. Then break up into bits and grind in coffee grinder or hand grinder if you have one. Capsule powder and hake 2 capsules 3x/day for about 2-3 weeks. The remainder of capsules can be saved for baby, during sickenss, separation, growth milestones like walking/weaning, or for yourself at menopause.
You can also make a tincture, but I heard this can be more challenging than other tinctures.
Also, outside of the raw smoothie option, it can be VERY LIGHTLY sauteed like beef with olive oil, garlic, red pepper and salt. Because it is SO high in iron and other nutrients & hormones your body needs, to many women who have given birth, this will apparantly taste delicious.
Ironically, I actually have 2 placentas in my freezer right now, from one of our midwifery classes. My husband is fully supportive of me eating OUR placenta. But the other day, I had to reassure him that I have absolutely NO intention to eat someone else's placenta!
I'd like to this time. I had ppd last time and I'd love to prevent it.
I will be. I don't know that I can handle actually eating it...but I've heard a lot about the benefits and see it as a valuable piece of recovery. There's a group here in my city that does encapsulating services.
Nicole, out of pure curiosity, how many, normal dosed "smoothies" do you think would one get out of a full term placenta? (there's a question I never thought i'd ask...haha!)
What i don't completely understand, is if one is more beneficial than the other-encapsulating vs. eating as is. It does seem that you would use it up faster going the smoothie route, which might be better?
I've never done this, so i'm open to advice...
Corabelle- It is hard to say exactly how much you get bcs each womens/babies placenta is a different size also it would depend how far into the pregnancy you went. A woman who had a preemie at say 30 wks would have a much smaller placenta then say a woman that birthed at 42 wks. I can give you my experience. My midwife cuts it up into quarter size pieces (approximately) and puts it in a ziploc in the fridge. I put about 2 chunks in each smoothie. I have a smoothie right after the birth and then 2 a day for the first week. (after 3-4 days we put the placenta pieces on a wax paper lined cookie sheet and put it in the freezer until they are frozen and then put them in a freezer bag. That way the pieces can be easily removed). Then I have one smoothie a day until it is gone and that is usually for another week.
There isn't much research done on the bennefits of encapsulating verses eating cooked, steamed, raw, etc. Logically to me it seems that the less you do to it the more beneficial it would be.
You do use it a bit faster with the smoothies but I find that after 2 wks of smoothies I just don't need it any more.
I highly recommend the smoothy route as it is just so much quicker therefore you will get the benefits so much quicker.
Ok, when you say "fresh placenta"...does this mean to wash and steam it and then eat it? Or actually eat it as is, raw? (smoothie etc.) I'm assuming you'd still wash it either way?
When making a smoothie you wash it and pull off the cord and any membranes. Lightly pat it dry and cut it into pieces.
The absolutely best way to do this is if you are having a homebirth you just ask your midwife if she will do it. Neither of mine have charged me extra for this service and I usually have my first smoothie within an hour of the birth. Plus it is cut up in the fridge by the time I get out of bed around 3 days:). My dad usually puts it on the cookie sheet for me so by the time I am making my own smoothies I am just throwing hard red chunks in the blender and it isn't gross at all.
I know the idea really can gross some people out but I am a true believer. My midwife actually wrote a book about placentophogy based on my experience. She highly recommends all of her clients try this. Here is a blog about her book.
It has helped me so much and I really recommend doing it the quickest easiest way possible. Who wants to deal with a huge process anyways right after you just had a baby!!!
I have to admit, I'm intrigued by this possibility, but I'm not 100% certain I can overcome my ick factor.
One reason I feel this way is that I'm not convinced that other animals eat their placenta for the benefits it provides them, necessarily. I know even some ruminants eat their placentas (or is it placentae?) and I can't help but wonder if they are just trying to dispose of the carnivore-attracting piece of tissue before it brings in a predator to eat their baby. Their digestion is really not well-suited to eating such a protein-heavy snack, and it seems like it might actually tax their digestion, but they do it anyway for safety reasons. I certainly don't have any evidence of this hypothesis, it just strikes me as a possibility.
I'm one of those people who can't eat something if I know what it is and it grosses me out, even if I can't actually tell what it is - like I could perfectly happily eat dog soup, until someone were to mention that it was dog meat, at which point I would probably throw up. I don't know how I could get past that to eat my placenta, even if I were certain of the benefits. Anyone else have any insight?
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