Eating your Placenta to prevent PPD... - Page 11

[naturegirl7]

Okay, I must admit my first reaction to the title was "ewww - WHY in the world you eat your placenta?" and wondering WHY? I clicked on in....after reading a bit I thought "DUH! Kinda gross, but that makes a lot of sense. Nature at her best." Now after reading half the posts and praying DS sleeps long enough to let me read them all, I am thinking "Man, I wonder how I can smuggle my placenta out of the hospital after my next baby!"

I just gotta say I LOVE MDC!!! You ladies open my eyes to things I never dreamed imaginable, and I am a much better person for it.

While I don't know if I could bring myself to eat my placenta, the capsule thing is quite do-able. You have me intrigued enough that I will have to research this!! Especially since I have battled depression since a teenager

My only question - how do you save it with a hospital birth?? We drive an hour away to go to a hospital that allows MW's to practice, so running home really quick isn't exactly an option.....

[jbie]

is it true that if you end up with any drugs during labour, you can't ingest/use the placenta after? i read it somewhere..

[dove]

[QUOTE=arboriamoon;6098775]

Originally Posted by dove

Just thought I would post this for anyone who may be thinking that it's too late to try it.
QUOTE]

duh..thanks dove! I should have looked UP and read your very informative post before asking a question which had already been answered so articulately!

you're welcome!

[mntnmom]

Just had this conversation with my midwife. She suggested drying it on low heat in the oven, then grinding and encapsulating it.
Apparently, besides the great iron boost you get from it, there are several vitamins and hormones in it that do all sort of good things for you.
Personally, the thought makes me a little queasy too. But all the possible benefits, without antidepressant type side effects are making it look worth it to me!!

[PrairieBohemian]

Ok. Well here's an update.

I did freeze my placenta because I didn't know what I was going to do with it--I was just so darn happy to get to keep it.

So the other day I thawed and steamed my placenta with ginger, lemon and a hot pepper. I then sliced it really thin and *tried* to eat some. BLECK. Maybe it's because it was frozen first (though I don't think so) but I really couldn't stomach it. It definately tasted like an organ meat--like liver or kidney or something. I even tried to add tamari but I just couldn't get more than a few pieces down. The hardest part were the calcifications that got stuck in my teeth and gritted against them. Eww. So I put the rest on the oven on the lowest setting and dried it. Unfortunately I think I might have singed it a bit because it dried much quicker than I expected and looked pretty black around the edges. I plan to grind it and injest it when I feel compelled.

The good news is it stopped my post-partum spotting and seems to have calmed my moods. I am so glad I tried it but it wasn't easy! I would have had no problem wolfing down a chunk of raw placenta had I been hemorraging but I hardly bled at all. It just certainly isn't yummy, that's for sure.

Thanks for the support though! I'm glad I did it.

[the_lissa]

If you put it in a smoothie, you can't taste and you don't get any calcification or gritty parts or anything.

[mntnmom]

There was a case in Hawaii at a hospital there. An ethnic Hawaiin family sued because the hospital didn't allow them to take their placenta home.(AND WON) Apparently is was common practice all over the islands. I would check your hospital's policy. I'm sure you'll get some funny looks, but it does belong to you. Though you may want to make sure the delivery room nurses don'tthrow it out by mistake.
I've , but never done it, but legally you should be able to.

[PrairieBohemian]

Originally Posted by the_lissa

If you put it in a smoothie, you can't taste and you don't get any calcification or gritty parts or anything.

A smoothie it is!

Do you think its a good idea to do it all at once or save little doses for later?

[the_lissa]

I just put few pieces in a smoothie for a few days, but someone on this thread I think made a huge batch of smoothie with most or all of the placenta and then froze the smoothie in individual servings and thawed and drank as needed.

[clovergirl]

i cut it into pieces and use a few every day in a smoothie. i have a couple of servings left and DS will be 2wks tomorrow.
i prefer to do it in little servings obviously. but i think there's pros and cons to both.

[gaymama]

Wow, this thread has been really interesting.

I'm due to have my first baby early next year, and postnatal depression is one of the things that has really scared me - much more so than the birth itself. I've suffered from depression in the past, and I don't want to go back there. I had thought of eating my placenta, but wasn't really sure if I'd be able to cope with the look/smell/taste etc. I'm not completely veggie, but I don't often eat red meat or organs, and I never handle them. The capsules sound like a great idea, but I don't think food dehydrators are that easy to get here (UK), and it sounds like a lot of work. The smoothie thing sounds quite easy and possible though. I specially like the idea of having it in V8 vegetable juice, as it already has a sort of metallic savoury taste. The thought of mixing fruit and raw meat is not so appealing to me personally (although glad to hear it's worked for others).

I have spoken to my partner about eating the placenta, and she's very supportive, so long as she doesn't have to touch it (strict vegan, and very squeamish). But should I mention it to the midwives or not? We're having a home birth, and it's quite common to keep placentas to plant under trees, so there's no problem there. They've been very supportive about my decision not to have the triple test and scans, so they might be okay with this. However, I think I'm going to upset them when I insist on co-sleeping, and not having vitamin K, and I don't want them to think I'm completely odd... Has anyone else had a negative reaction from a midwife, and how did you deal with it?

[LDSmomma6]

I just can't do it. Even with the PPD that I have had, and will most likely have again, I just can't do it. To me, it just seems like I would be eating something from me as gross as BMs, urine and boogers. I know the baby lives in it for 9 months, but it still grosses me out.

When I did have my 6th child, and since discovering MDC, I did ask to let me see the placenta, since with the other 5 I never did look at it. It came out, it was gone. I could careless, but with #6, I just wanted to see what it looked like. Interesting, but I couldn't eat it.

[hanno]

Originally Posted by majazama

I'm planning on drying my placenta (16 weeks pregnant now), grinding it up in the coffee grinder and taking in capsules. I heard that it is an excellent post-partum tonic. In chinese medicine, they prescribe it for people who have low energy. I also think it would feel good to take something back after giving so much (baby.... fluids...placenta...) It is the only meat that comes from life, not death. Don't (vegetarian) cows eat their placentas?

I don't think I could stomache "Placenta stew" or "Placenta stir-fry". With my first baby's placenta, I ate a tiny little peice, and that was all I could. The rest, I gave to my cats. I wish I had preserved it instead.

Has anyone else done this? Does anyone want to do it when you have your baby?

I haven't read the whole thread yet but just wanted to say I am 14 weeks pregnant, vegan, and planning the same thing.

[PrairieBohemian]

I am sorry to hear that it grosses so many people out. Most mammals do eat their placentas, as we've talked about before. As anyone who has been threatened with a postpartum hemmorage prevented by placental consumption how "gross" it was. It just shows how "civilized" we've become. The interesting thing is how many people are equally appaulled by the idea of unattended homebirth. Also something that has been done for eons.

For the mamas that DID see and REAP the benefits of placental consumption, I have a question for you:

Did you feel weird/high after a dose of placenta? I've taken 2 doses now and both times felt really light and vibrational. Is this placebo effect or did other feel it too?

Btw, I consume it with triple intention: pulling energy up into my uterus to stop pp bleeding; pulling energy in to help my body shrink and return to its pre-pregnant state; and pulling energy down from above to calm my moods and bring to to tranquility. So far I say its VERY effective. Actually the unusual pp spottng I had ceased the day of my first dose!

[PrairieBohemian]

Originally Posted by LDSmomma6

To me, it just seems like I would be eating something from me as gross as BMs, urine and boogers.

This just occurred to me. These are things that come out of your body. You know what else comes out of your body?






BREASTMILK!

[the_lissa]

Originally Posted by gaymama

Wow, this thread has been really interesting.

I'm due to have my first baby early next year, and postnatal depression is one of the things that has really scared me - much more so than the birth itself. I've suffered from depression in the past, and I don't want to go back there. I had thought of eating my placenta, but wasn't really sure if I'd be able to cope with the look/smell/taste etc. I'm not completely veggie, but I don't often eat red meat or organs, and I never handle them. The capsules sound like a great idea, but I don't think food dehydrators are that easy to get here (UK), and it sounds like a lot of work. The smoothie thing sounds quite easy and possible though. I specially like the idea of having it in V8 vegetable juice, as it already has a sort of metallic savoury taste. The thought of mixing fruit and raw meat is not so appealing to me personally (although glad to hear it's worked for others).

I have spoken to my partner about eating the placenta, and she's very supportive, so long as she doesn't have to touch it (strict vegan, and very squeamish). But should I mention it to the midwives or not? We're having a home birth, and it's quite common to keep placentas to plant under trees, so there's no problem there. They've been very supportive about my decision not to have the triple test and scans, so they might be okay with this. However, I think I'm going to upset them when I insist on co-sleeping, and not having vitamin K, and I don't want them to think I'm completely odd... Has anyone else had a negative reaction from a midwife, and how did you deal with it?

I would think they would be supportive of natural remedies.

[PrairieBohemian]

I just finished reading the WHOLE thread and feel pretty dumb now for jumping in first (but I am a jump first, look later kind of girl). It got pretty hostile back in the middle, eh? I wanted to post my own responses but these were posted over a year ago! So I'll let it go.

gaymama, I don't think its unusual for people to keep their placentas for burial, printing, etc. You don't have to being up placentophagy with your mw if you are worried about negativity. You are entitled to privacy too!

[LDSmomma6]

Originally Posted by animus_silvae

This just occurred to me. These are things that come out of your body. You know what else comes out of your body?






BREASTMILK!

I know! But that just seems more natural.

[Lupena]

My DS's placenta is languishing in the freezer...I was planning on burying on some mountain... but I scarecely go out, haha. He is nearly seven months, so would it's vital force be gone?

One of my fondest memories was the assisting midwife, holding my placenta and saying how beautiful it was... Is like she was marvelling, little sugarheart.... At the time I thought it was a bit nuts, now it makes me feel all happy.

Did anyone else's placenta leave a little piece behind? About 2 hours after my son was born, I got up to stretch and - plop, a little piece fell on the ground. I scooped it up and disposed of it.. but at the time I found this absolutely hilarious...!

[Lupena]

I've been a vegetarian for ages and the thought of slicing it up makes me not only queasy, but also a little sad...!?