What did you do with yours? - Page 2

[aussiemum]

I kept it in the freezer for about 6 weeks or so, then we buried it in the ground & planted an orange tree on top. SInce then I have heard that a fresh placenta is too much for new tree roots & can shock them, so in hindsight I would have likely waited a few months before planting (being careful not to dig up the placenta underneath, of course!).

[beckyand3littlemonsters]

mw took it with all 3

[angington]

It just went out with the other after birth garbage i.e. chux and stuff. I had no desire to keep it.

[holly6737]

Mine's still in the freezer too, but it's only been a week. We're going to bury it somewhere, don't know where yet since we live in an apartment. Maybe my grandparent's farm?? Who knows.

[mamamilkers]

My midwives threw it out.

[Snork]

With our first we planted it. Unbeknownst to me DH dug up a full grown feijoa tree and planted it underneath. The tree died naturally.

The second he just planted in a nice spot where we planned to put a fruit tree in the spring. Unfortunately a week later my dear old grandmother was visiting and asked: "what had the dog got?" You guessed it. The dog dug it up and was gnawing away at it on the verandah.

Since then I've let the midwife take it away and dispose of it.

[lollith]

I too, am so happy to see so many mommas with placentas in the freezer. I think I want to plant ours when we move into a house we own.

I also find humor in my [very mainstream] sister's grossed out reaction when I say it's in the freezer.

[fishfarmer]

Mine from ds's hb is still in the freezer from last July... I, too, wanted to plant it w/something and never got around to it. Dh wants to plant a tree for the yard soon, so probably then.

I was supposed to have put it into smoothies for pph, but I never did. Oh well.

[AmieV]

I know we're in the minority but we threw it out. Truthfully I wished the m/w would just take it with the other stuff but she couldn't/wouldn't? We don't have anywhere to plant it in our small yard and we have a digging dog so honestly the idea skeeved me out a little (in our situation, not in general).

DD was born on a Saturday, trash day was on Tuesday! Funny story too...we had been joking that something was going to go wrong with getting rid of the placenta and the wind picked up really high the night before, sure enough that morning it was sitting in the middle of the driveway. It was all wrapped up and frozen, but DH had to run out there and get it back in the bin before the guys came.

[FillingMyQuiver]

DD's placenta is sitting in my mom's freezer (it's where I gave birth). This summer, I think we'll plant a tree w/ it.

I too have heard that fresh placentas are harmful to trees. I heard you should plant the tree and then plant the placenta a few yards away so that the tree will get the nourishment, but not from directly under it, KWIM?

[birthgreeter]

Just for your info...In our area of the country (lots of home births here) if it is sent out with the trash...you can be fined up to $10,000. yes we have been quoted that much of a fine... (never had to pay it, instead I crawled into the garbage truck and pulled out the placenta...it is the only placenta I have ever pulled out... )
I tell all clients not to send it with the trash.. because of blood born paths that is why...
they figure there is a chance of them 'getting something' from what they call "hazard waste"
FYI

[scrumnation]

I'll be having my first homebirth any day now and will freeze the placenta to plant under a new tree later...though I can't decide on a good spot for the tree. I, too, can't imagine just chunking it and I'm not at the eat or swallow it phase of my life either. I read something interesting about a woman and her husband who had an unassisted birth and the woman hemorrhaged. She ate part of the placenta and the bleeding stopped immediately. I thought that was really awesome and perhaps part of nature's plan buried deep in our evolution, but I'll try that only if my midwife forgets her pitocin and herbs

[shay]

son #2, planted at the house he was born in with a tree symbolizing his early personality

#3, at the next house with a tree

Currently have a placenta in the freezer of my sweet niece born in Oct. and plan to plant her a tree of pink on my 3 acres this spring.

Placentas are worth more than the gargage in my opinion and I have openly volunteered (I am a doula) to take others home for planting on my three acres!

[hrutledge]

Still in the freezer waiting to be planted when we build a house

[AmieV]

My midwife told me to use the trash, which I thought was weird, based on what birthgreeter said. I assumed there'd be rules about that. Maybe it's not illegal here? I really didn't understand why they couldn't just take it with the other stuff...unless it's a philosophical thing that she doesn't believe in throwing them out or something.

We always have placenta issues. With my first, we had switched to a birth center at 37 weeks so hadn't even thought about the option of keeping it. At my 3 day appointment they asked "You DIDN'T want your placenta, right?" I was like "no" but kind of thinking "why...is it here somewhere??"

[DreamsInDigital]

I thought that I would feel some sort of attachment to my placenta after my daughter was born but honestly I felt like crap and didn't care at all. I had a pretty good amount of blood loss and it all came out with the placenta so I pretty much felt like I'd been hit by a train at that point. I think my midwife threw it in the garbage and I feel a bit of guilt now that I'm feeling better. I think next time I'll keep the placenta and plant a tree in it or something.