Placenta Eating (DO NOT MOD)

hallensd

I have 5 children and I have encapsulated my placenta with my last 3. I did it myself so I didn't have to pay someone hundreds of dollars to do it, and it was pretty simple and didn't gross me out at all.

When I compare it to my first 2 births when I did not encapsulate it, the differences post-partum were amazing. With my first 2 I had severe post-partum depression, my milk didn't come in for 4-5 days, I had low milk supply, and experienced 6+ weeks of post-partum bleeding. With my last 3, where I encapsulated the placenta, I had no sign of post-partum depression, my milk came in within 2-3 days, I had an adequate supply, and my post-partum bleeding lasted around 3 weeks.

What got me interested in doing it was that my ex-husband is Chinese and we often went to see Chinese herbalists for our ailments. She mentioned an herbal formula that contained dried up deer placenta for use in women post-partum. At that point I had heard of women using their own placentas so I did the research and decided to give it a try. I have not regretted it one bit!

Yes, it isn't for everyone, but it isn't something that should be looked down upon or judged either. A lot of natural health remedies might not have the same amount of research and studies to back them up, but that is because they have been pushed to the wayside for centuries. Yet, people still use them and it is because they work! I have no doubt in my mind that placenta encapsulation and consumption has benefits. If a woman feels like it might help her in her post-partum period then I would encourage her to consider it.

SofaKingRad

I had my fork and knife ready to chow down when both of my kids were born. It was kinda chewy and salty, but overall not too bad.

secretlobster

I bet it would make a fine jerky

mommy7

I've had 7 children, milk came in at different times, PPD with a few (one because my baby died hours after birth), bleeding lasting various times. Every child and every birth is different on a mother. EVERY. SINGLE. ONE. Oh, I was always full of energy afterwards, too.

Never consumed my placenta in any way, shape, or form. If you THINK it worked for you, so do people who ingest placebo's during trials or research! The placebo effect is powerful.

Natural isn't always best. Imagine taking this placenta raw after birth as a way to stop PPH and it not working and a mother going into cardiac arrest due to blood loss when she really should of gotten a shot of pitocin in the butt?? Or the woman who takes it for PPD and it doesn't work, but she can't tell others it doesn't and instead makes herself and her family live with an illness that should be treated by a REAL medical professional and meds??

Virginia90

I encapsulated my placenta - my husband helped me. It wasn't very hard, and I actually find skinning chicken to be grosser. I saw a marked difference in myself though after I started taking them - I was starting to develop PPD, but as soon as I started taking them, I felt a million times better. My iron levels were also perfect while taking them.

BondBomb

I didnt eat my placenta and I didnt suffer for PPD and had plenty of milk. This is all anecdotal evidence.

What do I think of eating the placenta? It grosses me out because its a form of cannabalism in my mind.
What do I think of others that do it? The same thing I think when they do anything else. I really don't give a f!@#

Just dont serve it at your next dinner party.

maletac

I encapsulated my placenta - my husband helped me. It wasn't very hard, and I actually find skinning chicken to be grosser. I saw a marked difference in myself though after I started taking them - I was starting to develop PPD, but as soon as I started taking them, I felt a million times better. My iron levels were also perfect while taking them.

dont iron levels get better if you eat red meat and take iron suppliments too?

SofaKingRad

I encapsulated my placenta - my husband helped me. It wasn't very hard, and I actually find skinning chicken to be grosser. I saw a marked difference in myself though after I started taking them - I was starting to develop PPD, but as soon as I started taking them, I felt a million times better. My iron levels were also perfect while taking them.

dont iron levels get better if you eat red meat and take iron suppliments too?

WHOA WHOA WHOA THERE!!! Hold up!! You're just talking crazy now!

rcc1988

I feel like I'd be more open to that article if January Jones wasn't in the photo under the headline doing some sort of Joker impression with that creepy smile.

mjshorty5

http://www.washingtonpost.com/national/health-science/some-mothers-see-health-benefits-in-eating-their-placenta-after-giving-birth/2012/04/02/gIQAVfgLrS_story.html

Doula Tabare Depaep is a placenta lady. She works out of her Annapolis kitchen, and said a placenta feels “like a big rump roast.” She doesn’t find it any worse than handling meat. (Depaep is a vegetarian.) “I actually feel warmer toward the placenta because it grew a baby,” she said.

If all this sounds a bit too cannibalistic, there are “placenta encapsulation specialists,” often midwives or doulas, who transform the placenta from its messy postpartum condition into neat, sometimes even flavored, pills. “Mad Men” actress January Jones told People magazine that she began taking placenta pills after giving birth last fall and credits them with helping her to bounce back quickly. “It’s not witchcrafty or anything! I suggest it to all moms,” she told the magazine. “Your placenta gets dehydrated and made into vitamins. It’s something I was very hesitant about,” but she ended up taking the pills daily

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personal opinion?

would you do it?

how did this become a craze?

I intend to encapsulate my placenta and consume it after my next child. I suffered from severe PPD and milk production problems with my first two pregnancies and I will try just about anything to not have that happen again.

EpiGaiaRepens

i'm a vegetarian. I'd totally eat it just because it's mine! haha! Unfortuantely, I actually lost my placenta

aatlaantis

But when you breast feed in public people stare and stare and make comments like its wrong. . .

Don't people just stare to try and get a glimpse of boob? If someone wasn't property covering the boob, me being a heterosexual female would be all grossed out at the nudity and lack of shame (they make really cute, affordable easy to use swaddler things that mom's can use and you don't see an ounce of skin so there is no excuse) but that's not due to the act of feeding, it’s the lack of discretion some women have when wiping out your baby-feeders.

Regarding eating the placenta, sounds pretty gross because after all, how bad did that baby smell coming out?? EWWW! Would you suck on a tampon if it was good for you? Ground up however is a different story - to each their own. A co-worker is preggo and I saw hiring a Dula who performs no medical actions once or ever costs $850, boo! That prob. does not include the drying of the placenta. I'll take my free doctor and nurses, supportive family and 1 year off from work with pay so no concern with breast feeding hiding there but that’s just my deal hunting nature.

Where do you live that you get a free doctor and nurses, and 1 year off with pay??? I want to live THERE!!!!

I don't know about they, but I live in Canada and I got that!

HowieTwoPointZero

Well, if I ever have bad food cravings, I can just find my way back to this thread!

mikda999

Hmm. I had a homebirth and I have some pretty awesome pictures of the placenta. Afterwards they told me if I had starting bleeding one of the ways to stop it naturally would have been for me to chew on a piece of the placenta. Crazy how the body works, heals itself and plans ahead. So, maybe I would have taken a bit if my life depended on it. We brought the placenta home and ended up just burying it in the back yard. The grass grows very well over there.

Anyway, surely there are some benefits to eating it. We are human! But I don't think I could cook it up and eat. That belonged to my baby and me. I don't find it weird or taboo that some people would eat it.

However, it seems I look at things differently. As we all do with our different backgrounds. We just need to stop judging those who choose differently from us.

ronda_gettinghealthy

We are just like any animal just with a higher IQ, But its natural to eat the placenta among humans and other animal! It's full of good things and can help with PPD! If they did not need to take my daughters for testing because of her IUGR i would of took it and had it turned in to supplements. In todays society it's looked at as taboo. . . among other natural things likes breast feeding. . .

animals eat the placenta to keep other animals from finding it ..as a safety measure...dont think I or my baby were being stalked while I was giving birth..

JaySpice

We are just like any animal just with a higher IQ, But its natural to eat the placenta among humans and other animal! It's full of good things and can help with PPD! If they did not need to take my daughters for testing because of her IUGR i would of took it and had it turned in to supplements. In todays society it's looked at as taboo. . . among other natural things likes breast feeding. . .

Some animals eat their young also.

JaySpice

Well, if I ever have bad food cravings, I can just find my way back to this thread!

Basically

*hoarks*

ilookthetype

and its not a craze, its what people have been doing since the dawn of time!!!! silly

This.

My sister's best friend also makes placenta pills, she's some women who had terrible PPD in the past do much better while taking placenta pill things.

ilookthetype

I encapsulated my placenta - my husband helped me. It wasn't very hard, and I actually find skinning chicken to be grosser. I saw a marked difference in myself though after I started taking them - I was starting to develop PPD, but as soon as I started taking them, I felt a million times better. My iron levels were also perfect while taking them.

dont iron levels get better if you eat red meat and take iron suppliments too?

Iron suppliments can be quite hard on the body and a lot of women are anemic, even if they eat meat.

SnakeDarling

I would do it if it was put into capsules for me, but just eating it... no. couldn't do it.

This.