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ArchivesEating placenta rocked my post-partum world
Health
Guestpost by
on December 08, 2009
35
Tags: childbirth, placenta, post-partum health
Original photo by Flickr user Premasagar
After reading this website, I was even more convinced. I knew I couldn't eat it raw, or blended in a smoothie, or cooked into a lasagna. Instead, I planned to have it dried, ground, and encapsulated. Here is how it went!
I had a c-section, and from the table, stretched out and connected to tubes, hoses, and things that go bing, I called out to the nurses and docs that I wanted my placenta bagged up to take home. They made me sign a release form that I understood I was taking home biohazard material (whatever) and I asked my sister in law to bring a cooler so that she could put it in my freezer.
My mother in law was so confused, but she has good manners, and kept her mouth shut about it. My husband's 89 year old Chinese grandma, however, hugged me and told me I was smart to eat my placenta when we told her about it.
A few days after we came home from the hospital a tremendously good friend came over, picked up my frozen three pound placenta, and used the fruit leather setting in her food dehydrator. After she dehydrated it, she blended it in the blender, dried it, blended the dry disk, then capped.
It took her a long time, and I'm extremely grateful. What an endeavor!
Three weeks post partum I began taking two caps with each meal. I immediately felt less tired and weepy. I was sharp-minded and excited about life once more, no longer cracked-out, draggin ass. I began losing weight, and I got my appetite back, plus, my lochia drip hurried up and ended at four weeks after birth!
This was awesome, because it meant I got to have sex again, which was great because I also experienced a boost in libido. On top of all this, my milk production went through the roof.
So, while I know it's not for everyone, and it did smell like funky beef jerky, eating my placenta really turned my birth recovery up a notch.
Mmmm, delicious freeze-dried placenta!
About HunnyDu:
I live in the Berkeley area, we have a bio-Benz. We're kinda like, neo-hippies.... I am a goth/industrial DJ, he spins BreakBeat. He is Hapa, 1/2 chinese, 1/2 Afro American. We're excited about being parents. We are really home bodies who are more social that we want to be a lot of the time. Because were both DJ's we're out and about at Burning Man events all the time, even when we would rather be home, watching Zombie movies. We love Zombie movies.
To get to know HunnyDu better, click here.
Stephanie said
My husband wanted to eat the placenta! Our son ended up surprising us and coming early, so at the time we didn't really think about it. I do remember thinking the side that isn't bloody is really quite beautiful.
meg said
wow, that's great! the term 'eating my placenta' always grosses me out, even though i know it has kick-ass benefits. i would have never thought of drying it out & putting it in capsules…so much easier to stomach! if i ever have another kidlet, i'm TOTALLY trying this. awesome article!
ryan said
i'm hoping to find someone in my area who will dry mine out! i've been told that there are online services that will dry and encapsulate for you but that they are expensive and take a while.
my midwives want me to just eat it – in a smoothie for example – but i don't think i could stomach that.
Jane said
What part of the country are you in, Ryan?
ryan said
i'm in florida, Jane.
Dawn said
I wish I had known about this two years ago.
Elka said
Our doula does placenta encapsulation, so if anyone is in the Bay Area and wants to know more, contact me. We're definitely going to have her dry and capsulize ours. I'm not big on organ meat in general, whether it comes from a cow or me!
jessamyn said
I'd love to know more, but can't figure out how to email you… I'm in sonoma county and have a doula, but no one that's done the encapsulation before. will you email me her info? j@jessamynharris.com. thanks!
stef said
If I get pregnant again, I'm planning on burying my child's placenta on my parent's plot of land with a birth tree. That way the child will have always have a connection to the land.
Lani said
…I wonder if I could make my placenta into a cake….;)
Very interesting, glad it worked for you!
Liset said
See, I can't swallow pills.__(no, I'm not ten years old. grumble)__so I'm TOTALLY down for a cake!
Ann D said
I never thought of doing it this way – this definitely sounds better than having it in a smoothie. Still not sure I could manage it, but I'm glad to know that you've experienced benefits from it.
Hunnydu said
as long as you dont think about what it is, you can gulp them down
Lani said
A placenta smoothie is essentially a meat smoothie. Can you imagine having a pork chop in a smoothie? Ew. If I were to do it I'd take the capsules too – but I don't think it's for me. I will definitly look at the placenta though! Apparently it looks really neat!
Hunnydu said
make sure to ask to see it, because usually the docs will just chuck it without telling you whats going on at all.
ashby said
Everyone in my birthing class thinks I'm a nutball because more than half my questions are about the placenta. I just think the idea of my body BUILDING an organ, and then getting rid of it when it's done, is so cool! I definitely want to see mine.
I'd like to have mine encapsulated too, but no one around here does it, and I also don't think I'd be able to take them – I have a hard enough time swallowing my prenatals because they "smell funny."
Delma said
Mine is in my freezer and some point I plan on burying it.
kia said
I am either thinking of eating it or burying it in the garden. I do have access to folks who will encapsulate it in my area and am glad because I would not be able to do smoothies. My midwife wants all her clients to do something with it besides toss it in a garbage, it is to be revered.
Amber said
Wondering if there's someone else's I can eat…so I can get out of my funk and lose the baby fat
Lani said
You can have mine when I'm done with it. I'm in Toronto.
amber said
great post!! i've always thought it way to strange to eat the placenta….but this makes me think about it
Laura said
My initial reaction to the idea was "EW!!!" but the more I've heard about it and read about it (and the effects it has on the new mom), the more I'm starting to lean toward maybe (*maybe*) considering the idea whenever I have a kid in the next couple years, especially if I can do it in pill form.
April said
Is the encapsulating as easy as it seems? Do you just dry it w/ a dehydrator, then blend it to a powder, and then put it into capsules?
If that's all there is then my husband can do this himself. After I read the article, I told him that I wanted him to do that for me.
Hunnydu said
yup, its that easy.
Hunnydu said
oh but blend it before dehydrating!
jessamyn said
yay!! I'm wanting to do this and am so excited to read more about it.
alice said
I ate my encapsulated placenta. I had no postpartum depression, great milk supply, no hair loss and energy even though i was sleeping like 3 hours a night. . I had a herbalist come to my house and prepare it for me while I was in the hospital so it was ready when I got home. I am saving some in the freezer to take during menopause. I highly recommend it!
Ashley said
this post has given me something new to think about that i would have never considered……
Fenn said
My friend asked me to dry her placenta and even paid me for it. I was not even remotely grossed out or thought it was strange…probs 'cause I've worked on farms and been around animals my whole life. She says it worked. I would absolutely do it again.
amber said
so at first i was pretty weird-ed out by the whole eating your placenta thing. But baby is due in february and i have my dehydrator and empty capsules (and a friend to help) all set up to go! i'm so intrigued and can't wait! let just hope the husband doesn't totally freak out when he see's my placenta drying in the kitchen.
Ragani said
My mom says she ate the one from my birth, but I think she had a friend cook it with onions or something (I will have to ask her again). I could probably have her do the dry & encapsulate method for me easily enough as she not only will support me in this but has the skills to figure out how to do this.
Alexandria said
Thank you for posting frankly about the things you do in your life to make post-birthing times easier on your body. It does give me a lot to think about; none of the women or family members in my life have ever spoken about anything like this. Do you know if having a water birth affects being able to keep the placenta (or is it just being washed!)? And what type of dehydrator (oven, stand-alone, etc) would be best? We considered buying one for regular foods, so if we could get one that works for this too it would be great…
Hunny said
IMO the best route is with a food dehydrator. You can plug it in outside if possible, because youre going to want to, it will stink up the house. I dont know about a waterbirth though, better ask a midwife!