Eating Your Baby’s Placenta
Placentophagia is term for eating of the placenta, and you know if there’s a name for it, it’s a real deal. Animals, of course, do it al the time. Anyone whose cat had kitten can attest. Humans also engage in the pratice all over the world because it’s said to stem postpartum depression and help to contract the uterus after the birth. Chrissy Schilling over at Momlogic details her own placenta feast with twin sister Kathy. From her post:
“The placenta is such an amazing organ in all its done for my baby that
it didn’t seem right to simply throw it away. My thought was “being the
only organ that the human body makes that naturally exits the body, why
not take advantage of it?”
Chrissy and Kathy got more than just one meal out of the six pound placenta. They served it over noodles and made sandwiches.
Chrissy even found the experience cathartic:
“By taking it in again, it was symbolic for me as a way to truly say
“good-bye” to my 9-month pregnancy and “hello” to an exciting (albeit
challenging) new chapter in my life.
See? Delicious, nutricious and life affirming. It’s good to eat stuff that comes out of your body. Except poop. So, can I fix you up a nice egg and placenta scramble?
Photo: Kathy Schilling
More Good Stuff:
disgusting.
eating your own organ. ick.
“Ugh. That pic puts this whole topic over the edge for me. The logic connecting “organ exiting body” to “now I must eat it” is totally lost on me. And, you know, there’s a whole set of organs that exits the body naturally–it’s called your baby.”
Sounds delicious! Have any recipes?
Wow, I had no idea this was so completely unheard of to most people. I’ve never known anyone who ate the whole thing, but a little bit can go a long way to quell postpartum bleeding, among other things.
http://PlacentaBenefits.info shows how incredibly beneficial the placenta is to a new mama.
I am surprised that so many people are grossed out by this, on a few other forums I have seen the opposite response- they are all pro-placenta-eating. For myself though…. EW, no thanks!
Gross!
Yeah, cultural differences and all, but to me this is cannibalism. Which, is all Hannibal Lector disturbing to me.
Ha! I think this is great, if only to make the easily squeamish get all bothered. Next step: placenta sushi!
So I actually think placentas are beautiful and amazing and I can appreciate the sentiment of not wanting to waste something that nourished your baby for all those months. Plant a tree with it, make a tea out of it – whatever; maybe even gently cooked and eaten in some ceremonial way…
But a sandwich?! That just seems so wrong!!
Ugh. That pic puts this whole topic over the edge for me. The logic connecting “organ exiting body” to “now I must eat it” is totally lost on me. And, you know, there’s a whole set of organs that exits the body naturally–it’s called your baby.
OK, that picture makes the post that much more gross. Also funnier.
Cannilbalism. Humans are not supposed to eat humans. Cats eat other cats, dogs eat other dogs, but only when starving to death. The mothers eat the placenta because they know they need to eat SOMETHING because they are too weak to hunt for awhile and have to stay to tend the newborns. It is an emergency energy source and nothing more. Wht’s next? We drink our own breatsmilk and pee?
My own non-placenta lunch just traveled back up my throat. I’ve heard of people freeze-drying it and turning it into powder form for tea, which is also a bit odd, but to each her own. But over noodles and in sandwiches? Good grief.
Personally, I donated mine, along with my cord blood (stem cells.) Sounds better than turning it into lunch.
It’s not lunchtime where I live. (heh, heh)
did you have to post this at lunch time? oy
Beyond the ick factor…
SIX POUNDS!!!
Everything I’ve read about pregnancy puts the placenta weight at 1-1.5 pounds. This seems totally insane.
Ick. I got to see my placenta after the birth of my first son. That was all I needed.
To each his/her own….most definitely in this case.
disturbing, very disturbing. 2 girls 1 cup disturbing.