Eating your placenta! page

[cori rock]

So I'm 9 months pregnant, Paleo eater since 2008 and I am SHOCKED that only just yesterday I thought about this. I have been reading up on ladies who have their placentas encapsulated and take as suppliments to help with breast-feeding supply, post partum bleeding, and is also beneficial if you have a history of PPD. None of the studies I've seen have been backed by reasearch (probably because the thought of consuming your own placenta is so taboo these days).
Some articles suggest consuming the placenta in it's natural form to reep the maximum benefits and this is the method I'm considering. Aside from it being a human "oran", I can't imagine it beign much different than consuming any other animal organ. It is, after all, the only thing providing nutrients to your child...why not consume it yourself to reap the nutritional benefits?
Curious folks thoughts on this.....Am I a crazy pregnant woman to want to consider this? Have you heard of anyone doing this? Would you if you had a placenta to eat? ha

[adamm]

Mmmmmm. Cannibalism for the win. I wonder how many recipes you can find on a search engine (google is evil) for human placenta.

At the same time, I know that cow placenta is considered a delicacy in many cultures. In Israel there are a lot of Thai workers who come over for 6 month stints doing agricultural work etc, and they often visit the dairy farms at night and fight with the jackals over who gets the placenta after a birth. No kidding, I've seen it (as a retired dairy farmer).

--Me

[Gorbag]

Very primal - or pre-primal perhaps? You may be allowed to tatto a star on your butt if doing so...

[AshleyL]

Soooo have you see placenta in person? I would not eat a cow/goat placenta, much less human. Yucko! They have nodes and cords and membrane and crap.

[Urban Forager]

One of my friends ate her placenta. At the time when my son was born, almost 15 yrs ago, I didn't even consider it, but who knows if I had him now I may not so readily dismiss the idea. I did have a home birth and I nursed him for 4 yrs. so I'm definitely open to unconventional ideas.

[Primal123]

I have heard of many women doing this to prevent or combat post partum depression. To each his own. If it works more power to them. Some seem to dry it and encapsul it, some eat small slices. I have seen herbivores eat their placentas after birth.

[Blueberry]

I had depression after my 1st, so when number 2 was born at home and without meds, I was quick to grab the placenta and claim it. I must say the midwifes were a bit surprised but it did belong to me so what could they say! I did not have depression after number 2 so 6 years on the placenta is still in my freezer waiting for a suitable place to plant it with some lovely tree on top. I wouldn't eat it now I think is out of date!

[Muppet]

I ate my placenta and it was delish! After the birth of my second child my midwife made me a shake with a chunk of raw placenta. I couldn't even taste it! Then she dehydrated the placenta and made half into chocolate and half into pills. Everyday for a month I took a chocolate and pill. Unlike with my first child - when i did not eat the placenta- I had no emotional ups and downs and no depression. I highly recommend it!
And yes, both my kids were born at home and breastfed for years!

[namelesswonder]

I've heard it's like liver. I imagine you could get the same nutrient from other supplements, if prepping the placenta is too much of a hassle or too costly (to have someone else encapsulate it), but I don't know how much research is out there about how much it actually contains.

I think some other mammals eat their placenta immediately after birth. It seems like a fairly natural thing to do, to replace lost nutrients and help with after-birth recovery.

I don't think I'd do it though. Just creeps me out [[shrug]].

[pogo0685]

I had my placenta encapsulated with my second son (born 5 weeks ago) and it was the best thing I could have done for myself. With my first son from about the 4th day of his life until he was well over 2 years old I had severe PPD, everytime anyone left my house I would break down and cry and freak out that they would die. It was horrible. I don't know how my DH managed to stay with me, I was a mess. This time from day 3 on I have been taking placenta pills and have not had any PPD, I have had a few meltdowns but they were like 5 minutes long and I have had 3 I think, so compared to constantly being in a meltdown its a huge improvement. If you can do it I would highly recommend eating it any way you can.