Placenta

The vascular appendage which connects the fetus with the parent, and is cast off in parturition
with the afterbirth. The part of a pistil or fruit to which the ovules or seeds are attached.

Khai's amazing placenta!



Over the years I have learned so much about the Amazing Placenta!
Why it "IS" what it "IS", and how I affect the quality of it's existence.

What to do with a Placenta after it's born?

Years ago I read an article In Compleat Mother Magazine about Eating your Placenta.. yummy? Makes sense right? After all many mammals eat the placenta after it's born. Take my cat for example... she has eaten many placentas. As her doula, I've watched her gobble up the raw disposable organ meat. I remember my dog Chelsea (again acting as her doula) birthing placentas.. oh yes puppies too! I will always remember hand feeding her the first placenta..yummy? I won't be able to do this justice by writing a description of this experience but I'll try. After the first pup was born, she looked lost, confused as to what just transpired. She ran from her first pup.. hiding. That's my girl! Instinctual my Ass. Whoever said leave the animals alone they'll know what to do has not seen my animals pregnant or birthing! Chelsea, left the first two placentas lying around. There was not instinctual placenta munchin' happening here. After waiting for what seemed like an eternity for her to initiate the ritual eating of the placenta, I panicked! She needs to eat this in order to keep up her strength, gain nutrients beneficial for labour and nursing Right??? Right?? I scooped up the first placenta and coo'ed and coaxed Chelsea to take a peek... "Come on Chelsea, it's Yummy!? Right?" Ya have to take care of this before the next pup arrives.. Come on hon.. Eat the placenta" I was inches from her nose, holding this now cold blob pleading with her to take it and do what nature demands. She sniffed a few times and licked it, leaning in to pick it up in her teeth. Yippee she's going to eat it!! One chew... and... HURL. Out pops the placenta. She look thoroughly grossed out by the whole deal. What a surprise! Ms. Chelsea the queen of eating things like POOP out of the babies diapers, week old rotted meat and the likes. What's wrong with a perfectly good placenta? Long story shorter, I picked up the placenta and tried again.. Chelsea hurled the placenta a few more times until the deed was done. After eating the first placenta... chowing down on the others was a piece of cake. If you could have seen her face, honestly she was trying hard not to throw up as she chewed (kinda reminded me of being forced into eating cows liver when I was a child).

Lotus birth

Leaving the bebe attached to the placenta until the cord dries and falls off. In today?s busy world it makes sense! Womyn need to have a Babymoon! What better way to achieve this and slow your family down. You won't be going too far outside the home dragging a placenta along ;)

Art

Make a placenta print. This is what I did... I dried the placenta after laying it out on newspaper. I then experimented with paint. Making sure to not apply too much paint, I layed a piece of water colour paper over top and gently tapped over the surface. Lifting up the paper leaves an incredible print! Details of the "Tree of Life" are left, ready for framing. I also dook pictures of the placenta with a digital camera to create a web graphic. I did several prints, some included foot and hand prints of mom petit bebe.

Burring the Placenta

A way to honour and celebrate the Placenta's gift of "New Life" Some folks plant a tree over the placenta with the knowledge that it will continue to give life.

Back to Womyn eating their placentas

Placentophagia The act of eating one's placenta

I've heard many reasons why a womyn might want to consider eating her placenta.

1) Helps contract the uterus after birth
2) Improves milk supply
3) Helps with PPD (Post Partum Depression)
4) Hides the scent from predators


Each placenta weighs approximately 1/6 of the baby's weight. Cut the meat away from the membranes with a sharp knife. Discard the membranes.

Placenta Recipes

Placenta Cocktail:
1/4 cup raw placenta, 8oz V-8 juice, 2 ice cubes, cup carrot. Blend at high speed for 10 seconds
Placenta Lasagne: Use your favourite lasagne recipe and substitute this mixture for one layer of cheese. In 2 tbl. olive oil, quickly saute meat of 3/4 placenta, ground or minced plus 2 sliced cloves of garlic, ? tsp. oregano, diced onion & 2 tbl. tomato paste, or 1 whole tomato.

Placenta Spaghetti:
Cut meat of 3/4 placenta into bite size pieces, then brown quickly in 1 tbl. butter plus 1 tbl. oil. Then add 1 large can tomato puree, 2 cans crushed pear tomatoes, 1 onion, 2 cloves of garlic, 1 tbl. molasses, 1 bay leaf, 1 tbl. rosemary, 1 tsp. ea. of salt, honey, oregano, basil, and fennel. Simmer 1 ? hours.

Placenta Stew:
Meat of 3/4 placenta in bite size chunks, 1 potato (cubed), 1/4 cup fresh parsley, 2 carrots, 3 ribs celery, 1 zucchini, 1 large tomato, 1 small onion. Dredge meat in 1 tbl. flour mixed with 1 tsp salt, ? tsp. paprika, pinch of cloves, pinch of pepper, 6-8 crushed coriander seeds. Saute meat in 2 tbl. oil, then add vegetables (cut up) and 4-5 cups of water. Bring to full boil, then simmer for 1 hour.
Placenta Pizza: Grind placenta. Saute in 2 tbl. olive oil with 4 garlic cloves, then add 1/4 tsp fennel, 1/4 tsp. pepper, 1/4 tsp paprika, 1/4 tsp. salt, 1 tsp. oregano, 1/4 tsp. thyme, and 1/4 cup of wine. Allow to stand for 30 minutes, then use with your favourite home made pizza recipe. It's a fine placenta sausage topping.

(Mothering Magazine, September 1983, Vol. 28, pg 76)

I saved my copy of CM magazine with the article about Placenta Eating.
I'll have to locate it and add the info here.

Happy to have already decided what to do with my placenta!
Originally posted may, 2005 by zee