Anyone thinking of saving your placenta?

shanellsouthall

I just read an article about saving your placenta, steaming it, drying it out, then blending it to make capsules. There are little to none scientific studies that proves the benefits, but im hearing about more people doing it! Weird or what?
I want to see your OB's facial expression when you say, " Ohh. can I have my Placenta in a to go bag please"
What do you guys think about this?

AmadorRose

It's not my cup of tea but it has actually become quite commonplace. Also, not my place to judge someone who is willing to spend their time/money on it; I just hope the women who choose this option choose places that do it safely and in sanitary conditions.

kynbar5

shanellsouthall said:

I just read an article about saving your placenta, steaming it, drying it out, then blending it to make capsules. There are little to none scientific studies that proves the benefits, but im hearing about more people doing it! Weird or what?
I want to see your OB's facial expression when you say, " Ohh. can I have my Placenta in a to go bag please"
What do you guys think about this?

QFP

kynbar5

AmadorRose said:

It's not my cup of tea but it has actually become quite commonplace. Also, not my place to judge someone who is willing to spend their time/money on it; I just hope the women who choose this option choose places that do it safely and in sanitary conditions.

Umm, quite commonplace where exactly? Nope, just nope.

emgee27

It is very commonplace on the west coast and I wanted to make sure it wasn't 'trendy.'  In my researching this, the only studies I read about that had actually shown to have any benefits (and granted, it was not direct positive results, but more assumptive positive results) were when the placenta was actually consumed raw.  Yes. RAW.  There were not any positive benefits found conclusively when the placenta was dried and consumed in capsule form in any of the articles/studies that I could find.

I have decided not to save my placenta but to each their own!

(Out of curiosity, I asked the doula who teaches my prenatal yoga class what she charged for encapsulation and she said $300!)

redfallon

Um, no.

kynbar5

I'm going to have to go with some form of MUD on this one. Yes, I'm sure in some places people do/have consumed the placenta (raw or not). I actually know of a lot of animals that do this. There are also actually animals that eat their young but is anyone going to make a post asking if this is "trendy" or "commonplace" uhhhh no, I highly doubt it.

ecwk

So apparently (they spoke about this at my centering pregnancy group on the week that I missed) encapsulating the placenta is done to replenish the hormones that leave your system very rapidly after giving birth. It is purported to be good for women who may be at risk for postnatal depression. I initially thought it was a strange strange thing but after hearing this it made me wonder. I don't plan to do it and I'm not saying this is all true, just sharing what I've heard. I haven't done research myself.

GinnyJ2012

There were women on my precious BMB who were going to have theirs encapsulated by a doula or midwife. Some believe that it can help with postpartum depression, but I've never read studies on it. It's not my thing, and makes me gag to think about. To each their own though. Just don't post pictures of it.

SarahFoley725

I know several people who have done this but I couldn't personally NOPE any harder.

cmerribury

My best friend did this (and to her credit is NOT pushing it on me). However, I think it's a terrible idea. There are no studies on it, as people have said, and often the powdered placenta (my phone did not want me to type that) is mixed with herbs, which there are few studies on as well. Since doing this my best friend has had major hormonal side effects (fewer and erratic periods, heavier flow, has been trying to get pregnant for two years to no avail).

The placenta is a wonderful and amazing organ that has served its purpose when it is delivered after the baby. Which is why the body expels it. If it were needed for hormone replenishment then (theoretically) the body would hold on to it.

kynbar5

@cmerribury best explanation ever

lionstigersbears

You do have to sign a form acknowledging that you're keeping medical waste. And yes, it's in a bag!

soxfan9968

No, just no.

kyraaD

sooooo much no. all of the no's. just.. no. yuck.

ambercakes92

I've heard of this over the years, and am not buying the supposed benefits. Big fat NO for me.

SherlockedMom

All the nopes. 

sarahufl

kynbar5 said:

I'm going to have to go with some form of MUD on this one. Yes, I'm sure in some places people do/have consumed the placenta (raw or not). I actually know of a lot of animals that do this. There are also actually animals that eat their young but is anyone going to make a post asking if this is "trendy" or "commonplace" uhhhh no, I highly doubt it.

I wouldn't be so quick to say it's MUD and totally fake. I have friends who have done it- it isn't for me, but to each their own.

There are services where people will come to your home and prepare it for consumption. I don't think it is as uncommon as you seem to think it is. If you google "consuming placenta", there are tons of articles about how people do it (mostly non-scientific) but it is an actual thing.

peregrinefalconx

My family was friends with some great, fun hippies in the 70s-80s and they saved the placenta from each of their kids, froze it and ate it! Not my thing, even though I am borderline kind of hippy. I know it is very nutritious, but so is organ meat, which I also wouldn't eat.

You can also save your cord, let it dry and dip it in gold and wear it! I've seen those too. There are endless kind of disgusting things that I am sure have gone through phases throughout the ages.

kynbar5

sarahufl said:

kynbar5 said:

I'm going to have to go with some form of MUD on this one. Yes, I'm sure in some places people do/have consumed the placenta (raw or not). I actually know of a lot of animals that do this. There are also actually animals that eat their young but is anyone going to make a post asking if this is "trendy" or "commonplace" uhhhh no, I highly doubt it.

I wouldn't be so quick to say it's MUD and totally fake. I have friends who have done it- it isn't for me, but to each their own.

There are services where people will come to your home and prepare it for consumption. I don't think it is as uncommon as you seem to think it is. If you google "consuming placenta", there are tons of articles about how people do it (mostly non-scientific) but it is an actual thing.


I know it's "an actual thing" and I'm beyond good on going to google for "consuming placenta". I'll keep my appetite thank you very much.

sarahufl

kynbar5 said:

kynbar5 said:

I'm going to have to go with some form of MUD on this one. Yes, I'm sure in some places people do/have consumed the placenta (raw or not). I actually know of a lot of animals that do this. There are also actually animals that eat their young but is anyone going to make a post asking if this is "trendy" or "commonplace" uhhhh no, I highly doubt it.

I wouldn't be so quick to say it's MUD and totally fake. I have friends who have done it- it isn't for me, but to each their own.

There are services where people will come to your home and prepare it for consumption. I don't think it is as uncommon as you seem to think it is. If you google "consuming placenta", there are tons of articles about how people do it (mostly non-scientific) but it is an actual thing.

I know it's "an actual thing" and I'm beyond good on going to google for "consuming placenta". I'll keep my appetite thank you very much.

I mean, don't look at pictures- but some of the articles can be amusing when you realize how some people live their lives....

kynbar5

sarahufl said:

kynbar5 said:

sarahufl said:

kynbar5 said:

I'm going to have to go with some form of MUD on this one. Yes, I'm sure in some places people do/have consumed the placenta (raw or not). I actually know of a lot of animals that do this. There are also actually animals that eat their young but is anyone going to make a post asking if this is "trendy" or "commonplace" uhhhh no, I highly doubt it.

I wouldn't be so quick to say it's MUD and totally fake. I have friends who have done it- it isn't for me, but to each their own.

There are services where people will come to your home and prepare it for consumption. I don't think it is as uncommon as you seem to think it is. If you google "consuming placenta", there are tons of articles about how people do it (mostly non-scientific) but it is an actual thing.

I know it's "an actual thing" and I'm beyond good on going to google for "consuming placenta". I'll keep my appetite thank you very much.

I mean, don't look at pictures- but some of the articles can be amusing when you realize how some people live their lives....


Yea I'm good on that too. I can have a good laugh on how people live their lives just by logging in here or turning on the news.

lionstigersbears

It freaked me out WAY more when I thought the only way people did this was to make a casserole or something! To each their own either way, but I guess I'm pretty skeptical of how many ew posts there are and zero people speaking up about doing it. I think it's a by taboo in western societies but it doesn't mean it doesn't happen. Breastfeeding was taboo once too! (Not the same, obviously, just interesting to think about how things can and do change).

FinePlacentaPie

There is one culture, I think in the middle East maybe, that buries the placenta and plants a tree over top of it. Me, I said yeah, baby doesn't need it anymore, I don't either.

soxfan9968

I'm just grossed out by the subject because at the end of the day it's an organ. An organ that's served its purpose and your body is trying to discard. To me, it's on par with having your gallbladder removed because it's harming you and then deciding to save it. It's just odd to me. I thought my issues ended there, I was wrong. I'm even more weirded out by the concept of consuming the placenta. Again, it's an organ your body is pushing out but for some reason you've decided to do the opposite and ingest it? It's not just the logic I don't understand, it's the fact that you're considering consuming a human organ. If the cannibalism wasn't weird enough for me, it's not just a human organ, it's your own organ. Self-cannibalism? In my opinion the whole thing is just odd and disturbing. I understand some people have different cultural views and to each their own. I just wanted to explain my own reasons for saying "ew."

SarahFoley725

FinePlacentaPie said:

There is one culture, I think in the middle East maybe, that buries the placenta and plants a tree over top of it. Me, I said yeah, baby doesn't need it anymore, I don't either.

SO YOUR NAME IS A LIE

DrillSergeantCat

The problem with placenta encapsulation is that once you've heated it, you've destroyed most of the good that you think you're ingesting. I know some people cook it and eat it which does even more to destroy any benefit you think you're getting. I think there's a placebo effect that some find helpful. I won't be doing this because it is medical waste, it's been filtering out bad stuff for 9 months, and it's easily contaminated. 

fwtx5815

On top of the gross factor many have mentioned, whether or not you can keep/take the placenta is decided by your hospital (or birthing center). 

I think of it as medical waste. Pass.

princessconsuela1986

*lurking from 1st tri*
My mum used to work in the kitchen at our local hospital.
One day she got a call from a nurse asking if she could send a placenta down for her to cook.

It has gotten super popular where I live to encapsulate the placenta. I doubt I will do it but to each their own.

danalynn86

I definitely wouldn't chalk this up to being MUD. The place I'm planning on giving birth offers placenta encapsulation. I am not likely to opt for placenta encapsulation, I've read that there aren't any actual benefits to ingesting the placenta, but I will ask my doctor about it. I will also look for peer reviewed research studies about it. I'm only 14+1 so I have quite a bit of time to think things over. 

I wonder if more people aren't willing to speak up about actually ingesting their placenta because some of the comments here are awfully judgy toward anyone who would dare choose to have their placenta encapsulated.

Parker16772

Def not. 

kynbar5

Let me just clarify (one more time) why I said it was MUD. Because of the OP's post it sounds like she was just looking for reactions (and she got them). So yes, for her it's made up drama because even she wasn't thinking about actually doing it. Also, being "awfully judgy" is in the eye of the beholder. There are so many "because science" backers and the fact that there are no 100% proven benefits from consuming your own placenta could be why more people aren't "speaking up" about doing so.

skruhmin

Coming from the Boulder area, you definitely see it a lot around here.  I see it as why would you want to consume something that's been inside of you already?!?  I know we threaten our children with "I can put you right back where you came from" often, but no way to the placenta!  With DS1, his placenta was aging already (calcifying), my body was in a hurry to get rid of that thing, not sure how it would be helpful after birth - but again, I don't know the science behind it.

DrillSergeantCat

skruhmin said: Coming from the Boulder area, you definitely see it a lot around here.  I see it as why would you want to consume something that's been inside of you already?!?  I know we threaten our children with "I can put you right back where you came from" often, but no way to the placenta!  With DS1, his placenta was aging already (calcifying), my body was in a hurry to get rid of that thing, not sure how it would be helpful after birth - but again, I don't know the science behind it.



-------------------------------------------------------------qbf----------------------------------------And that is the crux of the debate. Nobody knows the science behind or even if there is science behind it. I've seen a lot of "well animals in the wild eat their placenta" reasonings, but there are other reasons why they would including predator prevention. Every woman I've seen who has somehow ingested her placenta claims that she has more energy, better milk supply, and lack of postpartum depression. The problem with these claims is that they're impossible to qualify. Even in the same woman, each pregnancy and recovery is different. So what might be placenta could very well be luck of the draw. If the claim is that it's the hormones in the placenta, then why aren't hormones prescribed for these things postpartum? I, personally, see more reason not to ingest the placenta than I see to ingest it. 

mcklough

kynbar5 said:

Let me just clarify (one more time) why I said it was MUD. Because of the OP's post it sounds like she was just looking for reactions (and she got them). So yes, for her it's made up drama because even she wasn't thinking about actually doing it. Also, being "awfully judgy" is in the eye of the beholder. There are so many "because science" backers and the fact that there are no 100% proven benefits from consuming your own placenta could be why more people aren't "speaking up" about doing so.

pretty sure lots of eyes are going to see "awfully judgy" in this post, but in the same breath I will also say it's a bit "ew" worthy myself

kynbar5

mcklough said:

kynbar5 said:

Let me just clarify (one more time) why I said it was MUD. Because of the OP's post it sounds like she was just looking for reactions (and she got them). So yes, for her it's made up drama because even she wasn't thinking about actually doing it. Also, being "awfully judgy" is in the eye of the beholder. There are so many "because science" backers and the fact that there are no 100% proven benefits from consuming your own placenta could be why more people aren't "speaking up" about doing so.

pretty sure lots of eyes are going to see "awfully judgy" in this post, but in the same breath I will also say it's a bit "ew" worthy myself

Edit QBF ---------------

Well in that case you can easily click on pretty much any random thread and find "awfully judgy" comments. This is an open forum on the internet.

FinePlacentaPie

SarahFoley725 said:

There is one culture, I think in the middle East maybe, that buries the placenta and plants a tree over top of it. Me, I said yeah, baby doesn't need it anymore, I don't either.

SO YOUR NAME IS A LIE

It doesn't say it's MY pie! So there! 

FinePlacentaPie

My old BMB talked about this topic at length. ::shrugs:: Not for me, but different strokes and whatnot. 

danalynn86

Apparently people get all kinds of annoyed when you call out their judgmental comments? 

I was only saying that when many of the responses are in the vein of "Ew, gross, no!" it's not a welcoming environment to hear from people who are open to the topic at hand. You can say whatever you want about whatever topic comes up, that doesn't mean it's fostering any kind of decent, open conversation around a specific topic, especially one that's a bit hot-button like this one apparently is.

shanellsouthall

Excuse me!? Made up drama!? I simply posted a question on a popular topic... this is a discussion board correct? Never once said I was thinking about doing it. My question was " what do you guys think about this"
Thanks for all the open minded responses.

kynbar5

danalynn86 said:

Apparently people get all kinds of annoyed when you call out their judgmental comments? 

I was only saying that when many of the responses are in the vein of "Ew, gross, no!" it's not a welcoming environment to hear from people who are open to the topic at hand. You can say whatever you want about whatever topic comes up, that doesn't mean it's fostering any kind of decent, open conversation around a specific topic, especially one that's a bit hot-button like this one apparently is.