Your Amazing Placenta - Part 2

Many new and experienced Moms plan ahead for childbirth, being mindful of what type of birth they would like, and often writing out a detailed “Birth Plan”. Although this can be really therapeutic and helpful, it is missing something vital…mindfulness about your amazing Placenta! You have the once in a lifetime opportunity to plan for how your baby will separate from their Placenta and how to honor the "Sacred Trinity"; the Baby, the Cord, and the Placenta!

Make a “Placenta Plan”

Just like a “Birth Plan”, you can create a plan for your Placenta! You can choose to be mindful of this amazing life-giving organ and to use it to its fullest extent. The first step to creating your “Placenta Plan” is to decide how you want to deliver your Placenta.

The Placenta Function

There is evidence that suggests the Placenta behaves as a living organism for up to 5hrs following birth! During this time, it is able to continue assisting the baby, as it did in the womb. Why then, are doctors so eager to cut the umbilical cord immediately after the baby is delivered?!

Adjusting to the World outside the Womb is a tremendous physiological undertaking. The baby's lungs, digestive tract, liver and kidney filtration systems all begin operations for the 1st time, as the Placenta had previously performed their jobs during pregnancy. Delayed cord clamping allows more blood volume to be transferred to the baby. This is ideal for the infant because it provides the blood volume needed to jumpstart these physiological systems! Not only do studies show that delayed cord-cutting allows more blood volume to transfer to the baby, but also increases the infant's iron stores and benefits their immune functions for life! Immediate cord cutting is an unnecessary medical intervention, that can be compared to an episiotomy or circumcision.

The Placenta drains its blood volume into the baby after it detaches from the uterus, and delivery of the Placenta typically happens within 5 minutes of the birth of the Baby. Delaying cord clamping until after the Placenta is birthed doesn’t take that much time and offers the baby so many health benefits!

Advocate for your baby's health and insist that the clamping of the cord be delayed. Waiting to severe the cord until your baby has breastfed and you have birthed your placenta is ideal. By then the baby has received most of the benefits.

How Will You Use Your Placenta?

Once you have decided when & how you are going to separate your baby from its Placenta, it is time to think about how you would like to use it! Many cultures throughout history have spiritual or religious traditions involving the sacred burial of the Placenta. A current practice is to make a Placenta Print or a Cord Keepsake to honor and remember your child's “Tree of Life”.

Most mammals...carnivores, herbivores, and omnivores...will instinctually ingest their Placenta. By doing so the new mother is able to replenish minerals, vitamins, and proteins that were lost during pregnancy & childbirth, and balance hormone levels. Free of the cultural hang-ups and judgments, eating Placenta is a natural craving for mammals.

Placentophagia is the practice of ingesting your Placenta. It is the only meat we can get by giving life instead of taking it. In some cultures, the family will cook a postpartum meal for the mother using her Placenta.

Benefits of Ingesting Your Placenta

• Reduction of postpartum hemorrhage
• Replenish lost nutrients and iron
• Immunological advantages
• Lactation support
• Pain relief
• Prevent postpartum depression

How to Ingest Your Placenta

Ingesting your Placenta raw, and immediately after birth, offer immense and immediate benefits! If you need to control heavy postpartum bleeding or hemorrhage, holding a small piece of raw Placenta between your gum and cheek for a time and then swallowing it with water can help. You can also drink smoothies with a piece of raw Placenta to promote healing, milk supply, and energy!

Placenta Encapsulation has become increasingly popular, although many are still unaware of this safe and effective method for using Placenta as medicine. Encapsulation allows the mother to enjoy the benefits of her placenta for longer than just the first couple of days. The Placenta is dehydrated, ground into powder, and put into Capsules that are taken daily by the mother for the first 6-8 weeks postpartum. Easy, effective, and no "ick" factor!

A Placenta Tincture is a long-term solution for hormone imbalance! Tinctures offer the same benefits, although somewhat diluted, as the Capsules but has an indefinite shelf-life if stored properly. Since placenta ingestion has been shown to help balance hormones during PMS and menopause, and can effectively be used by your biological daughters, it is important to have this secondary option on hand just in case it is ever needed.

The Placenta can even be utilized in homemade herbal salves for topical use! There are compounds in the Placenta that are beneficial for topical application. Estrogen stimulates hyaluronic acid production that enables the skin to retain cellular moisture. It also reduces the size of oil glands and helps tighten the skin’s structure, including pores. Androgens increase cell rejuvenation and increase collagen production. Typically, placental salve will use dehydrated placenta powder and is ideal for healing C-Section and Episiotomy incisions, as well as cracked/sore nipples and diaper rash!

With all of these amazing benefits that the Placenta can provide why would you ever allow it to be thrown out as medical waste?! Take your postpartum recovery into your own hands by utilizing the power of the Placenta!