not this cute anymore! DO NOT read if you have a weak stomach.
This post has been a draft for over two months. I waited so long to publish it because I wasn't exactly sure what to say exactly or how I felt about it. I am still not I am in the right frame of mind to share my experience, but here it is anyway. If you thought the circumcision post was controversial, buckle your seat belt.
Placentophagy:
the act of mammals EATING the placenta of their young after childbirth.
the act of mammals EATING the placenta of their young after childbirth.
Most mammals digest their placenta after their babies are born. Maybe it's instinctive. Maybe they are starving. Maybe that's how God intended it to be. Maybe digesting the placenta balances your hormones, gives you more energy, increases your milk supply, lessens postpartum bleeding, helps you shrink your uterus. I did a lot of research before Simon was born and found myself wanting to experiment for myself.
That's right folks, I digested my placenta and I lived to tell the story. I wish I would have documented the whole process more thoroughly.. but sadly, I only have a few pictures. This video does a better job of explaining what happened. (If only my husband would have been excited enough to record the midwife who came over to my house....)
I went through a company called Placenta Benefits. You can read about WHY I did it HERE.
I didn't even see my placenta, but was glad that someone took a picture of it just after delivery.. This is one of my green kitchen bowls-- yes, I still use it today :) The placenta was taken to my kitchen and stored in the fridge in a ziplock bag.
A midwife came to my home just hours after delivery and did all the dirty work. She brought everything she needed and cooked/dried my placenta in this small black box which sat on my counter top. (Sorry about the picture.. I sent Ben downstairs to take a picture of it, and this is what we have...) There was no smell, no boiling on the stove, no sign of placenta anywhere.
After it was dried (about 12 hours later) the same midwife came back to my home and encapsulated my placenta into about 100 pills. They were left in my kitchen and I was free to digest. (picture taken by Ben also :) I took the pills three times a day with a large glass of water, until they were gone.
Am I glad I did it? Yes.
Will I do it again with my next baby? I am not sure. I am not worried if people think I am weird. I did not think it was gross. I didn't think it didn't cost too much ($250). But after digesting all of my pills, I don't feel any differently than I did with my previous deliveries. I wish I could say that I had an unbelievable recovery. My energy did not go through the roof. My milk supply is not great. The weight didn't shed.... I basically feel just as crappy as ever :) I wanted to do things as "naturally" as I possibly could, but almost three months after the birth, I am here to say I can't tell a difference. I waited so long to talk about it because I wanted to have an opinion one way or another. Sad to say I don't have anything miraculous to report..
If you want to read more about it, here are just a few articles that I read before Simon was born. They may or may not spark your interest.
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28 comments:
Dr Oz did a show on placenta benefits a few weeks ago and i totally thought of you!
you are so awesome for doing it and talking about it. i seriously LOVE you.
Okay, Janet. I have to say, you successfully freaked me out. When I saw the title of your post I thought you ate the placenta the old fashioned way: sauteed in a little butter until medium rare and texturally like butter. Because people do that. And, you know, good for them. So taking it in pill form doesn't seem so bad. I've heard a lot about there being these fabulous benefits, but I'm squeamish about the whole "it's a human organ" part of it all. I can't get past it. But I also can't get past the bacon in pasta carbonara, so there's some context for you.
I think you were pretty brave to do it (because I am a huge wuss). Sorry it didn't make you feel like Wonder Woman, but maybe you would have felt worse without it. Or not. Who knows. But I'm glad you lived through it, in any case. :)
HOLY CRAP JANET! You are crazy! What did Aaron think of the whole thing?
I thought the video was awesome and the articles were interesting too. Did you get Simon's umbilical cord in the shape of a heart too? "CUTE"
and you know you're fabulous. I love that you have NEVER cared what people think of you.
Hope you ahve fun in UT. I will call you soon!
Norah
I too at first was thinking you grilled it up and ate it like a steak. So I was a little freaked out, BUT after reading that it was put into pills I was more curious to see if it worked. It is all is very interesting to me, would I try it? Probably not, but I can now say I know someone who digested their placenta! :)
sick
Awe-Some. I started laughing when I first started reading the post, because I could just imagine all the people who were thinking that you actually bit into your placenta and chowed it down like a steak.
I think the whole thing is interesting too. It would be interesting to try it with my next baby.
Hope you're having a good time in Utah!
I'm guilty. I also thought you sat down with a knife and fork and went to town. Pill form... that's not too freaky for me. I think it's awesome you were willing to give something like that a try. And I'm glad to know someone who tried it and didn't have a miraculous experience. Now I don't feel like I'm missing out on anything by never trying this myself. Way to go!!
I had no idea you did this! I've heard of people doing it, but I didn't know YOU were one of those people!
Animals do it, why don't we? Well... maybe because it is kinda weird. I think you're pretty cool though :)
Wow. That is the only word that is coming to my mind right now. :)
To each their own!
All I have to say is ... Wow!
You're awesome.
gross.
I have to say that I knew you were going to do this via Debs. I am going to go throw up now... in a good way. Thanks for sharing!
Have you always been one who does things out of the norm? Is this something that you practice in your religion? Just asking..since your religion does some bizarre things...real weird stuff..
I love this post. I thought it was very well written, very interesting and honest. I love how open minded you are and that is awesome that you did that! I wish I had had my placenta to gnaw on after my last pregnancy, maybe if would have helped me. So you never know, maybe YOUR recovery would have been even worse if you didn't take your placenta vitamins. I guess there's no way of knowing though. Love you!
IN RESPONSE....
I watched the DR OZ show where he talked about placenta benefits and it was really interesting. I wish that I had some of the same results of others. There are some awesome stories out there.
Aaron thought I was crazy for doing it (what's new) and said he didn't care as long as I didn't talk about it or show him the pills. He did tease me often, though and anytime I was frustrated he would tell me to down a few Placenta pills. I hated him for it...
Yes, I DID get Simon's umbilical cord in the shape of a heart. I ended up throwing it away after a couple of days because.... really, what was I going to do with it? It's the same thing as hanging onto your kids lost teeth. No thanks.
And to those of you who addressed the fact that I might have been in worse shape had I NOT had my placenta hormones... that's something I thought about. It definitely could have been worse-- but I was hoping it would have made enough of a difference that I could talk about how awesome it was. Too bad it didn't.
And to the last anonymous comment-- Do I usually do things out of the norm? I guess it depends. I don't like doing things just because everyone else is doing them.. but I don't do something just because it's bizarre. I am a very curious person and I am always up for something new. This totally peaked my interest and I wanted to do it. Did I do it so I could blog about it? Of course not... If so, I would have taken more pictures (and video :)
Is eating my placenta a part of my LDS religion? definitely. Along with human sacrifices, polygamy, and our belief in vampires.. (A Mormon wrote Twilight, you know.) If you really want to talk religion, email me.
Not something I think I would try, but your the 2nd person I know that has eaten their placenta. I hadn't ever heard about eating it in pill form though, which I could probably handle, but I won't do it.
Ha ha! Ben has officially declared you as my craziest friend.
A lady in Cedar City uses her breastmilk in recipes and shares the "treats" with her neighbors. I'm glad you kept your placenta to yourself.
Amazing Janet!! Thanks for sharing your honest story with us. Wish it was some sort of miracle pill though, might make me want a few more kids :)
I have heard of this and how a lot of women have said the noticed an amazing difference. I suffer from depression during and after I have a baby, and I have wondered if it would have made a difference. It is very interesting!
I think you are an amazing person, I love how honest you are!!!
Oh I was so hoping you had a miracle story about how wonderful you felt after eating it! Then I would totally be on board. To me it's the same as taking vitamins and if it would help me feel more "normal" after having a baby then how great would that be? I'll have to mull this one over, and over, and over...
I'm laughing so hard at the religion comment and your response. Crazy mormons...
Great way to address the religion comment. People have some pretty freaky ideas about us out there. I was asked if I had to have sex in a special room in the Temple after I got married.
Great post, Janet. But I really could have done without the picture of your placenta.
You rock.
Not my cup of tea, I'd have researched it and been tempted had I heard of it but not likely been able to go through with it. But totally awesome that you did it!
I've gotta say I'm a little grossed out and a little intrigued! Would I ever? Nope. But then I am very particular about how my meat is cooked and prepared :) The pills actually make it seem less gross, but still, couldn't do it.
Sorry it didn't make for a miraculous recovery, though! Every mom of 4 boys deserves that, both the placenta-eaters and the non-s! :)
Wow! I was a little grossed out at first thinking you ate it like a steak, but after watching the video I felt better. Way to go Janet:) I don't think I could do that.
Sorry, It didn't do much for you. I guess it could've provided Simon with some nutrients through your milk.
You never cease to amaze me!
--Tiff
I maintain. You are nuts. All you Mormons are nuts :)
I totally just heard about this from my chiropractor...just days after Brian and I were discussing how all other mammals "except humans" eat the afterbirth, and we laughed at how outlandish that would be. So then I felt like I was in a warp zone when my chiropractor, who is totally bril in so many ways, told me how his wife does half in pill form, and saves half for soups. She eats 1/4 of the placenta in soups during the first 2 weeks or so. Then 6 to 9 months later, eats the other 1/4 - keeps it in the freezer.
It sounded crazy to me, but the pills - not so bad...
$250 for an incapsulation deal - I would do that possibly.
The soup idea makes me want to throw up a little bit every time I think about it.
Interesting to hear your story on it!
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