My placenta goes home with me

The placenta of baby #2

I had heard of people eating their placenta after birth. Supposedly it is extremely common around the world and has been done for eons BUT it seemed weird and extreme! So the thought did not cross my mind (although my doula had suggested it) for baby #1.

By the time I was pregnant with baby #2 I had learned about all of the positive benefits of consuming your placenta post-partum. It is really a miracle substance that prevents postpartum depression, stabilizes hormones and keeps your vitamins and minerals in balance. My midwife highly recommended it since I had been anemic and since my life was going to be extremely busy. Not only was I about to take a newborn home to a household with a 2 year old BUT, I was moving 2.5 weeks after the baby was born and leaving the country with the family the day after the move. It was a busy time in life.

I heard about having my placenta encapsulated and that felt like a method that I could deal with. Popping a pill is easy. I called around and found that the going rate was $300 to have my placenta encapsulated. I looked up online how to do it and was surprised that it could be done so quickly at home. I followed these instructions and encapsulated my own placenta a couple days after giving birth.

The pills worked for me. For months later, if I was having a rough time with my kids I would pop a placenta pill and feel that I could better cope. There is scientific proof behind the power of the placenta but if nothing else, the placebo effect is great!

There are many other great ways to ingest your placenta such as raw, cooked or as a tincture. Ask your caregiver prior to labor, how you should get your placenta home because sometimes you have to sneak it out.