So the placenta…..should we just like….mail it to you?

So my dad calls me a few minutes ago. Says he’s in the northwest (he’s a truck driver, so that’s not a surprise) and he’s at the hospital with my cousin who is about to have her second baby. I get excited for a second thinking that, like, he’s there as her support person or something and wants to know what to do.

That’s not the case.

There’s a bunch of commotion in the background. Then my dads says, “Here she is – tell her about her placenta.” and he immediately hands the phone to her.

Again, I’m excited for a second thinking she’s going to come on the phone and say she’s been reading about placenta medicine and wants to know my opinion or how she can prepare it or whatever.

Again, wrong.

She doesn’t say much. I say, “So, did you have questions about your placenta?” she says “Well, your dad says I should keep it. What am I supposed to do with it? Should I just, like, mail it to you?” and proceeds to burst out in laughter. I give her space to laugh and then say, “Honestly it would be hard to convey to you in the next 30 seconds why you should consume your placenta, but here’s why, in a nutshell: All mammals consume their placentas and most humans in other cultures do too. It is normal to consume your placenta and any time you deviate from the norm you are asking for trouble. Consuming your placenta can help with postpartum depression, milk supply, hormonal balancing, etc.”

At that point I was cut off by more laughter and screeching in the background. She says, “Well I didn’t consume the placenta from my first birth. And I’ve got my epidural now so it should be smooth sailing from here.”

I just wished her well, told her to have fun and go birth her baby. Then she says “Here. Talk to my little brother!” and puts another random cousin on the phone. It goes something like this:

Little Brother: Hi. I don’t know who you are.

Katie: I’m Bill’s daughter. Are you Jill’s brother?

Eli: Yeah.

Katie: I guess that probably makes us cousins or something.

Little Brother: Yeah, I guess. Here’s your dad.

And my dad comes back on the phone. He says “So, should we just mail it to you? Hahahahahaha. Should she, like, put it in the freezer? How does she prepare it?” I said “Dad….she can prepare it herself, but that’s not something I can tell you over the phone that you can just relay and remember. Her best bet would be to find someone in her area to prepare it for her. Dad says, “Well, ok, but she should keep in the fridge or something? Or at least the freezer? At least not throw it out, right?”

Now I do love my dad for saying that. It was sweet that he thought of me and my passion for placentas and all of that.

Then he says, “So the ultrasound said the baby was 12 pounds. So it’s a biggin!” I said, “Dad – there’s no way for them to be able to tell that. Ultrasound is not a reliable way to predict a baby’s weight. Nothing is.” He says, “Well…but they can come within a few pounds of the weight.”

Oh wow! A few pounds? So can I!

Then he says, “Well either way they’re sayin this baby’s gonna be big.”

“Dad you really shouldn’t be saying that or putting that idea into her head.”

“Well that’s what the ultrasound said. She’s got the epidural, so it should be pretty quick, right?”

I’m not even going to recount the rest of that conversation. I’m sure you can imagine what was said.  I reminded myself that I am a doula. A sort of birth professional. With tons more knowledge than the average group of peeps. But it still amazes me what people don’t know. What they believe and don’t question. Like a woman (A grown ass woman in her thirties, mind you) earlier this week who honestly seriously said, “Wait…..they don’t take their first breath until they’re actually born? You mean their first breath isn’t until they’re out of the vagina??’

Anyway……On one hand I was slightly irritated by the whole conversation. On the other hand I did love my dad for thinking of me, and for really wanting her to save her placenta to do something with it. And on another hand it was sweet. She had her epidural. She sounded happy and content. Her awesome uncle (my dad) was there. Her brothers were laughing in the background. Her mom (my hilarious Aunt) was probably there too. There is lots of love. Not a bad way to bring a baby into the world, or to remember your birth 🙂

An Experience Witnessing the Power of the Placenta

Mammals eat their placenta as soon as it is born. When did we stop eating it?

Before we go into the medicine of Placenta and you just can’t get over consuming your own beautiful organ your body created, let us just explore why it’s beneficial to consume the placenta.  It is not just for great hair and nails 🙂  It can be used for something much more important.

This can be  a really uncomfortable topic to broach.  We have all heard of the “baby blues” and postpartum depression.  It is not talked about as much as it occurs, I guarantee.  As a doula we take into consideration the history of a mother that has had previous postpartum depression.  One of the most amazing things to use for postpartum depression is the very organ that is dispelled shortly after birth, the magical placenta.

Since we work with women directly and find out their history, we also suggest the consumption of the placenta especially if they have had postpartum depression.  I have heard/read of women experiencing severe postpartum depression.  Does the history really provide accurate information?  Just because it has happened once, does it mean it is going to happen again?  Will it be more severe with each birth?  Will it be better with each birth?  It’s a ”taboo” topic in this society to talk about depressed, dark feelings after giving birth.

It is best to process the placenta as soon after the baby is born as possible. To see all the details on how we processed this placenta click here: https://danielleh11.wordpress.com/2011/06/07/placenta-processing/

A common occurrence of postpartum depression may look like this.  I am not an expert on postpartum depression.  These words are from my own experience working with women and supporting them in the postpartum time.

The mother may not feel connected to her baby.  She may not feel like it’s OK to nurse her baby.  She may wonder why she deserves the baby.  She may have feelings of wanting to leave and never return.  She may not want to eat or drink.  She may not want to talk about the birth.  She may feel angry or very sad.

There are some common remedies that nature provides us, and I feel are there to support a new mother.

• Water, lots of fresh clean water needs to be drank.   Water carries the emotion of joy, it brings it into the cells rapidly.
•  Sunlight, it is well known that if we don’t get enough sunlight it can lead to feeling depressed.  If we are already feeling depressed or have those tendencies then we should work at preventing it and be out in the sunlight, or at the very least allow it to come into your home through the windows.
• Fresh air, open up the windows, even on a hot or cool day.  It is healing to have fresh air come in.  Sitting in a stagnant house can invite anyone to feel depressed, especially a mother that gave birth recently and her hormones are out of balance.
•  Consuming the placenta your body grew for 10 months (40 weeks is 10 months!)
•  Friends and family that are highly supportive.  Highly supportive looks like: Preparing meals, cleaning, running errands.  Not to be confused with taking the baby from the mother so she can get some sleep.  However allowing for the mother and the baby to be bonding as much as possible.  By supporting her around the house gives her time to heal and to nurse her baby.  The more she nurses the faster her uterus returns to it’s previous size.
• Nursing- as mentioned above
• Homeopathic formulas- you can get them from Sprouts or other health food stores Over The Counter for $5.00!!
• Touch-the healing power of someone touching you, massaging your shoulders, hugging you.
• Talk-discussing how the birth went, fears of being a parent, fears that the new baby will change the relationship you have with your partner, fears of the change in finances etc..

As a final thought about the placenta: It is normal and natural to consume your placenta. To not consume your placenta is to intervene with natures process and invite complications. To read more about the power of placenta medicine, the science behind it, other uses for it, and recipes, check out this website: http://www.moondragon.org/parenting/placentadisposalrituals.html

Instructions for Preparing Raw Placenta Smoothies, Placenta Capsules and Placenta Tincture Simultaneously

Supplies:

-Glass/metal bowl

-Hot water

-Scissors or knife

-Latex gloves if you want – gloves aren’t really necessary since it’s your placenta, but if you are squeamish then gloves might help psychologically.

-A blender

-A food processor or coffee grinder (coffee grinder is ideal)

-A food dehydrator – if you don’t have a dehydrator you can also do it in the oven

-Smoothie ingredients (any smoothie recipe will do. One of my personal favorites it’s 1/2 cup milk, 1/2 cup yogurt, 1 cup frozen berries and honey to taste. Let me know if you don’t do dairy and I can give you another good one.)

-150 Empty capsules – you can get these in the bulk section at Whole Foods for super cheap. Just call Whole Foods first to make sure they carry them. Certain locations don’t. You can also get them from most herb shops and most naturopaths.

-An encapsulator. You can order these offline or get them at lots of herb shops. If you want to save money and not use an encapsulator then you can just put the placenta powder in a jar and add a teaspoon of it to your morning oatmeal, your mashed potatoes, etc. Putting it in capsules just makes it more convenient.

-80-100 proof vodka

-Glass jars for smoothies, and two glass jars for your tincture.

-Dropper bottle for your tincture – you could use any vessel if you don’t want to buy a dropper bottle, but the dropper bottle just makes it more convenient to take.

Step 1 – put the placenta into a metal or glass bowl and surround the bowl with hot water to start defrosting the placenta. This will probably take about 30 minutes to defrost, and will go quicker if you keep the water hot. It does not have to be 100% defrosted, but just has to be to the point that you can cut into it.

Step 2 – While the placenta is defrosting – clear off a space on your counter and make sure it’s clean. Wash a pair of scissors or a sharp knife (I find scissors to be easier).

Step 3 – Once it’s defrosted enough to handle, cut away the membrane of the amniotic sac, and cut off the umbilical cord. Discard the membrane and save the cord if you want – you can put it in the shape of a heart and dehydrate it and it makes an awesome keepsake.

Step 4 – Cut off a piece of the placenta about the size of half of a dollar bill and place it in a quart size jar for your tincture. Fill the jar with water so the placenta is completely covered. Place jar in the sun for four hours.

Step 5 – Cut off half dollar size pieces of the placenta for the the smoothies. I would recommended making 10 smoothies, so cut off 10 pieces that size.

Step 6 – Measure the smoothie ingredients into the blender. For a standard size blender you can make two smoothies at a time, so double the recipe I gave you above. Throw in two pieces of placenta and blend away. Pour the smoothies into jars and keep a few in the fridge to drink right away, and put the rest in the freezer to drink at a later date.

Step 7 – Cut up the rest of the placenta into small pieces. Take the pieces and the umbilical cord if you want and lay – either on the racks of your food dehydrator or on slotted grill rack type pan (with a pan underneath to catch the drippings) to put in your regular oven. If you’re using a dehydrator – dehydrate at 110 degrees for 12-24 hours. If you’re using an oven – set your oven to the lowest setting. Ideally it would also be at 110. However, some ovens (mine included) do not go that low. The lowest setting may be 170 or so. If this is the case then you’ll want to just keep a closer eye on it as it’s dehydrating, as it may dehydrate much faster – start watching it at about 4 hours.

Step 8 – Retrieve the placenta/water mixture that has been sitting in the sun. Discard the piece of placenta. Add enough water and vodka so that the mix is 50 percent vodka and 50 percent placenta water. This mix will keep almost indefinitely if stored in the fridge. It will make loads and loads of tincture. Now take your dropper bottle and fill it with 50% regular water and 50% vodka. Add 7-10 drops of the placenta water and now you’ve got your tincture. This seems like a very small amount, but it has been said that it works through the energy of the placenta water and the vibrational properties of it. Many women that have had postpartum depression swear by it.

Step 9 – Put the dehydrated pieces into a coffee grinder or food processor. Blend until it’s a fine powder. If you’re using a grinder this should take less than a minute. If you’re using a food processor it may take several minutes and you may be left with kind of a gritty powder – this is ok.

Step 10 – if you are not using capsules then just put the powder in a jar. Store in the freezer and it will keep almost indefinitely. If you are using an encapsulator then go ahead and get that set up with your empty capsules and start filling away. Most placentas make between 100 and 200 capsules. The capsules will keep almost indefinitely also if stored in the freezer. Uses: Helps with postpartum depression if already present, helps to prevent postpartum depression (which doesn’t necessarily have to be present immediately after birth. It can settle in weeks or months after), helps with milk supply, helps with energy levels and mood swings. The benefits are endless – google it! 🙂

Dosage: Smoothies – I would recommended drinking a few of the smoothies as soon as possible. Drink one per day – these can be the smoothies you keep in the fridge. Then you can put the rest of the smoothies in the freezer and save them for when you’re having a particularly trying day, or are having issues with milk supply, etc. The smoothies will be the the placenta in it’s strongest form.

Capsules or powder: After you’re done with the smoothies, you can start taking 2 capsules 3 times per day, or one teaspoon of the powder 3 times per day. There really is no taste to the powder so you can add it to just about anything. Taper this down over the weeks. So do 2 capsules 3 times per day for a week. Then do 2 capsules 2 times per day for a week. Then do 2 capsules once per day for a week. Then save the rest of the capsules or powder to use on an as needed basis.

Tincture: The tincture will literally keep indefinitely and can be used into menopause. Many women swear by it helping with PMS, or just take a few drops when they’re having a bad day. It also can be given to baby during teething, times of fussiness and into toddlerhood and childhood if they’re out of control, particularly whiny or unsettled, etc.

Placenta Processing – Raw Smoothies

 

Honoring the Placenta

The placenta is a magical organ that doesn’t belong to the mother or the baby.  As I process the placenta, I want to take some time to honor it.  I will sage around it with intentions of clearing any energy that doesn’t need to be captured into the placenta during processing.

The Maternal side

This  is the side that is attached to the uterus.  This is literally attached to the mother’s uterus.  It is interwoven with her circulatory system.  It extracts oxygen, blood, and nutrients from the mother’s circulatory system and provides it to the baby via a super special cord connection.

The baby's side

This is the side the baby “sees”!  This is the side that has the tree of life image on it.

4 pieces to make 4 smoothies

Katie rocks.  For some reason I get a visceral reaction when cutting up a fresh placenta.  It’s gotta smell for sure!  Katie just chopped it up without hesitation.  I’m sure the more I do it the less my body will respond in that way!  I’d wonder if my body was responding that way because the placenta came from a birth I attended, but I have processed one with Katie from a birth she attended and I got the same visceral response.  Holy shit!  I just realized that the only 2 placentas Katie and I processed as of this writing is the placenta from her unplanned home birth and now the placenta from my unplanned home birth!  Weird!

The tree of life seen in placentas (not my picture)

Smoothie Magic

1/2 cup of Vanilla Rice Milk, 1/2 cup of Strawberry yogurt (you can totally use coconut vs dairy yogurt too), 1 cup frozen strawberries and 1 cup of blackberries, 1 tablespoon of  honey, and one of the chunks of placenta per smoothie.

A little of it all

Some of the ingredients, a blender, 2 jars already full of smoothie, 1 smoothie blending as the photo was taken and 1 chunk of placenta left for the last smoothie!

4 raw placenta smoothies

Smoothies ready for consumption!  Katie tried to to make sure it tasted OK.  She is amazing!  I thought I’d be able to try it… after all the chopping and processing, I just decided I would be tasting it to be cool 🙂  not because I really fricking wanted to.  So to be honest, when she offered, I respectfully declined!  Ahh!

The recommendation (for this client) is one smoothie per day for 4 days in a row.