First and foremost, let’s give some applause to our placenta ladies. I believe it deserves much love and respect. The placenta is a wonderfully, beautiful organ. It’s the ONLY organ that develops and grows with another organ. It has the responsibility to feed and give life to a baby during pregnancy.
Don’t let the doctors, nurses, midwives, or anyone sway you otherwise, on what to do with your placenta. Do your research and really think about it. It is a part of YOU, literally. So you have every right to do what you wish with your own placenta.
What I wanted to do with my placenta:
During my pregnancy, I had an idea to what I would do with my dear placenta. I wanted to consume it! She fed my little baby girl, therefore, she will do the same for me. Yes, my placenta is a her.
I imagined myself conjuring up delicious recipes so it would be palpable. I thought of …
Hmmm maybe cooking it like Liver and Onions! Stir Fry! Chopping it up and putting in a Lasagna or Lumpia, sounds good! Also freezing chunks to put in my smoothie!
All was appealing to me. Don’t get me wrong, I got some backlash whenever I mentioned it to anyone. I’d get wide eyed faces, people thinking I was nuts. Shoot, I didn’t care. However, after talking to my midwife, my husband, and doing my own research. I realized I’d like to do more.
Make a placenta print, where I stamp it onto some paper, and frame it.
Placenta photos, take pictures of my wondrous organ.
Placenta brownies or jerky. We do have a dehydrator on hand.
What I really did:
Well, my dear placenta actually hibernated in my freezer for about 2 months. After coming home from the hospital, I was drained. My body was was weak and needed time to heal. All I wanted to do was nurse and be with my baby girl.
However, I did plan and prepare. I decided I wanted to plant my placenta with herbs. Thus, she would continue with the cycle of providing nourishment. This time for our little family.
I purchased 2 medium sized ceramic pots, one bag of potting soil, and herb plants. I chose perennials: rosemary, lemongrass, and African blue basil.
One morning, I finally had the energy to bring her out of the freezer. I forgot to defrost her, in turn she was frozen solid. I ran her through warm water for a bit. I grabbed the bread knife, for its serrated edge, and started my task. I sawed and sawed, for what seemed like an hour, and ended up using our chef’s knife instead. I did my best to cut and divide her into sections. But it was really a workout, she put up a good fight. My fingers were cold and close to numb. At one point, I took a step back and saw the bloody mess I made. It looked like a murder took place on our kitchen counter. I didn’t care.
I told myself, “This is what my pregnancy symbolizes. Hard work, tough stuff, and bloody.” It was very therapeutic.
I carefully buried her in both my pots, with the soil. One pot with the rosemary and lemongrass, the other with the basil. I was able to save some of her to drink as a smoothie. After the pots were filled and done, I did just that.
I pulverized the little bits I saved, and added it to my fruit smoothie. While drinking her, I encountered some chunks.
“Uhhh!” I yelped and almost gagged. But then I said to myself, “Suck it up! You just gave birth to a baby girl.” So I did.
In the end, I felt pleased and satisfied. I was able to say farewell to my dear, tough, slimy, delicious, and nutritious placenta. <3
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