Sure, many people would be revolted at the thought of consuming a human organ, but there are a growing number of women who are choosing to eat their placentas for the many health benefits it offers. The art of drying and ingesting one's placenta actually goes back to Traditional Chinese Medicine and, even then, was believed to help with postpartum recovery. Some of the claims are:
- decreases or eliminates postpartum depression
- elevates mood
- faster recovery
-decreased bleeding
- replenishes iron levels
- aids in milk production
- helps shrink uterus to pre pregnancy size
I brought the idea of placenta encapsulation up to Tim early in my pregnancy and, surprisingly, he didn't mind the idea. After searching locally for reputable sources, I found out that someone in my crunchy circle of friends is certified! I passed her contact information and cost along to Tim and told him he could make the final decision. I really didn't think it would happen for financial reasons...I had already insisted on having a doula (So worth it!) and maternity/newborn photography (Sweet memories!) and those things seemed more important than something that may or may not live up to the healing claims.
Fast forward to Penelope's birth. Tim informed the birth team that we did want the placenta. Turns out he had decided to surprise me with a "push present" and it happened to be my placenta, encapsulated, along with a keepsake print and dehydrated heart shaped cord!
I was thrilled to have received this gift and began taking the capsules each day, as directed. Since this was my first child, I didn't know if I was having a super easy recovery or if the capsules were actually working. I unintentially forgot to take them two days in a row while traveling for Christmas and during that time could not figure out why I felt so fatigued, grumpy, and generally "foggy". Then it hit me, the placenta capsules were making the difference! Once I realized this, I immediately took two and within hours was feeling myself again.
My personal experience with this somewhat taboo practice has been nothing but positive! I had a super quick recovery after Penelope's birth, plenty of milk, no "baby blues", and I was back to my pre pregnancy weight within a week. I truly feel like taking my "placenta pills" helped with each of those. If you are pregnant, or plan to be, I encourage you to research this topic and try it! What do you have to lose??
