Monday, July 19, 2010

Saving My Placenta?

Kit for Making Your Own Placenta Pills

A few weeks ago I went to the Harlem Birth Action Committee's celebration of motherhood conference. It was very refreshing to know there are supporters of natural childbirth in Harlem! The day was filled with workshops, meeting other mothers and food.

One topic that came up was saving the placenta. In the past I had heard of moms deciding to bury it and in some cultures, eating it but had never experienced so many women who were adamant about saving their placenta and who had actually saved it. I'm not a very squeamish person but the thought of packing up my placenta and taking it home with me stored in Tupperware is a bit unnerving.

The advocates of saving it explained that the placenta is part of the woman and is usually taken by pharmaceutical companies for research and creation of products. Now I've read about the benefits of saving the placenta and turning it into pills but there are apparently many other creative uses for the placenta which can be found here. Can you believe this is made from placenta?:



I definitely will not be doing this with my placenta! Honestly, I don't plan on doing anything with it. I don't feel anymore connected to it than I do my toe nail or hair clippings, but I do believe if a woman decides to take it with her then yes, she should be allowed to do so. 

Have any of readers taken their placenta home or considered it?

2 comments:

  1. Umm, no. Not interested. Too crunchy for me!

    I remember a girl on my baby boards wanting to take hers home and have it made into pills to possibly reduce the chances of going through post-partum depression.

    Again - not for me but more power to those who are into that.

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