When I had my first child, nobody told me what an ordeal delivering my placenta would be after already pushing out a human being. I ended up having my placenta surgically removed due to it being stuck inside me, I was so relieved when it was finally out and disposed of.
But for other more forward-thinking people, their placenta is something to be cherished and repurposed, almost like a trophy of birth, and nowadays there are so many things that can be done with it. Everyone has heard the stories of people who take it home whole, cook it up and eat it, but there are other options for people who might not want to eat a chunk of themselves.
1. Plant it under a tree
There are so many nutrients in a placenta that it makes an excellent fertilizer. If you plant it under a tree it will nourish the new plant life with the nutrients from the new life you have created. A word of advice though; it needs to be planted at least 1.5 metres underground so that it doesn’t attract animals that might want to dig it up!
2. Use it on your skin
There are companies out there who will dehydrate and powder your placenta and use it as an ingredient in a wide range of skincare products. When used this way it is thought to increase collagen production and increase hydration, which would definitely appeal to a new mum.
3. Placenta jewellery
The process of producing jewellery starts the same was as adding it to skincare, by drying it out and making it into a powder. It can then be formed into a beautiful stone that can be used to make the jewellery item of your choice.
4. Eat it.....but in different ways
If the idea of ingesting placenta nutrients sounds like a great idea but you aren’t a fan of frying it as a chunk, there are other methods to get it into your system. A lot of people, including many celebrities (think Alicia Silverstone and Kourtney and Kim Kardashian) are sending their placentas away to be turned into capsules. All the goodness but without the effort. The contents of the capsules can also be blended up with fruits and other ingredients to make placenta smoothies if that’s more up your street.
5. Let the hospital deal with it
For a lot of new mums, the thought of repurposing their placentas is just too much to handle after the stress of a bringing new life into the world. It just isn’t high up on their list of priorities, and that’s ok.
Everyone is entitled to do what’s best for them at that moment, you do you!
