Eating your own placenta from the myth to the truth
Now more than ever we are coming back to our more animal selfs. Mothers want to experience motherhood at its all simulating old rituals and letting their more savage desires go on.
One of these intents to connect to the nature of motherhood is placentophagia. An arm of thinking in obstetrics believes in the benefits of eating your baby’s placenta once you have given birth.
Between the myth and the truth there is a lot of information that a lot of mothers are lacking, maybe reading a little bit more about this organ and placentophagia can help you decide whether you want to follow this tradition or not.
What is placentophagia?
First of all, what is exactly considered Placentophagia? Well, google says that placentophagia refers to the practice of women eating their placentas after giving birth. However, we believe this to be a very short and cold definition of something that, most of the time, comes with such an emotional background. Thus, it is commonly used in home births and alternative health settings.
Unlike most of us think, placentophagia is not something that has come from old traditions but it has acquired popularity because Hollywood celebrities revealed that they ate their placentas after giving birth. From here, people that want to connect with nature and its motherhood had found in this practice something that they were lacking, a closure for the cycle of giving birth.
Important things that you might not know
1. The placenta is not yours, but your baby’s
The placenta is not an organ that you generate for your baby, but quite the opposite. As you can learn in our post “development”, from the initial two cells, sperm and ovule, two layers of cells are generated, one group will be in charge of creating the baby, and the other group will support the baby in your belly. This second group of cells is in charge of the placenta and amniotic sac generation between others. So, the placenta is an organ with your baby’s DNA.
2. Our ancestors ate the placenta
Actually, even though most mammals eat the placenta there is little evidence, to not say none, about its consumption by women after childbirth, no indication that it was common in the past.
Instead of eating it, in some traditional cultures the placenta is revered as a part of the being that is born, and is treated in a ritual way. For example, even today, it is customary among native Hawaiians and their descendants to bury her in a sacred place.
Eating placenta became popular in the United States in the 1970s, due to the development of midwife-assisted home births. It’s grown in popularity in recent years, thanks in part to celebrities like Kim Kardashian and January Jones endorsing the practice, and social media has made it simple for new parents to learn about placenta-eating and share their own experiences.
Can I eat placenta?
In a nutshell, sure. The placenta is an organ, and it can be eaten like other forms of organ meat (think duck liver or cow tongue).
There are numerous methods for consuming placenta: It can be consumed raw or cooked. Some women grind the placenta and use it in a smoothie or as a meat-based ingredient in spaghetti or stews, but experts recommend working with someone who’s experienced in preparing placenta instead of DIY-ing it yourself—if the placenta hasn’t been properly heated during preparation, there’s a higher risk of bacteria buildup.
Instead, the most frequent way to consume placenta is to have it processed by a professional service into a specifically prepared supplement known as placenta encapsulation. Placenta encapsulation dehydrates and grinds the placenta to a powder using food-safe methods. This powder is then put into capsules, which are taken just like any other supplement.
Even when the placenta is extracted by a skilled professional, there are always hazards. The vagina is an ecosystem with a multitude of bacteria and viruses and since the labor process can sometimes be prolonged, infection from vaginal bacteria can progress into the placenta. Bacteria can grow and damage the placenta if it is not rapidly chilled and processed. In such a situation, raw intake is strongly discouraged since it may result in infection—however, it’s crucial to note that while cooked placenta is used for encapsulation, the procedure eliminates some but not all germs.
If a woman prefers to consume her placenta, physicians advise her to eat just her own; consuming another woman’s placenta may raise her risk of blood-related illnesses such as HIV or hepatitis, according to Schweizer.
Potential benefits of eating your placenta
Placentophagia supporters claim the following advantages:
- Enhancing lactation
- Avoid postpartum depression
- Alleviating discomfort
- Connecting with your child
- Improving energy
Women prepare the placenta for ingestion in a number of ways. These are some examples:
- heating and dehydrating the placenta before encapsulation it
- cooking the placenta and eating it like a piece of meat blending the placenta
Some women consume the placenta uncooked, shortly after birth and some of them season their placenta with herbs or other spices.
Is it safe to eat your placenta?
Leaving aside emotional and spiritual purposes of eating the placenta, what does science say?
It has been widely reported that eating your placenta after delivery can be harmful to both you and your baby.
The placenta is a complex organ that feeds the developing embryo by exchanging nutrients and oxygen and filtering waste materials through the umbilical cord. The most frequent placenta preparation is to make a capsule by heating and dehydrating the placenta or by processing the raw placenta. The placenta has also been eaten raw, boiled, or in smoothies or liquid extracts.
These preparations may not entirely eradicate any infectious bacteria or viruses that may be present in the placenta. Due to a case in which a newborn got group B streptococcus after the mother took placenta pills carrying group B strep and breast-fed her child, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention of the United States has issued a warning against using placenta capsules. The mother’s breast milk was suspected to be contaminated with group B strep germs from consuming her sick placenta. In babies, Group B strep can cause significant disease.
Besides this case, that we have explained here for you to see a more anecdotic case, the most commonly reported side effects of eating placenta are:
- Increased vaginal bleeding
- increased uterine contractions
- Digestive issues and infections
- increase in amount and intensity of hot flashes
- Increased anxiety
While some believe that eating the placenta will prevent postpartum depression, reduce postpartum hemorrhage, boost mood, energy, and milk production, and offer critical micronutrients such as iron, there is no evidence to support this claim.
So, while having a lot of evidence of its potential damage effect, there is none of its “known” benefits.
How to avoid risks
If you want to have your placenta processed for eating, be sure your hospital allows you to bring it with you. In Europe you always can take it home if you ask before delivering, but this isn’t always the case in other countries where it depends on the hospital.
Once you’ve established that you can access your placenta, talk to your doctor about it to learn about prospective providers and how to follow best practices for placenta preservation. Here are some things to consider before eating your placenta:
- How much time has it been waiting outside a fridge?
- Did you have huge blood flow or perineo rupture?
- Do you have a record of having some STD or other infection such as hepatitis?
- How is it best to cook it and store it?
And, if you want to count on a professional, which is recommended, here are some things to consider as well:
- How much time have they spent researching placenta encapsulation?
- What procedures did they have to follow in order to complete their certification?
- Are they self-educated?
- They have experience? Do you know previous moms that had worked with them?
If you develop a fever after consuming the placenta, feel sick to your stomach, or otherwise feel “off,” or if your baby appears ill, contact your doctor immediately.
Take away
Should I consume my baby’s placenta? The verdict is still pending. Eating your placenta may raise your chances of getting a serious infection. But, some people claim that it may lead to minor improvements in mood and tiredness. These benefits are commonly due to the placebo effect, at the end postpartum is a very emotional moment of your life and doing things that you feel are good for you are going to make you happier, and this is just another case.
We recommend that before consuming your placenta, consult your doctor about the positives and cons as well as your unique health status.
