What to do with my placenta?

[paulinesmithson]

I gave birth to DD a few days ago and I was researching the health benefits of consuming my placenta. I've heard it's rather nutrient-rich but my only concern is that I am a vegan and I'm unsure whether or not it's ok for me to eat. Any advice from other mums who have had a similar experience would be much appreciated

Apparently it's delicious with a nice chianti

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Where is it at the moment? In a tupperware box in the fridge?

sealed and in the freezer

I'll take this at face value.

Yes, it would be vegan for you to eat it. But not vegan for you to eat another woman's placenta (unless she offered it? Maybe that would be ok because you wouldn't be exploiting her).

Similarly it's vegan for your baby to breastfeed but not to feed them milk from another woman unless it's freely given.

Mind you, maybe the placenta is actually the baby's. Are you exploiting your child by eating its placenta? Dilemma!

You can cook it and eat it. As a vegan its up to you, but since you give yourself permission, I guess that wouldn't be a problem?!!

I mean, I wouldn't do it, but other people do. Some get it freeze dried and take it in pill form, but I think you need to get that prearranged.

I'm not sure how this will fit with your vegan beliefs but I fed mine to our hens. I figured we eat their eggs so they can eat my placenta. I gave them a third a day as it's quite a lot of meat

If you're finding the idea of eating it appealing you should up your iron and b vitamin intake significantly. You could do that by eating your placenta but as I'm sure you're aware there are other ways too.

If you're planning on/currently breastfeeding, there's a body of evidence developing that placenta eating (if not done straight after birth) can negatively impact milk supply if it's encapsulated and taken for a long period of time.

Essentially the hormones in the placenta inhibit prolactin, and so stops mature milk being produced during pregnancy. Consuming these hormones in an ongoing way, (as opposed to a one off, straight after birth) may also inhibit prolactin, and depending on how established your milk supply is that can cause problems. The same reason that the combined pill isn't suggested until at least six weeks in.

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Disgusting

Maybe it would make a good compost?!

Get them put into capsules…….

Although not to eat, but I've heard of some mums having their placenta made into jewellery - I'd rather do that then eat it!

A great idea I read about is planting it (deep ish so foxes don't get at it) and then planting a special tree on top. Quite a nice symbolic thing to do, and you can watch the tree grow for years and years 🌳

Wow.

Next to the Ben and Jerry's and behind the peas?

How do you get your placenta after the birth? Do the midwives pop it into a takeaway container? Would uber eats deliver it?

Lol well if it's rather nutrient rich then yes you must eat it.

Oh howay woman. You can’t be serious!!

Who even does that?

congrats on the baby btw - put the placenta in the bin ffs

Throw it in the bin. Why would you eat it?

As a pp has says, if your brain is suggesting this I suspect you’re actually iron deficient. Pop some pills and ditch the placenta.

No need to eat the placenta in this day and age. And it's probably not going to be very tasty. Were you thinking of cooking it?

Personally I left it in the hospital! But you can have it made into capsules so you can consume without actually having to chew it 🤢🤮

Would you eat any other part of your body?