so - what did you do with your baby's placenta?

[SlartyBartFast]

anything like http://www.guardian.co.uk/lifeandstyle/2008/nov/28/lotus-birth-umbilical-cord-placenta this?

Had a homebirth and the MWs took it away - but only after DH & I had had a good gawp. F'kin enormous it was.

Although I did hear the MWs muttering to each other 'are you sure they don't want the placenta...', we were firmly pigeon-holed as 'alternative' types

Had a good look at it whilst the midwife checked it and then have no idea.

Surelu wild animals gnaw away the placenta. I don't get it.

My midwife was rather surprised that I didn't even want to look at the placenta. It got taken away with the rubbish after both of my home births.

I've never thought of it was something that provided the nutrition for the baby - I thought I did that, as the mother?

had a really good look at DS1 as they told me at the hospital that it was showing signs of calcifying? but there was no sign of that at all once it was out. Midwife took it with her when she left.

DS2 - didn't pay much attention but the midwife took it with her when she left.

We left it attached to ds for about 36 hours, until the cord was totally dry. I did have salt and lavender oil around, but it didn't smell at all. It was wrapped in one of those disposable bed liners.

Then we cut it off, dh said 'goodbye placenta and thanks for all the fish' and put it in the bin.

I liked the idea of planting it under a tree, but I didn't fancy going out in late december to do it.

I also felt it would be rather depressing if the tree then died, and given my less than stellar record with trees I'd rather not risk it.

That's interesting ib. I don't get the 'fish' comment though?

i donated the stem cells from it so it was saved and what was needed extracted from it by the hospital before being disposed of.

The auxiliary nurse who was clearing up the surgical "mess" in the delivery suite after I had DD managed to drop the silver bowl containing my placenta. It splattered everywhere! Was one of the funniest moments of childbirth

i have never had the slightest bit of interest in my placentas, and i find the idea of doing stuff with it quite bizarre. and the idea of having to care for the placenta, as if having a newborn baby isn't daunting enough, sounds mad to me. still, each to their own, not judging...

although i did rub some of the varnix in my face as according to nct teacher it's a wonderful antiwrinkle treatment- does that count??

Had a good look at it - it's made from the same cells that made the baby

Obscure quote from hitchhiker's guide to the galaxy iirc

One of my friends used to work in HIV research in Paris, a few times I was chatting to her and she said 'got to go, a placenta has just arrived'. She was investigating mother-child transfer of HIV or something.

I never worked out if the research team specifically requested placentas (plural?) or if they just took them if the mothers said 'yuck, take it away, I don't care what you do with it'.

Garrow and Hawes 2005 examined a whopping 700 placenta from singleton birth. nice

THE RELATIONSHIP OF THE SIZE AND COMPOSITION OF THE HUMAN PLACENTA TO ITS FUNCTIONAL CAPACITY BJOG:Volume 78 Issue 1 Pages 22 - 28

wee bit recreational reading

Both of mine were donated to medical research. I assume they are then incinerated

I thought they use them for face cremes? Maybe maternity hospitals have a deal with companies.
All those lovely rejuvenating hormones. Go on take your pick on the links here.

I wanted to keep mine and grow a tree on it, but with a crash section, I have no idea what happened to it. L'Oreal perhaps?

I really wanted to bring mine home and bury it under our tree,DP said NO WAY!! ( I'm a little hippy and he is SOOOO straight laced)

Dp then pointed out that our dog would dig it up and eat it, not sure thats an image i could live with!!!!

apprantly it tastes like liver?

This came up here a few years ago, pretty much all the same comments then but we did mamage to find Lotus bags which are designed to carry the placenta securly whilst also looking attractive. Perhaps it will come up in a search, I will go look!

I know the woman in the article, I remember when she had her daughter and said at hour 23 of labour she was really enjoying herself and actually meant it.

The thought of carrying a hunk of decomposing meat around with my baby personally revolts me, but then I also would not support the whole 'babymoon' thing as it's REALLY important for me for DH to bond with the baby as soon as possible too.