Aibu to keep my placenta and... cook it in a pie?

[Umberta]

(Semi light hearted thread but I'm actually serious).
So everyone IRL that I bring this up with tells me I'm crazy and/or get very grossed out. But they can't say why this is wrong. And mumsnet has never failed to be a safe space for me before

Why pies though? It feels a bit Mrs Lovett! 😂

What about capsules etc?

My twin placentas fused together to make one giant one - that would have fed the whole town

I always wonder why most animals, herbivore as well as carnivore eat placentas but if you don't want in incinerated by the hospital you're some kind of weirdo. I think you can do what you like with it but I probably wouldn't feed body parts to anyone else. It really no different to chewing nails, licking a pinprick of blood or small scratch or chewing the inside of your face (as I do absentmindedly). I've heard it tastes ans is roughly the texture of liver, but have no personal experience with placenta. I do like casseroled liver though.

I guess it's part of us being superior to animals so we don't do those kinds of things.

I used to work in obstetric recovery and a few women did take away parts of their placenta. One woman planned to eat strips of it on a pizza. Several others were having some kind of homeopathic dosage to take.

"I do wonder though by posting and telling everybody about it if you are hoping to shock people somehow."
Oh dear I didnt intend this at all! It's not something I've talked about a lot, but I have had a lot of conversations with people about birth plans etc and it has naturally come up. When people seem horrified I drop it.
@Hairthrowaway it was your use of the word "normal" that made me smile, don't worry keep your hair on, I'm not actually offended! It takes all types to make a world and we're different types that's all
I guess my reason for starting this thread was to find out people's reasons for not doing this more, or to hear their stories if they know someone who has. I wasn't intending to brag or shock (!) And I've learnt a lot that I didn't know before:

1. About the size
2. About the smell/it's unappetising (I was prepared for this, mentioned in my op)
3. About how it's handled a lot by midwives and might not seem clean afterwards
4. Other options like planting
5. An interesting debate about how other mammals do it, but perhaps not for nutritional reasons
6. An interesting article about a tv chef who did it

And I've also been reminded that I might be very tired and not in the mood for cooking, and also been reminded that they are people out there who are smug about being more "normal" than me, whew! Thanks to everyone who have responded helpfully even if you don't agree, that's what I was hoping for. This has been very informative! I'll take a break from this thread for now but I promise I'll come back with details if I go through with it! Xxxxx

Why not. It's supposed to be very good for you. I'd be willing to give it a go.

Ahh the annual placenta eating thread.

I long for an OP to actually come back with photos of their culinary creation but sadly, I don't think it's ever happened?

Sounds absolutely revolting. But crack on op.

Personally not for me. I remember my stomach turning after I delivered the placenta and looking at this huge flat thing on the bed in front of me. In fact my actual words to the midwife were "that's disgusting". Cant believe it came out of me. I'm not a huge meat fan as it is. I'm not sure how nutrious it is either? If you want to do it crack on, but seems like a waste of effort to me. Plus you'll have the practicalities of storing it, taking it home etc. What if you need to stay in for a few days? Will you send your oh off with it? Will he want to take it?

Did people actually see theirs? 😱 Nobody offered to show me mine, and I would never have thought to ask

I had a real hippy midwife at my second section who insisted on showing me my placenta as she said it was important for me to see it. I couldn’t say ‘fuck no’ fast enough before she brought it to me.. It looked like a huge, veiny piece of liver. I vomited on the operating table and the anaesthetist told her off

It most definitely didn’t look like something I’d like to eat in a pie.

There is plenty of things from your own body you can eat or drink op
From your own piss to the snot that comes out your nose, to your nails, or even a cup of your own saliva. You could even cut yourself and add your own blood to your morning coffee. It’s full of iron right?

Does that mean it’s advisable, and not totally disgusting, no. But can you do it sure. And add other body things in there too.

We donated our DD’s cord blood to Anthony Nolan as it is rich in stem cells but this won’t be possible for a home birth (and I don’t know if cord blood banks are operating at the moment).

OP, you won’t feel like making pies for a little while after your baby is born.

Mine with DD2 was surprisingly tiny, even the midwife commented that it was small (DD was 8lbs 3 and perfectly healthy so it obviously didnt affect her much!). Nonetheless I dont think it looked appealing. I dont like offal at all and I feel that placenta would have a similar taste and texture to liver or kidney, which I really dislike. I also imagine it would be very vascular which isnt very appealing.

I asked the midwife to show me mine & it was fascinating. Not exactly appetising though! Have you googled what they look like? Not something I'd eat!

I think there's a yuck factor because you don't need to do it. If someone does something out of necessity it somehow seems less yuck? I guess many would see not having to eat your placenta as a positive human development?
Just enjoy your baby. Who wants to bother with making pies when they've just given birth? I'm pretty sure you may be put off when you actually see it! I know I was surprised by mine every time I gave birth!

Doesn't the placenta have a role in filtering out certain toxins so they dont harm the foetus? So it is likely to contain pesticides, soil contaminants and other delights that wouldn't necessarily be very good for you. I certainly wouldn't have wanted to eat mine!

If you want to take your placenta home do you have to bring your own Tupperware to take it home with or do the hospital provide a container? Will they store it in the fridge until you go home?

Smoothies are much easier (freeze the placenta cut up) - I strongly advise blueberries in the smoothie as they disguise the visible bits very well

I didn't even know you were allowed to keep it, planting a tree on DSs would have been lovely.

@Catsup

Did people actually see theirs? 😱 Nobody offered to show me mine, and I would never have thought to ask

I vaguely remember seeing mines, it was huge and seriously not appetising looking. It was on the floor when the doctor came over to check on me and I always remember dp being horrified at how he "kicked it across the floor like a football out of his way" He still talks about it 3 years later 😂

@NerrSnerr

If you want to take your placenta home do you have to bring your own Tupperware to take it home with or do the hospital provide a container? Will they store it in the fridge until you go home?

I don’t know what the procedure is in usual times but given the current situation I strongly suspect there is absolutely no way that the hospital would allow you to walk out with a giant quivering mass of your own tissue.

Most people who eat the placenta don’t eat it in a pie, they get it made into tablets, don’t they?

Completely off topic but you mentioned about donating cord blood to science - have you had a look at delayed cord clamping so baby gets all the blood as it has its benefits

Did people actually see theirs? 😱 Nobody offered to show me mine, and I would never have thought to ask

As I said mine got stuck and the doctor had to get it out (by sticking her arm up me like I was a bloody cow - the whole thing was actually the worst part of childbirth for me) so there was quite a lot of celebration when it finally came out because I was getting quite close to needing to go to theatre and then they looked at it for ages, presumably because they were concerned about whether or not it was all there? I got a very good look and at no point did I think 'well that would make a lovely pie'.

Did people actually see theirs? 😱 Nobody offered to show me mine, and I would never have thought to ask

The hospital was full and so busy I had to do my own double checks For the MW... so the MW showed me my placenta to show it was complete 🤮