Sunday, October 5, 2008

Placentas

There is more room in my freezer today.
Yesterday was my oldest's 6th birthday. I finally buried all 4 placentas in the back yard. After every birth my midwife
put the placenta in a
plastic bag in our freezer.

Some people bury the
placenta later and plant
a tree or bush over it.
Others cook it into a
stew or add it to a
smoothie. Dehyrated and powdered it can be used to improve iron levels postpartum. Most mammals eat some or all of the placenta after birth; it is a powerful tool against excessive bleeding after birth.

Human placenta is known as the only truly vegan meat. It comes from a consenting human and does not harm any living creature. Nevertheless, consuming placenta just wasn't for me. I couldn't decide what to do with mine (though I knew I didn't want them just thrown in the trash).

Finally after Maia's
birth I decided I would
bury all 4 together
behind the house where
they were born. Later
I plan to put a bench
over the spot and plant
tulips around it.

Thus ends this era in my life...and my kitchen freezer's.

3 comments:

Anonymous said...

I love the idea of the bench with flowers around it.

Danielle said...

What a wonderful way to mark the beginning of a new chapter. Freeing up freezer space is always a bonus and tulips are my favorite...so score on all fronts!

Unknown said...

I have to be honest, I never heard of people eating their placentas. I'm not sure I could go for that. My vegan gag reflexes are kicking in :p

We burried DD's placenta and planted a tree over it. I do like your idea of the bench/peaceful spot. However, the deer/rabbits/squirrels/gophers/you name it will eat anything I plant, unfortunately- So, I'll have to get creative with our next round ;0)