You left the Canadians, Brits, and Aussies out, or is it the cultural norm in those countries to consume the placenta? 

well, seeing as I don't live there, I wouldn't know.... but yeah.. question applies to wherever you live.

I think that there are a lot of things that are made to seem outdated or primitive in our modern societies that actually would benefit humanity if kept as a part of culture.

Well, I get what you're saying, yes and no.  I get the understanding of being able to let go and accept the fact that "I just don't want to" is indeed a very valid position.
 
But I can't liken placenta eating/not eating (a choice made by a grown, informed and sentient person, for one's own self) to choosing an alternative food source for a wholly dependant infant.  What they put in their bodies is not their choice - it is their caregiver's choice.  It's the dependancy thing that gets me here.

I can't help but roll my eyes at every post you make in regards to formula feeding. In all honesty, I don't think you 'get' it at all..
 
I think you are insensitive and for you just making it a point to try and 'figure' out why a Mother makes the choice to formula feed is ridiculous. Instead of looking down on women who feed their children anything other than breast milk, why not worry about something that really matters? There are far worse things out there then formula.

siena&gaven wrote:I can't help but roll my eyes at every post you make in regards to formula feeding. In all honesty, I don't think you 'get' it at all..
 
I think you are insensitive and for you just making it a point to try and 'figure' out why a Mother makes the choice to formula feed is ridiculous. Instead of looking down on women who feed their children anything other than breast milk, why not worry about something that really matters? There are far worse things out there then formula.

 

I don't think this has much to do with the topic other than a way to make judgments against the OP. I don't know about her previous posting history (other than the other topic that was on this page) but I do think she made an interesting point in the original post.

The problem with this idea is that the placenta wasn't necessarily designed to be eaten i.e. a mother can live quite easily without eating the placenta.  However, before the invention of formula a baby could not live without breastmilk - be it their own mothers or another mothers milk.

Placenta eating is mostly observed in third world countries where the people are starved of nutrients and vitamins. The placenta provides the postpartum woman with much needed nutrients that she may not otherwise find.
Honestly, it's beyond me why anyone would want to eat the placenta (when they are not in desperate need of the nutrients) for no other reason than I find it gross. But to each her own. By all means, chow down  
 
I also personally don't think that this really relates to breastfeeding.... feeding a baby is feeding a baby. I am pro breastfeeding but as long as a woman is providing her child with adequate food and nutrients to grow, then she is doing a fine job by me and there is nothing to really figure out. I find placenta eating quite a bit more bizarre than a woman choosing not to breastfeed.
But that being said, glad you had an "aha!" moment   You won't be eating a placenta any time soon and some women may not be breastfeeding and we will all be happy and understanding of each other's choices.

rn_amanda87 wrote:Placenta eating is mostly observed in third world countries where the people are starved of nutrients and vitamins. The placenta provides the postpartum woman with much needed nutrients that she may not otherwise find.
 

 

I agree with this. It probably started as an instinctual thing, I think even most animals do it right? And it was natural instinct to help the mother survive after birth. Now that we have alternatives and it isn't necessary most would forgo it. 

And I don't think there was anything wrong with what you said about breastfeeding. Of course it doesn't correlate EXACTLY most things don't but I understood the idea of what you are saying. I feel like sometimes people are really looking to get offended or start a heated debate here.

rn_amanda87 wrote:Placenta eating is mostly observed in third world countries where the people are starved of nutrients and vitamins. The placenta provides the postpartum woman with much needed nutrients that she may not otherwise find.
 

  
I agree with this. It probably started as an instinctual thing, I think even most animals do it right? And it was natural instinct to help the mother survive after birth. Now that we have alternatives and it isn't necessary most would forgo it. 
And I don't think there was anything wrong with what you said about breastfeeding. Of course it doesn't correlate EXACTLY most things don't but I understood the idea of what you are saying. I feel like sometimes people are really looking to get offended or start a heated debate here.

Rachele_butterflidrm wrote:To make this debateable, do you think the general attitude in the US toward plancetae as medical waste is a good thing, a bad thing, or it doesn't matter? 
 

 

I don't see it as good/bad. I see it the same way as BF vs. FF. One is medically better then the other but it doesn't make the other a bad choose. Eating the placenta has many medical benefits. It would be the best choice but if you can get enough nurishment from other ways, whatever.

I think that in our minds we decide what is best and we can't fathom why someone else would choose a decision that wasn't the best for their kids. Why wouldn't you attachment parent, limit TV, avoid commercializing children? My son was 1 year old and knew the sponge bob theme song. Was it best for him? No. But it was my decision and I am entitled to make it because in parenting there are so many variations of the "right" way to do things.
 
I don't care what you say. I Breast fed my son. My daughter was formula fed. Does it matter? I can't figure out why some people are hell bent on rationalizing a decision that isn't "wrong" per se. Just different.
 
I'd rather listen to my boss and co workers get on eachother about why Dodge is better than Chevy. At least that conversation doesn't resort to belittling eachother.
 
-Penny

siena&gaven wrote:I can't help but roll my eyes at every post you make in regards to formula feeding. In all honesty, I don't think you 'get' it at all..
 
I think you are insensitive and for you just making it a point to try and 'figure' out why a Mother makes the choice to formula feed is ridiculous. Instead of looking down on women who feed their children anything other than breast milk, why not worry about something that really matters? There are far worse things out there then formula.

 
ITA it seems its another attempt to bring up BF v FF. I am so sick of defending my choice to give my child inferior food. She is 6 months old, 19lbs 27 inches long and in the 97th percentile. So IMO she seems to be thriving just fine. As for the placenta eating, no we dont do that in UK, i can understand why women from 3rd world countries might do it and even if women from US or UK choose to do it, not for me, but if they want to, then again it there body and they can put whatever they want into it.

Im happy to hear you found a way to relate ones uneasness of BFing to yourself, and in a way that makes sense. That is wonderful.
 

Niccakolio wrote:I think that there are a lot of things that are made to seem outdated or primitive in our modern societies that actually would benefit humanity if kept as a part of culture.

 
ITA, and I have posted til I am blue in the face links about the benefits of eating the placenta, especially for mom's that are high-risk for PPD & PPP

siena&gaven wrote:I can't help but roll my eyes at every post you make in regards to formula feeding. In all honesty, I don't think you 'get' it at all..
 
I think you are insensitive and for you just making it a point to try and 'figure' out why a Mother makes the choice to formula feed is ridiculous. Instead of looking down on women who feed their children anything other than breast milk, why not worry about something that really matters? There are far worse things out there then formula.

siena&gaven wrote:ITA it seems its another attempt to bring up BF v FF. I am so sick of defending my choice to give my child inferior food. She is 6 months old, 19lbs 27 inches long and in the 97th percentile. So IMO she seems to be thriving just fine. As for the placenta eating, no we dont do that in UK, i can understand why women from 3rd world countries might do it and even if women from US or UK choose to do it, not for me, but if they want to, then again it there body and they can put whatever they want into it.

  
I am not looking down on anyone for anything. And I'm not asking anyone to defend their choices.  I'm just saying that I have finally found a common ground with formula feeding moms that makes sense to me. As foreign as the idea of placenta eating is to me, so breastfeeding may be foreign to another mom.  That feeling of intense desire to avoid something for no logical reason, and yet it is still valid. I'm sorry you misinterpreted. From where I stand now, I can honestly say I agree that if a mom just flat out doesn't want to, it is as valid a reason as any.

I would also like to add a sincere apology for any hurt feelings that my lack of tact or inability to properly communicate my intentions may have caused.

eureka wrote:Well, I get what you're saying, yes and no.  I get the understanding of being able to let go and accept the fact that "I just don't want to" is indeed a very valid position.
 
But I can't liken placenta eating/not eating (a choice made by a grown, informed and sentient person, for one's own self) to choosing an alternative food source for a wholly dependant infant.  What they put in their bodies is not their choice - it is their caregiver's choice.  It's the dependancy thing that gets me here.

 

The first part was the point of my post.
 
The second part, well, no, placenta eating in and of itsself has nothing to do with formula feeding. And that is not really what I wanted to debate here.

sandy67 wrote:The problem with this idea is that the placenta wasn't necessarily designed to be eaten i.e. a mother can live quite easily without eating the placenta.  However, before the invention of formula a baby could not live without breastmilk - be it their own mothers or another mothers milk.

 

That can be argued against as all other placental mammals do eat their placentas. It could be the key to PPD as one article I read stated.

Ok, this topic just grabbed my eye in the active list.

I don't understand....Why are a few moms attacking Rachel????  She made a very valid point and some pro FF moms are just being so overly defensive it is ridiculous.  One mom in particular came off down right bit**y.  Thou doth protest too much??

I raise animals and have seen many a mom go despondent, dry up her breast milk and go anemic if she does not eat the placenta. These moms are healthy and well fed.. but birth is stressful... I find it funny how many people think that America's over processed foods and fat butts are such a healthier way to live than "3rd world countries"    The increase of depression and other health issues in the US line up with America's change/lack in nutrients.   This is a very real topic.

There are so many facts that could be introduced in a post like this but it seems that most of the posters are spending more time being emotional and defensive. Maybe it should start with letting go of some pride and allowing others to disagree with us?  Rachel, was clearly being empathetic.... 

If anyone has some real studies on this I would love to read them.  As well as the relationship to a lack of healthy fats to depression, and the national health crisis of a lack of Vit D.  I'd love to see some psyc work on why women are willing to take horse urine when TTC and drugs that are proven to damage fetuses for pregnancy depression and yet can't think of eating a placenta.

THen again, I"m a vegetarian, so there are a lot of things I don't get.

I think I read somewhere that we are one of the ONLY animals that does not eat our placenta. Any placenta eaters out there that can enlighten us?  How exactly does one ask to get your placenta afterward, they didn't even ASK me what I wanted done with mine.  I wonder if you necessarily have to eat the whole thing (aren't they quite large?) or just a portion.  I honestly don't think I could keep it down.. I also couldn't drink my own breast milk in great amounts either even though I did bf my child LOL

LauraLea_BZCL wrote:I think I read somewhere that we are one of the ONLY animals that does not eat our placenta. Any placenta eaters out there that can enlighten us?  How exactly does one ask to get your placenta afterward, they didn't even ASK me what I wanted done with mine.  I wonder if you necessarily have to eat the whole thing (aren't they quite large?) or just a portion.  I honestly don't think I could keep it down.. I also couldn't drink my own breast milk in great amounts either even though I did bf my child LOL

 

I'll rephrase that to say 'mammals' instead of animals.

SurprisedWithSeven wrote:If anyone has some real studies on this I would love to read them.  As well as the relationship to a lack of healthy fats to depression, and the national health crisis of a lack of Vit D.  I'd love to see some psyc work on why women are willing to take horse urine when TTC and drugs that are proven to damage fetuses for pregnancy depression and yet can't think of eating a placenta.

 

I HAVE SOME REAL STUDIES and there is more in progress at UNLV. We are expecting VERY positive outcomes from the current study in progress because, antidotally women by the thousands from around the globe are reporting back very positive postpartum experiences.

Scroll to the bottom of this page on my website, there are several links to studies articles and MUCH more:

http://www.stlouisdoula.net/Services/Placenta_Encapsulation.html

Specifically the links "Scientific Research" and "Placenta: A Behavioral Engima" But for anyone interested there are many more informative reads and videos

and for everyone speculating that it's 3rd world cultures that consume their placenta's, it's not. But it is mostly asian cultures. And when it comes to mammals, science doesn't yet know why mammals consume their placenta, every obvious reason can be easily disproven. But studies have been done and found that amniotic fluid effects the opioid factors of rat brains (therefore receiving pain relief by licking the vulva during birth) and some people would lead this to believe by consuming the placenta which would still have amniotic fluid on it would provide a level of pain relief.

LauraLea_BZCL wrote:I think I read somewhere that we are one of the ONLY animals that does not eat our placenta. Any placenta eaters out there that can enlighten us?  How exactly does one ask to get your placenta afterward, they didn't even ASK me what I wanted done with mine.  I wonder if you necessarily have to eat the whole thing (aren't they quite large?) or just a portion.  I honestly don't think I could keep it down.. I also couldn't drink my own breast milk in great amounts either even though I did bf my child LOL

   
I've read that for those with a weak stomach, it can be made into "placenta pills". As quickly as possible it needs to be refrigerated, just like any other meat. To make the pills, the placenta is dried out, baked in the oven, ground up, and placed into capsules to be taken daily.

LauraLea_BZCL wrote: I wonder if you necessarily have to eat the whole thing (aren't they quite large?) or just a portion.  I honestly don't think I could keep it down.. I also couldn't drink my own breast milk in great amounts either even though I did bf my child LOL

 
The placenta is roughly 1/6th the weight of the baby ( ex 12lb baby produces a roughly 2lb placenta), an average babies placenta is about the size of a dinner plate. So, yes eating a placenta raw would give you all the necessary nutrients and healthful benefits, but it severely limits the length of time you can use the placenta as medicine. By encapsulating the placenta (pills, about the size of your prenatal vitamins are most common) you can simply take a couple pills a day and they can last for weeks, months and even be saved in the freezer as a natural hormone replacement for menopause.