Drinking your placenta is said to have many benefits, including increased energy levels and earlier return of fertility, easier postpartum depression recovery as well as improved overall health and wellness.
Depending on what method of consumption you choose, it can be added to smoothies, capsules, or even in tincture form.
If you decide to make a smoothie, lightly cook your placenta in a low heat oven for about an hour. Once it’s done, blend it with your favorite juice and a bit of fruit for flavor. It’s also possible to make your own capsules by grinding the dried and powdered placenta, filling capsules, and store in a cool, dark place.
In tincture form, you soak the placenta in 100 proof alcohol for about two weeks, stirring it every few days. Finally, strain the alcohol off, put into dark amber glass bottles, and store in a cool, dark place.
No matter how you decide to drink your placenta, make sure to talk to your doctor first and find a certified professional placenta encapsulation specialist.
Why you shouldn’t eat your placenta?
It is not recommended to consume your placenta due to the potential health risks that may come with it. Human placentas can harbor dangerous bacteria, such as Group B streptococcus, which can cause life-threatening infections in the newborn baby or in the mother.
Additionally, there is little research to support the purported health benefits of eating the placenta, with most studies being anecdotal. Finally, the processes used to prepare placenta for consumption, such as grinding and encapsulating, may not be as able to eliminate dangerous bacteria as a medical professional would.
It is always best to seek medical advice before consuming any potentially hazardous substances, including your placenta.
What happens if you eat your placenta?
If you eat your placenta, you’re engaging in a practice called placentophagy. Placentophagy, or the eating of one’s own placenta, is an increasingly popular practice that some proponents claim carries health benefits.
However, there is limited scientific evidence to support these claims, and even though it may sound like a harmless practice, ingesting the placenta can carry some risks.
When consuming a placenta, all possible contamination should be considered. The placenta is likely to be covered in bacteria from the birth canal. Although some bacteria can be boiled away, any remaining bacteria can still be harmful to the mother’s health.
Additionally, the placenta contains hormones, proteins, and other substances which could trigger an allergic reaction if consumed.
Health professionals advise against the practice of eating one’s placenta as there is currently insufficient evidence to suggest that it has any beneficial effects. Placentophagy also carries potential risks that must be considered, and there is no guarantee that consuming the placenta will confer any health benefits whatsoever.
It is generally recommended that you speak to your healthcare provider if you are considering eating your placenta.
Can you eat your placenta in the US?
In the United States, eating your own placenta (sometimes referred to as placentophagy) is a largely unregulated practice. There is currently no federal agency responsible for monitoring the safety of eating your own placenta, including in prepared forms such as capsules.
As a result, the practice carries certain risks.
Advocates of eating the placenta point to cultures that have traditionally eaten their placentas as evidence of safety. However, there is no scientific evidence regarding the safety or potential benefits of eating one’s own placenta.
Additionally, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) recommends against doing so due to potential safety risks. The safety and efficacy of placenta encapsulation is also unclear.
The placenta can contain harmful bacteria, viruses, and other infectious agents, any of which could potentially cause illness. It is also possible for contaminants such as cigarette smoke, heavy metals, and other environmental toxins to be present in the placenta, depending on the mother’s exposure.
For these reasons, potentially contaminated placentas could theoretically cause various infections and health problems.
The bottom line is that there is no clear evidence regarding the safety of eating one’s own placenta, so it is not currently recommended by the majority of health care providers. The potential risks involved may outweigh any potential benefits.
However, it is ultimately the decision of the mother whether or not to eat her own placenta.
What celebrity ate their placenta?
The actress and business mogul, Kim Kardashian, ate her own placenta following the birth of her third child, Chicago West in mid-2018. Kardashian stated in a tweet shortly after Chicago’s birth that she was “creating capsules filled with my placenta” as “so WESTSIDE!”.
Kardashian appears to have followed the example of her close friend and makeup artist, Mario Dedivanovic, who previously shared a photo of himself eating his own placenta in a smoothie on Pinterest. Kardashian is not the only celebrity to have eaten their placenta, as celebrities like January Jones, Alicia Silverstone, and Kourtney Kardashian have all followed suit.
This practice has become increasingly popular as it is said to have a whole host of health benefits. Eating the placenta is said to help with mood, energy levels, skin tone, and strength in the wake of pregnancy and birth.
It is thought to balance hormones and increase milk supply for the new mother, among other things. The placenta is said to be rich in a multitude of vitamins, minerals, hormones and powerful enzymes.
Critics, however, argue that there is little to no evidence to back up the claims surrounding the health benefits of eating a placenta. It is also important to state that while many choose to eat their placentas, it is still considered to be an unconventional practice and should always be discussed with a medical professional before attempting.
Did the Kardashians eat their placenta?
No, the Kardashians did not eat their own placentas. There have been reports of Khloe Kardashian considering the possibility of eating her placenta, but that has not been confirmed. Despite the growing trend of ingesting placenta, the Kardashians have not followed suit.
In addition to eating placenta, some parents-to-be also opt for making placental smoothies, encapsulation, or even dehydrating and powdered placenta for baking. For now, it’s unclear if any of the Kardashian’s have opted for any of these strategies either.
However, some members of the clan have opted to keep their placentas and umbilical cords in special jars as keepsakes.
Can I eat my wife’s placenta?
No, you cannot eat your wife’s placenta. Eating a placenta is considered to be an experimental medical treatment, so it is best consulted and performed by a medical professional. This type of treatment has not been scientifically proven to improve health and could even pose a health risk.
Additionally, eating a placenta can have cultural and religious implications so it is best to consult with your healthcare provider and your spouse before considering it.
How much does it cost to turn your placenta into pills?
The cost of having your placenta turned into pills can vary significantly depending on the service provider. Some placenta encapsulation services can cost anywhere from $150-$400, while others may be more expensive or less expensive depending on the services offered.
Generally though, the cost includes consultations and safety reviews with a medical professional, collection of the placenta, sanitary processing, preparation of dried placenta in a pill form, and delivery of the pills.
Some services also provide cord keepsakes or other services such as a placenta print or tincture. Overall, the cost of placenta encapsulation services can be an investment into postpartum health and well-being for some families, and the price is reflective of the service quality, safety, and experience of the encapsulationist.
What is a lotus baby?
A lotus baby is a term used to describe a baby that is born by c-section in the lotus position. This is a yoga pose wherein the baby is born with its legs folded up in a pretzel shape and its arms close to its chest.
The lotus position is believed to be beneficial for the baby as it opens the hips and allows the baby to enter the world in a relaxed and comfortable position. It is said to reduce stress and be very calming for the mother as well.
It is also seen as a way to symbolize the baby’s journey from the womb to the world and is seen as a rite of passage for many families. In some cultures, lotus births are even done in order to let the baby hold onto its precious placenta for a few days longer.
Why do hospitals keep the placenta?
Hospitals keep the placenta for a variety of reasons. First and foremost, the placenta provides important information during the delivery and care of mother and baby. It can help identify any pre-existing conditions that the baby might have, so any necessary treatment can be provided.
The placenta is also examined closely to ensure that it was functioning optimally during the pregnancy.
The placenta also contains valuable stem cells, which can be used for a variety of treatments. This includes the potential to treat genetic diseases and even grow new organs, though this technology is still in the early stages of research and development.
Finally, many cultures consider the placenta to be of sacred importance. In some cases it is buried in a special site or consumed as nutrient-rich food, and in other cases, it is retained by the hospital on the mother’s request.
Regardless, hospitals have a responsibility to honor the family’s wishes when it comes to what happens to the placenta, and to keep it safe and secure until a decision is made.
How many pills do you get from placenta?
Generally, you can expect to get between 40-60 placenta capsules from a single placenta. This can vary greatly depending on the size and weight of the placenta, as well as the method you choose for making the capsules.
For example, when encapsulating a placenta with the traditional Chinese method, you may be able to yield more pills than you would with the raw dehydrating method. Additionally, if you receive a large placenta it may yield a greater number of capsules.
Therefore, the best way to determine how many pills you can expect to get from a single placenta is to consult a professional placenta encapsulation specialist.
Do moms eat their own placenta?
No, moms do not typically eat their own placenta. While some cultures have traditionally eaten certain parts of the placenta for perceived health benefits, it is not a common practice today in Western or industrialized cultures.
However, in recent years there has been an increase of maternal interest in consuming their own placenta in different forms, such as cooking it and creating capsules, and advocates today claim benefits from this practice.
However, health officials do not recommend it, as there has not been enough scientific evidence to back up the claims of improved postpartum health benefits. Additionally, the practice could put the mother at risk of infectious diseases, particularly since consuming placenta can involve bloodborne viruses, bacteria, and parasites.
How common is it to eat your placenta?
The practice of eating one’s placenta is not particularly common and in fact is still considered quite controversial in most parts of the world. Although it has been practiced for centuries in traditional Chinese medicine and in some cultures, it is still seen as a somewhat taboo practice in the West and beyond.
There is a small, but growing, community of people who practice placentophagy— which is the technical term for eating one’s placenta— as a natural way to reduce postpartum depression and fatigue, reduce the risk of postpartum hemorrhage and anemia, and some believe it can reduce the risk of allergies in the baby.
To do so, placentas are typically steamed, dried, and consumed in pills, smoothies, capsules, or sometimes even raw.
Ultimately, the decision to eat one’s placenta is a personal one and it is important to do research to ensure the safest and most hygienic way to consume it if it is something one is interested in.
Is the husband supposed to eat the placenta?
No, the husband is not supposed to eat the placenta. The placenta is a unique organ created for pregnancy and it serves various functions during the process, including transferring oxygen and nutrients from the mother to the fetus and eliminating waste.
After birth, usually the placenta is discarded or incinerated. In some cultures, the placenta is eaten, however this is not something that the husband is expected to do. There are some cultures where the placenta is buried or incorporated into a ceremony in some way, though this most likely would not involve the husband either.
Ultimately, it is up to the couple or family to decide how they want to handle the placenta, but in most cases, the husband is not expected to eat the placenta.
What religion eats the placenta after birth?
The practice of eating the placenta after birth, also known as placentophagy, is most commonly associated with certain spiritual and religious traditions. Generally, it is practiced in cultures that believe the placenta has sacred spiritual power, or that it has medicinal or nutritive benefits for the mother or baby.
For example, in some Native American traditions, the placenta is seen to be imbued with the spirit of the newborn, so eating it is believed to help the mother connect with their child’s spirit and bond.
In Chinese culture, the placenta is sometimes dried or cooked and consuming it is thought to help with the new mother’s recovery from childbirth.
In addition, adherents of Santeria and Vodoun, two West African-based religions, consider the placenta to have spiritual power and may ceremonially consume it after birth. Similarly, practitioners of Hinduism may consume the placenta to fulfill certain fertility rites, such as burying a piece of the placenta in the ground under a tree in the hopes of conceiving another child.
The practice of placentophagy has been documented in various religious and spiritual traditions around the world. However, the decision to eat the placenta is highly personal, and some choose to do it while others do not.