Video Love

I love this video. Although it is not a birth video, her beauty and grace, the combination of (wo)man-made art and feminine form make for a breathtaking work of art.



I have already become a fast fan of Katy Perry's "Firework", and this video is just... awesome! It gets you pumped up and teary eyed all at once.



What a lovely natural hospital birth with a wonderfully attentive and emotionally connected partner!

Welcome Earth-Side Simon

Dec. 11th
I was sitting down for the evening, just starting to work on a Christmas project when my email tone sounded on my cell phone. I saw that it was B&J. They had been contacting me off and on for the past few days because of an excited uterus that would start loving on bub every afternoon around 3pm and keep mama up and active all night long, only to taper off in the wee hours of morning.

I replied with some suggestions to see if we could help mama to have a good night's rest. But B noted, things felt different this time. I headed over at their request around 11:30pm, arriving at their place right around 1:15 (traffic kept me at bay).

When I walked in, J, you were sitting on the couch, looking pretty dismayed and tired. We talked about the fact that your waves were spacing out and that you were ready to be done. After talking about your options (bed, tub, walk, rest, or natural encouragers) you opted to start a cohosh regimen to get your waves back up to where they had been previously. I gave you acupressure on your feet/ankles, and back in the tub you went. You felt much pressure, and some hip discomfort, and were rather disappointed that your Hypnobabies were not giving you a pain-free birth.

You continued to listen to the CDs, though, and I knew that, if you weren't listening to it and working so well with your waves, which were about 3 minutes apart at this time, you would have been a lot more uncomfortable.

B hopped in the tub and gave you one amazing back massage, alternately applying a hip lift, a round ligament release, and a lower back/sacral massage. I continued to press gently on your shoulders while brushing your hair out of your face, as I reiterated your hypnosis cues. We breathed together and you moved with your baby.

Around 5 in the morning, though, the waves began spacing out again. You checked yourself and felt baby very low, with a little bit of constipated feeling, bulging forbag, and about 6cm. I recommended that, if your uterus was calling it quits for the time, perhaps you should try to rest. So, B and I tucked J in on the couch with pillows and blankets all around. Your pup stayed your diligent doula-dog, and the three of us fell asleep within minutes. We awoke around 3 minutes later, again around 10 minutes later, and the next time, not for 20 minutes.

Your waves were releasing you for the time being.

I bid you both adieu, knowing that next time would be it.

For another week, you continued regular chiropractic care and acupuncture. Every evening, you started the same pattern, and every early morning, your waves dissipated.

December 21st
Around 10pm, B again contacted me to let me know that things were picking up and feeling different. I could hear J in the background making noise, and, knowing how far along you already were, we talked about the plan. J's waves were definitely different than what you had been experiencing nightly, so you promised to call me as soon as things got longer, stronger, and 'differenter'. I already knew that you would not have a very uncomfortable labor, and you were already experiencing waves about 3 minutes apart.

We hung up and I told my husband I would love to get a few hours' sleep in so that I was well rested for you both and would, ideally, hear from you at 4amish. You called me at 4:20ish to let me know you were ready for me to head over.

When I arrived, you were in the tub again and were moving your hips in a languid sway. We talked about how low the waves felt and how much pressure you felt. You had been feeling waves in your right hip again, so we did some position changes and you worked a little on the ball. You didn't feel right on the ball, so back in the tub you went.

During one bathroom break, you felt and thought you were around 8cm. You began acting a little transitionish, saying that you were tired and either wanted to sleep or hold your baby.

We talked about options for getting things into high gear, knowing you had labored all night for a few centimeters, and you and B opted for an early morning walk. As we walked through the neighborhood, I applied counterpressure to your lower back while you hung on B and he swayed with you, reminding you of your cue words.

As the neighborhood woke and left for work, B, J, and I arrived back at the front door, and, immediately, J got back into the tub. Around 9am, you noted something felt different and went to the bathroom. There, you checked yourself and noted you felt around a 9 and there was a large bulging bag of water in your vagina, giving you a strong feeling of constipated fullness.

You asked what I would do at this point. I stated my choices weren't J's, and your choices had to be your own. Your waves began spacing out again and I wondered if your labor would stop again as it was morning. After waiting another 30 minutes, you again asked what I would do if I were you.

I conceded that, knowing you felt far along, I would probably break my own water to take away that full pressure and see if it would hasten birth. After talking with B, J asked B to break it for her.

J, you climbed back into the birthing pool and alternated from all fours to a modified Captain Morgan Frog Squat. Noting that your baby was probably still asynclitic to posterior, I recommended going with your bodies urge to stay in this position, but alternate sides.

You continued this for about an hour, again, with B in the tub giving his amazing back rub and me applying cool washcloths to your forehead and providing your Hypno-cue words. Your waves were much longer and bringing sweat to your brow, and you began nipple stimulation to hasten the last centimeter.

You checked yourself again around 11am and felt nothing but a small lip of cervix left. I talked with you about pushing it back manually during waves, trying different positions to move it away, or simply waiting for it to move on its own. You felt baby 'just inside' your vagina, so you chose to move it yourself.

A few waves later, you felt babe move back up and away from your hand. With the next wave, he settled lower and 'different'. And, with the next wave after, the lip disappeared.

You began doubting your ability to bring your babe earth-side at this point and said 'I can't do this' between every wave. We talked about your fear of pushing. We talked about your bodies ability and the fact that you could keep him in and keep doing what you have been doing for weeks, or you could cross that finish line.

You made a conscious decision to move him into the world and, after one final 'I CAN'T do this!', your eyes became saucers as babes head moved beyond your perineum. Still in a Captain Morgan Frog Squat, you began laughing your babies shoulder's and body free of your own.

B's hands met your own and you both drew Simon out of the water and into your arms. Immediately, he let out a lusty mewl and began looking around at his mama and daddy.

His color was amazing from the start, and you moved to the floor by the couch to try to nurse and birth the placenta. For the next few moments, you reveled in your newborn while B cleaned up the kitchen and I clean you up. We waited for the placenta and I monitored your beautiful babies breathing and heart tones. About 30 minutes after birth, you felt the need to use the toilet, so we moved to the bathroom where you released your placenta.

At that point, you moved to the bed where you were able to sit on clean linens, nurse your newborn boy, and B was able to join you.

I had you drink some electrolytes and showed you how to do fundal massage, but your bleeding was minimal and your bub cleared out his own mucous and began to nurse in earnest.

About 2 hours after birth, B cut your son's cord (long) and I guided him through the newborn exams. B also monitored J's BP and bleeding and I got the herbal sitz bath ready. Around an hour after the sitz bath, I left a new family tucked into bed with pizza and Gatorade. Radiant mama, proud papa, and a beautifully chubby bub.

You did it mama!

Beautiful 1 hour old Simon

Welcome to the world, Simon!
7lbs 2 ozs
20 inches long
1:39pm

Train Your Children Up In The Way that They Should Go

Authentic Parenting had a great post a short while back that got me thinking. She writes:

Children are being babied way beyond infancy, into childhood and even into adolescense. They are being spoon and bottle fed way beyond a reasonable age. They get a pacifier jammed in their mouths and a blankie in their hands untill they are off to primary school. They get mush for dinner and puree for lunch. They may not eat with decent cutlery, even in primary school. They are not allowed real scissors, real paint or art supplies.
They are not allowed choices, responsibility or decisions and they are not to be trusted until they are out of you house. They have no rights.
They may not speak when grown-ups do. They can't do anything unless it is age appropriate. They sure as hell shouldn't mix with anyone older or younger than themselves.

Interestingly, I was just reading on the pitfalls of the Millenial Generation. What a disservice is being done, and we are starting to perpetuate it into a second generation!!

"Millennials have been described as: over-protected, over-coddled, over-scheduled, over-confident and self-entitled.  On the other hand, they’ve also been called: civic-minded, risk -taking, bold, innovative, entrepreneurial, flexible, optimistic and balanced in their views on the role of work and life.  A recent Pew Research Study describes Millennials as: “confident, upbeat, self-expressive, liberal and open to change.”" - Working with Millennials

Think about this: most people who raised children of the Millennial generation were oftentimes neglected by the father-figures in their lives and had a hard-handed work-ethic displayed to them. So, they made up for it by offering their children a coddled lifestyle devoid of repercussions - being fed by a silver spoon, in essence.

Millennials were raised in a public school system where there were 'no losers' to sports - there were ribbons for every place and everyone got a prize at the party. They were graded on a curve and they were enrolled in so many extra curricular activities, they couldn't see straight; they were used to trying out everything, then dropping those things that proved to be too time consuming, difficult, or uninteresting. 

Consider this, their generation saw the government fall from it's pedestal in a way never publicized before (Clinton), the judicious system failed in the public eye (OJ Simpson), terrorism came home (Oklahoma City Bombing), the Dow Jones hit a record high, the DVD player was invented, the computer became faster and smarter, and social networking/media began to change the public eye... Then, they watched the nation fall from grace in our economic collapse, thousands laid off, regardless of tenure or loyalty, and they, themselves were thrust out into the workplace.

There was a running (true) joke, that many upper class Millennials would bring their parents or other mentors, to college interviews, and even work interviews.

According to one generational expert, they are considered to be “overparented, overindulged and overprotected. They haven’t experienced that much failure, frustration, pain. We were so obsessed with protecting and promoting their self-esteem that they crumble like cookies when they discover the world doesn’t revolve around them. They get into the real world and they’re shocked.”

Now, this generation is entering the workplace and the older Millennials are having children of their own.

The result is a confusing mix of good and bad. The good: the most technologically advanced generation to date, the most work-life balanced generation to date, a generation that truly cares about others and their hopes and dreams, and a moral and ethical generation with strong ties to environmental conscientiousness.

The bad? Unable to communicate with other generations effectively, difficulty communicating face to face, difficulty functioning with micromanagement, difficulty coping with real-world cause and effect, difficulty working their way up the corporate ladder (a difficult time understanding tenure), difficulty working without being micromanaged, and little long-term loyalty to any people, corporation, or activity without benefit to themselves.

The Bible addresses this conundrum. Whether or not you are Christian, the Bible holds many a nugget of helpful advice as you are traversing the plains of parenting. It says that we, as parents, are to 'train our children up in the way that they should go'.

It doesn't say for us to coddle a child and let them remain a child for as long as possible. It states for us to RAISE them UP in the way that they should go. I am not saying that children cannot play, have fun, climb trees and show kid-isms, I am saying that we should not try to keep them childlike for as long as possible.

Instead, if you have beliefs, morals, or strong opinions on certain issues, share them with your children. If you believe in hard work and respect, teach it to your children. If you believe that adults are to have a healthy family/work balance, teach it to your children. If you believe in good communication and the right to freedom of speech - TEACH IT TO YOUR CHILDREN.


A prior post on Authentic Parenting is entitled The Freedom to Make Mistakes - I prefer the term the Freedom to Fail. Yes, I said Fail. Why does that term seem offensive? Because it offends. Failing means hurt, hurt means offense. Offense means a healthy retrospection will likely occur and alterations will be put into place to decrease the chances of the same hurt happening again. This is healthy and good. But we are failing (I said it again) the next generation by thinking we are protecting them by not allowing them to feel that sting.

So, what does this look like in our house?


We have chores. Chores do not get monetary rewards because we are a family unit that all pitch in to make it work. We also have special projects. Special projects accrue monetary or immaterial rewards commiserate with the effort and completeness of the tasks.


Our children all have a voice in the decisions we make, but it doesn't always mean we will do what they want. They are more than 'allowed' to share their emotions or opinions, but they have to do it in a respectable way.

We have expectations of our childrens' behavior that some think are too harsh. They are not allowed to run amok in the store; negative behavior does have negative consequences, but apologies go a long way in our home. On the other hand, they also have more freedom because of the higher expectations. They can choose to read instead of going down for nap (if they are behaving), they can get on our computers if they would like (as long as they are not looking up inappropriate things), etc...

We tell our children our hopes for their future and usually finish by saying 'we hope that you will ____ but you will have to decide that for yourself'.

Likewise, I hope that this next generation that is being born right now will have the opportunity to fail, the opportunity to have a voice in their home and the opportunity to live up to their parent's high expectations. I hope that these children are given the familial grace to make mistakes, live with the healthy consequences, and learn from them so that they can grow into healthy and competent small humans of our society.

- Calvin (another POV can be seen here)

Naitre Enchantee

Naitre Enchantee is back. Take a look at this beautiful birth, full of birth affirmations.

One Voice

I step up to the door and wait, listening. Inside, I can hear muffled voices, mostly feminine. One voice carries stronger than the others as Eliana sings with her bodies strength.

I text to daddy that I am here and entering the house. He texts back "ok". And I open the door quietly. To the right is the kitchen, lit by candles, as grandma and 3 year old Katelyn make some tea for mama. I shed my shoes, for I am on holy ground, and enter into the sanctuary of birth.

I sink to my knees at the edge of the birthing pool and take Eliana's hands. The midwife coos to her while taking out her equipment. Grandma comes in with the warm tea and Eliana opens her eyes to smile at me.

"Hi", she breaths.

"Hi", I smile.

She moves like a sea nymph, gliding from shore to shore, bestowing kisses on the faces of her loved ones before drifting off into the waves again.

Murmured, gentle voices sing out a love song to her, weaving a tapestry that envelopes Eliana as she drifts in and out of space and time.

Her midwifes deep timbre offering a beacon of light to her journey, her mothers empathetic lilt, intoning gentle empathy, her daughters sing-song sweetness, calling to a mystery she has yet to understand, and me, her doula, moaning and humming with gentle encouragement.

In this place, this moment, I can hear the echo, like distant shadows, of labors past.Culminating in one voice, we call to her from distant shores, while she drifts on the tide of self-discovery, seeking safe passage.

Her song deepens, moving into the chests of those witness to her. It becomes a tangible being, stirring our souls, gripping our hearts, and dancing across our memories.

I hear Ancient Woman stamping her feet in the dusty earth, throwing her head back to sing to the heavens.

I hear Medieval Woman swaying gently by the firelight, humming a low, guttural song while her sister rubs her swollen abdomen.

I hear grandmothers, mothers, sisters, and daughters... beating the earth and bringing harmony to Eliana's melody, a beautiful orchestration of many, of one.

Rolling her head on her shoulders, Elaina sings now of power, the sea having brought her to the shore of realization. She sings of coursing rivers, brilliant light, pressure, and ecstasy.

Our voices fade away as she commands all audience. Culminating in climactic expectation, she sings one last note.... and pauses, tears slipping from her eyes and dropping to the face of the newborn now cradled in her arms. And a new voice, never heard on earth before. The voice of the Babe, mewls forth in tentative triumph. And we erupt in jubilation - one voice

Purple Birth

That is the only title I could think of when I found this post on Emmy's Amazing Birth story. I love the birth stories posted on Wisewoman Childbirth; and the colors and vividness of this birth story entranced me. Enjoy!

One Last Christmas

During this season of giving, of family, of celebrating that which is most sacred to our hearts, consider this; if you knew this would be your last Christmas, what would you do?



In loving memory of all of our children who have gone too early, and all of our loved ones we are cherishing in heart and mind.

The Essential Ingredient

Afterbirth, After Birth, Part 2

The placenta is an amazing vascular organ. The word placenta comes from the Latin for “cake”. It is the only organ that is grown to be temporary, and sheds itself after its primary use is finished. Placental development and circulation begins 3 weeks after implantation. There is both a fetal and a maternal component to the placenta, so it is actually a product both of conception and the mother’s body as well.

It is the first bond between mother and baby, the communicative highway to transmitting hormones, nutrients, and blood – in essence, this is the first way in which a mother cares for her baby and that a baby communicates it’s needs to his mother.

It is a fully functional organ at 12 weeks gestation and acts as the baby’s lungs, kidneys, liver, digestive and immune systems. The placenta attaches to the baby through the umbilical cord, which attaches to baby through the abdomen. The umbilical cord inserts into the placenta via the chorionic plate.

Fetal Side

On the fetal side of the placenta, vessels branch out over the surface and divide to form a network covered by a thin layer of cells. The result is the beautiful and sacred shape of the tree of life – scientifically known as villous tree structures. On the maternal side, these villous tree structures are grouped into lobules called cotyledons.

Maternal Side

The amazing placenta also transmits and produces hormones, sending messages advocating fetal demands to the mother’s body and helping to care for and grow the baby while also hiding it from the mother’s body so that the mother’s body doesn’t see baby or placenta as invaders.

The hormones that the placenta creates and releases include:

• Human Chorionic Gonadotropin (hCG) - hCG is the first placental hormone. This hormone is only produced by a woman’s body when she is pregnant. hCG makes sure that the woman continues to produce progesterone and estrogen, two important hormones for keeping a baby in for 9 months. hCG also suppresses the mother’s immunological response that the baby and placenta are foreign objects and reject them.
• Human Placental Lactogen (hPL). This hormone has growth-promoting properties. It promotes mammary gland growth in preparation for lactation in the mother. It also regulates maternal glucose, protein, fat levels so that this is always available to the fetus.
• Estrogen. This ‘woman’s hormone’ contributes to the woman's mammary gland development in preparation for lactation and stimulates uterine growth to accommodate growing fetus.
• Progesterone. This hormone is necessary to maintain endometrial lining of the uterus during pregnancy. This hormone prevents preterm labor by inhibiting contractions.
• Two additional components of the placenta, Neurokinin B (containing phosphocholine molecules) and lymphocytic suppressor cells, help to cloak the placenta and baby from the woman’s immunological system.

It is dark maroon in color and, at full term, the placenta weighs 1/6 of the baby’s weight and covers 1/3 of the inside of the uterus. At the time of birth, as the baby is born out of the womb and the uterus has further to involute, it begins to slough off the placenta from the uterine wall, allowing the placenta to separate and be expelled by contractions. The placenta is usually birthed within 15-30 minutes, but can take up to 2 hours after child birth.

After birth, it can continue to help mom and baby through nourishment, emotional and physical healing, and ceremonial purposing. Cultures throughout time honored the placenta in their own rites and rituals, including consumption, burial, ceremonies, and blessings.

Cultural Customs

Western culture, by and large, regard the placenta as biohazardous waste, something to dispose of or let medical students play with, but it is so much more to other cultures around the world. Whereas our culture looks at it in disgust, other cultures revere it’s purpose and blessing on a babies life.

Among the Navajo Native Americans, it was customary to bury the placenta of a child within the Four Corners of the tribes boundaries. This essentially bound the child to his ancestors and his land. The Maoris of New Zeeland have a similar practice, burying the placenta of a tribe member on their tribe’s soil. In the Maori language, placenta and land share the same name: whenua.

Korean Placenta Burial Marker

Koreans, Cambodians, Malinese, and Balinese people are more cultures that routinely bury the placenta with reverence and symbolism. Cambodians are known to wrap the placenta in banana leaves and keep it with baby for 3 days before ritualistically burying it. In Mali, the placenta is rinsed, dried, and placed in a basket to be buried by the father of the child to ensure a happy and healthy child.

An example of placenta burial can be found with the Balinese people. In Bali, the placenta is considered the baby’s twin and thought to act as the baby’s guardian angel throughout life. As such, it requires special reverence because of its job. The placenta is cleaned and prepared by the father, and buried by the mother. The burial takes place in the yard of the families home, the right side of the main house for a boy and the left side of the main house for a girl. It is placed in a coconut shell, wrapped in white linen, and buried with talismans, songs, prayers, and blessings for a healthy and happy lifetime for the child.

Ari Ari - Balinese Placenta Burial Marker

Some cultures believe that the placenta has its own spirit. The Bolivian Aymara and Quecha people are two such cultures. As such, the placenta is given the burial rites of any other living being. It is washed and buried in a secret, shady place by the father of the child with secret rite. It is thought that, if the ritual is not done properly, the mother or baby can become sick because of it.

Just like the Balinese, many other cultures believe that the placenta is the twin, sibling, or companion of the baby. This is understandable as the placenta and cord is the first physical interaction a baby has and it provides the first emotional and physical contact to the mother that baby has. The Ibo of Nigeria and Ghana view the placenta as the dead twin of the child and give it full burial rites. Malaysians, the Parigi, and the Javanese all believe it is the older sibling that watches over the child and can even communicate with the child before the child learns it’s native language.

The Toba-Bataks believe it is a younger sibling, while native Icelanders and native Australians believe it is a guardian spirit. The Bagada and ancient Egyptians preserved the placenta in order to protect it’s spiritual qualities and, oftentimes, they would hold elaborate ceremonies, including processionals, to honor and protect the properties of the placenta.

Filipina mothers are known to bury the placenta with books, in hopes of a smart child, while the Hmong bury a girl’s placenta under the parent’s bed and a boy’s placenta under the floorboards of the threshold to the house. This practice arises from the belief that, after death, the Hmong will retrace their life’s path, arriving back at life’s door – the place of placental burial.

Placenta Burial

The Kikuyu and other African tribes will bury it with agriculture, believing it will nourish and sustain it’s people, as will the child’s heritage and future. Hawaiians practice a similar rite, believing the burial with a tree will root the child to his heritage, people, and land.

Placenta Pills

The Vietnamese and Chinese people believe in the life-giving forces of the placenta in another way – as being useful in consumption. As such, they are known to make tinctures, teas, broths, and pills out of the placenta. There are many recipes in ancient texts that are supposed to increase the vitality and potency of the placentas properties.

In Korea, it has been practice to burn the placenta and keep the ashes. Then, in times of illness, the ashes are used to make a drink for the child in order to ensure health and longevity. Similarly, in some regions of South America and with some Samoan people, the placenta is burnt, then the ashes are spread on the land of the family so as to ward off evil spirits.

Placenta Print

More recent ceremonies include lotus birthing, placenta art, and cosmetic use. In France and, until 1994, in Britain, the placenta was used in numerous cosmetic produces such as cold cream and anti-aging products.

Lotus Birthing

Claire Lotus Day began questioning the practice of cutting the cord in 1974, and the lotus birthing practice was born. Other Western women, in a search for reclaiming meaning from the institutionalized practice of Western birth, began making placenta prints as a way to commemorate and remember the transforming power of their child’s pregnancy and birth.

The list goes on and on. The bottom line, there is great room for interpretation, practice, and honor when we consider the amazing physical, emotional, nutritional, and, sometimes, spiritual uses of the placenta even after birth. If you are looking into one of these practices for your own birthing time, there are some things that you should know about preparation and care for your placenta.

Proper Care & Handling of Your Placenta

As soon as possible after the placenta has been birthed, it needs to be placed in a food-grade container (glass or ceramic is best, but double bagged Ziploc will also work), sealed tightly and refrigerated. If the family wants to delay cord cutting, this can be done up to three to four hours later, and then the cord must be severed, and the placenta quickly refrigerated in order to safely ingest the placenta later. Please note that you will be unable to have a lotus birth (leaving the cord attached until it detaches on its own) if you want to safely encapsulate your placenta.

A fresh placenta should be ‘processed’ within 24-48 hours for maximum benefits (this includes encapsulation, consumption, or burial). It can be done up to 7 days later, but will not be as potent. If it is not possible to process the placenta within 48 hours, it should be double bagged in Ziploc freezer bags and frozen. If encapsulating from the frozen state, the placenta should be completely thawed, which takes about 24 hours.

If you are planning a hospital birth, be sure to tell your care provider ahead of time that you are planning on taking your placenta home. You should plan on bringing a cooler with you to the hospital for care and ease of transport from hospital to home. Read more about how to best handle the release of your placenta from the hospital here, and download a hospital liability release form here.

Placental Planting/Burial

The most widely accepted means of ritualistic or symbolic disposal for the placenta is the burial. You can freeze your placenta for as long as you need, some people even wait for the babies first birthday as a commemoration of the event. Other reasons for the ceremony can be the planting of a child’s tree or child’s bush, closure/celebration of the birth, celebration of the end of the lying in period, or a birth healing ritual.

To bury your placenta, dig the right size hole to hold your placenta and bury it alone or with tokens indicative of the commemoration (herbs, dried flowers, ashes from a paper with a blessing or prayer written on it, etc.).

To use it for a tree/flower/bush planting ceremony, again, dig the right sized hold for your placenta. Score the sides of the hole so that the roots of the plant can take hold easier. Place the placenta at the bottom of the hole, cover with about an inch of soil, then place the plant in the hole and fill it on up. As your baby’s placenta breaks down, the plant will be nourished by it. If you choose to grow a fruit tree, the tree will bear fruit that has grown from your baby’s placenta. This fruit can then go on to nourish your family.

Some people add ritual to the ceremony by offering prayers, blessings, or thanks. Some women choose to have other women at the ceremony to offer a blessingway to the new family. Others ‘give up’ their negative feelings toward the child’s birth or a hurt that was done to them during the pregnancy, birth, or postpartum period. Others still will bury it as a symbolic ‘coming home’ of the baby, allowing the babies feet to ‘tramp down’ the dirt that is placed over the placenta.


Placental Art

Placenta prints are a newer, beautiful way to commemorate your child’s birth. Each placenta has a unique print and you can display it as a work of art in your home, knowing that the average person will not know what the print is, as it usually turns out to look like an abstract flower, tree, or heart.

You can make a placenta print with either a fresh or thawed placenta.

Supplies needed:

• Placenta
• Heavy weight art paper or canvas
• Paint (optional)

If you have chosen to use paint, rinse and pat the placenta dry. Then paint the placenta in the colors you have chosen. If you have chosen to use the placentas blood, do nothing to the placenta before printing. Now, simply place the placenta vein side down onto your surface of choice. Press down, and then lift up. Voila! You have made a placenta print. If you chose to use the placenta’s own blood, then you can still use your placenta for placentophagy.

Placentophagy

The benefits of placental consumption include:

• Decrease in baby blues and postpartum depression
• Increase and enrich breast milk
• Increase in energy
• Decrease in lochia, postpartum bleeding
• Decrease iron deficiency
• Decrease insomnia or sleep disorders

The placenta's hormonal make-up is completely unique to the mother. No prescription, vitamin or herbal supplement can do what one placenta pill can. The theory is you are replacing the hormones you lost during the birthing process. Each woman's placenta is unique to her hormonal make-up. Interestingly, the first born male placenta is the most enriched. There are many ways to consume your placenta, including a placenta smoothie (done within the first 2-4 hours after birth), placenta meals, and encapsulation.

The Placenta Smoothie (immediately postpartum)

Supplies Needed:

• Placenta
• Sharp knife
• Blender
• Yogurt (your favorite flavor) or Orange Juice
• Frozen fruit (your favorites – try to include Vit C rich fruits and some red/purple fruits)

Directions:

Cut off one or two 2-inch cubes of placenta. Place them, raw, into the blender. Add your base of choice (either yogurt or orange juice) and your frozen fruits of choice. Blend until smooth. Serve in a tall glass. The dark fruits will disguise the color of the placenta and the taste is just like any other fresh smoothie. It is a great way to start your postpartum recovery and it reduces immediate postpartum blood loss.

Encapsulation (within 4 days postpartum)

Encapsulating your placenta is the process of drying your placenta, grinding it down into a fine powder, and encapsulating it to be taken in pill form.

Supplies Needed:

• Colander
• Gloves (optional)
• Steamer (stovetop)
• Fresh ginger (about ¼ cup sliced or minced)
• Fresh lemon (1 small, sliced)
• Cayenne pepper (2-4 Tbsp)
• Cutting Board
• Sharp knife
• Capsules, 150-200 (can be found at most health food stores)
• Dehydrator (optional)
• Wax paper (optional)
• Food Processor or Coffee Grinder
• Sanitizer and bleach
• Optional herbs include St. John’s Wort, Red Rasberry Lead, Blessed Thistle, or Alfalfa

Directions:

First take placenta, place in colander in sink. Rinse under cold water and removing blood clots. Next, wrap the placenta membranes around placenta, making it into a ball.

Place lemon, cayenne, & ginger in the water of the steamer. Place the placenta in the steam basket and cover. Steam on medium for about 15 minutes on each side. Be sure to try to bleed it while steaming.

Remove from heat and place on cutting board. Allow to cool while ‘doing dishes and cleaning up’. You can reserve the lemon and ginger to dehydrate with the placenta if you would like.
Once cool enough to handle, slice the placenta into really thin strips (picture beef jerky strips). If you are using a low oven to dehydrate your placenta, set your oven to the lowest temp. It takes 6-8hrs to dehydrate depending on the method used.

Line a cookie sheet (for the oven) or the dehydrator sheets with wax paper. Lay the placental strips (and lemon/ginger (optional)) on the wax paper so that none overlap. Dry for 6-8 hours, checking often for doneness.

Once done, prepare to process your placenta strips. Using a strong grinder/food processor, coffee grinder or Magic Bullet, begin the grinding process. Break the strips into halves, and add whatever other herbs you would like to add to the grinder. You will have to grind in batches. Grind them down to a fine powder.

When done, fill the capsules. You can use an encapsulator such as Cap-M-Quick, or you can roll a piece of paper into a funnel and encapsulate that way. Cap the capsule halves together and clean up all of the mess. 

Use bleach and sanitizer to clean up your work area. Place capsules into an airtight, preferably glass, container and store in the fridge. They will remain good for 4 weeks postpartum. The capsules can also be frozen, which extends their shelf life from weeks to years.

Take 3 capsules 2 times daily for the first week postpartum, then 2 capsules twice daily for the second week on, until supply is gone. Increase dose as mom needs for emotional pick-me-ups or for milk supply demands.

In Conclusion

I hope that you have found interest in this article, that it spurred some creative thought and introspective consideration. The placenta truly is an amazing organ, and continues to offer our children and ourselves, as mothers, benefit and harmony. It has the potential to give us pause, reflection, and emotional and physical health. It does not have to go in the trash or the pathology lab – it can give us so much more if we simply give it thought.

For more information:

• Lotus Birth – Sarah J Buckley’s Article
• Placenta Benefits - a great resource for placenta culture, benefits, and support
• Family Colvin had their sister encapsulate her placenta.
• Afterbirth, After Birth – an article on PPD and placentophagy
• Placenta Apothocary – a blog for all things placenta
• Placenta Remedy – a recipe and information on how to make a placenta tincture