The Joy of Placenta – bon appétit!
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Placenta, yum!
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Okay, this may be a squeamish topic for some – there are people out there who DO keep their placenta after giving birth to their children. Some bury it, some keep it in the freezer (and have absolutely no idea what to do next), some make art works out of it, some well… cook it and eat it! I fall into the last category and share my experience and recipe below!
Although the placenta is revered in many cultures, very few customarily eat the placenta after the newborn’s birth. Those who advocate placentophagy, the eating of one’s placenta, in humans, mostly in modern America and Europe, Mexico, Hawaii, China, and the Pacific Islands believe that eating the placenta prevents postpartum depression and other pregnancy complications. The most general benefit of placentophagy, according to recent research, is that placenta and amniotic fluid contain a molecule (POEF, Placental Opioid-Enhancing Factor) that produces an enhancement of the natural reduction in pain that occurs shortly before and during childbirth.
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I’m not one of the brave ones who dare to make spaghetti sauce out of placenta meat and eat it with pasta, however, I was very intrigued by the rumoured nutritional qualities of placenta and after all most mammals eat their own placenta! After experiencing a terribly long and tiring recovery period for my first birth, I decided that I would try and harness the nutritional qualities of my second placenta to aid in my recovery from my second birth.
Step-by-Step
Thanks to the internet and a friend that I made from an online forum who shared with me her experience with preparing placenta, this is what I learnt to do with it:
First, you have to freeze or chill the placenta as soon as possible after delivery. As my second child was born at home, I really wanted to chuck it into the freezer right after it popped out but my doctor indicated that he wanted to examine the placenta at the hospital so my doula put it into a freezer bag with ice packs (which she had prepared in advance) and took it to the hospital for us. She later took it home to freeze it for us and then sent it back to my place after my discharge from the hospital.
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Cleaning it
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Next, you have to clean it really well. If chilled, prepare the placenta as soon as possible to ensure freshness. If frozen, do allow time to thaw completely. My confinement nanny graciously helped me to do this. We weren’t really sure if there was a “proper” method of washing the placenta so we just rinsed it several times until the water ran clear (slightly pink instead of dark red). There was a huge blood clot/bloody tissue which my nanny threw away but in retrospect, I wasn’t sure if we were supposed to keep that piece of blood piece.
Now, some people find the smell of placenta a little urrgh, so the nice folks at Eu Yan Sang (actually somebody called Mr Ang who is quite knowledgeable about placenta preparation) gave me a small packet of herbs to use with it:
After squeezing half a lemon over the placenta and adding a capful of DOM (if you like), throw the herbs over the placenta together with a few slices of ginger (all these will help to dispel the unpleasant smell).
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Preperation
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The next thing to do is to steam it over low heat for 20 minutes on each side (i.e. you steam it for 20 minutes, then turn the placenta over and steam again for another 20 minutes):
Now what you need to do is to wait for it to cool down a bit and then slice it into thin pieces – as thin as you can – sort of like making beef jerky:
Place the placenta strips on wax paper or a metal tray to dry out in the sun (best method), in an air-conditioned room but do watch out for dust and ants or in a food dehydrator/oven on lowest setting.
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Dry the strips
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You have to make sure that the strips are completely dry. One good indicator is that the strips should feel brittle to the touch before pounding them into powder for consumption. Some people choose to eat this powder by adding it to soup while cooking. I preferred to have it sent to Eu Yan Sang where they powdered the dried strips for me and then encapsulated the powder together with some ginseng for my consumption:
Tip: Try encapsulating the placenta powder together with some ginseng (pao sheng) or cordyceps if you don’t want the smell of placenta to be too overpowering…..
And there you go, voila, you could swallow your placenta in tablet form and not have the queasy feeling of sinking your teeth into a nice, juicy, thick steak of placenta. Bon apetit!
You can read more interesting posts from Vanessa Teo, mummy of two, on her blog!
(11 votes, average: 4.36 out of 5)
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cool! i was actually intending to do this and tried reading up be4 birth.. who knows i ended up c-sec last min, i didnt even get to see my placenta at all..
DISGUSSTING. what is wrong with you. the placenta is not for eating. I think its very disturbing – eating a part of your own body? You can afford a nanny so you can afford to eat real food – i.e. not something that was intended to nourish your baby pre-birth. FOR GODSAKE!
It is strongly believed that the organ created by the woman’s body to pass nutrients between mother and fetus and is expelled after birth is rich in chemicals that can help mitigate fluctuations in hormones believed to cause postpartum depression.
Every single mammal ingests its placenta. We are the only mammal on Earth that went away from this practice.
It is strongly believed that the organ created by the woman’s body to pass nutrients between mother and fetus and is expelled after birth is rich in chemicals that can help mitigate fluctuations in hormones believed to cause postpartum depression.
Every single mammal ingests its placenta. We are the only mammal on Earth that went away from this practice.
Thou it seems unplatable, I support eating OWN placenta cos its scientifically and biologically logical. Plus so many stong refferals. Moreover international cosemetic brands use this as a standard ingredient for their products. Suitable for vegetarians too? No killing involve anyway.
thank god i found your posting. i am doing research and def plans to bring home my placenta for consumption too
now i know how it can be done!
hi,
i encapsulated my placenta & consumed it as well. not much yuckiness cos its in capsules. pure placenta cos mine was done by the nice ladies @ cozy mummy haven.
did feel better towards the later half of consuming the capsules. but maybe bcos i started the consumption late, abt 1/3 into my confinement.
heard dat we hv to finish all the placenta within the confinement mth
Can u share their contact numbers?
http://www.mommycozyhaven.com
Elaine (97873655)
Jennifer (9189 1598)
info@inthewomb.biz
Olivia
EuWWWW! i cant eat something that has been expelled from my body. What were you thinking ladies?? It is as good as eating your own feaces!!
How is the placeta the same as eating shit?
placenta is not the same as shit.
olden days, humans do eat placenta after delivery. of cos, wif some processing & cleaning. it’s supposed to nourish the body frm the laborious process of giving birth.
In your family do most consume it? Wondering if it’s a heritage/past down tradition thing.
nope, none in my family. i was very keen after i read thr r svcs to prepare the placenta for mummies
eeeeeeeik!!!!!
it’s “believed” to mitigate hormone fluct???.
“Believed” is not equal to – “Proven” scientifically, my dear. Has it been proven & tested? Many things are believed to be good – like Bird’s nest(Bird’s saliva) – when tested by the western lab – it only contain some protein, nothing else – they can’t believe why the Asian pays gold for it.
Even if there is some good stuff in it, do you think aft the hot steam/cooking/dried under sun/pounding – it wl still be there?. Albeit all the other mammal doesn’t cook it.
I’m not sure if I can do this. I’ve heard the grossest things people do about placenta, but this is the worst by far. People can be “really” weird.
What else have you heard?
Yes, Vanessa’s placenta was in my freezer before it was prepared =). Loved being at your birth, Vanessa, you birth gorgeously.
Wow, interesting. Could you share with us how many of your clients do end up consuming their placenta?
hi… i read the article.. extremely interesting n useful. im not pregnant yet but seriously intend to “eat” my placenta. i think its such a healthy thing to do! If i need any advice or help, how can i contact you? Is there someone i can ask to help me with this if i find it queasy? and do all eu yang san outlets do this process? thanks alot
I don’t think Eu Yang San does this anymore. Could be wrong though.
Anyway, do share with us, have you ever eaten your own placenta (a former pregnancy?)
i ate my own placenta, thru encapsulation. nothing yucky abt it. the smell upon opening the btl actually belongs to the plastic capsules.
How big were the capsules? The images here look pretty huge!
“Baby blues” is a common occurrence – 80% of mothers experience it in the first days and weeks after giving birth. Because it is so common, nothing is typically done about it until it worsens into a diagnosis of postpartum depression.
Benefits for capsuling your placenta…
* contain your own natural hormones
* be perfectly made for you
* balance your system
* replenish depleted iron
* give you more energy
* lessen bleeding postnatally
* been shown to increase milk production
* help you have a happier postpartum period
* hasten return of uterus to pre-pregnancy state
* be helpful during menopause
women who take placenta capsules report fewer emotional issues, have more energy and tend to have a faster, postpartum recovery.
I believe one a woman has gone though baby blues or even postpartum depression she is willing to try anything!
If anyone has any questions about it because I have done many for women then feel free to email me
Kickwiz@aol.com