A lot of pregnant families create a birth plan or have at least thought of the type of birth they want. Unless a family already knows what they want to do with their placenta after birth, it’s unlikely that they know their options.
So, what are your options for your placenta?
- Dispose of your placenta- The hospital will dispose of your placenta for you. This is what will automatically happen unless you specify otherwise. If you’re interested, you can ask to see it before the hospital staff disposes of it.
- Donate your placenta- There are several ways to donate your placenta. Your birthing facility may have a partnership with an organization. You could donate to trainers who work with cadaver dogs. You could also donate to doulas like me, who train OTHER doulas to work as placenta encapsulators. There are so many possibilities!
- You can take your placenta home to bury- many cultures believe that burying the placenta connects the baby back to the earth. (There are also many other cultural beliefs surrounding this practice, this is just one example.) You could, however, just enjoy the idea that your baby’s placenta is near or is nourishing a special tree/plant.
- You can consume your placenta- there are several ways that people consume their placentas. (There is only one way that we, at Rocket City Doulas, will help prepare for you.) Styles of consumption: raw, smoothies, and two types of encapsulation. You can also consume your dehydrated placenta (the process is the same as encapsulation) in a tincture.
- Turn a placenta print into art- there are so many examples of placenta prints on the internet. Most of them require a “painting” of your fresh placenta itself. While beautiful, if you want a placenta print and encapsulation, those paints will be present in your capsules. (At RCD, we create the placenta print with nothing but your placenta, and add the art after it dries!)
- So much more! Salves, jewelry, fertilizer, etc.
What did you do with your placenta? What are you planning to do with your placenta once your baby is born?
