Placenta Update
So I've decided to encapsulate it.
I'm also still considering eating a chunk of it in a raw smoothie right after delivery, mainly just for the thrill of it, but also of course for the [alleged] additional benefits. Since they give you umbilical cord for free (ha! what a deal! a human, an organ, and a dried up cord in the shape of a heart!), I also think I'm going to save that to plant in our future home later in life, under a tree or something, which I could give to my daughter when she moves into her own home one day. (aww)
So. Here's some reasoning behind it, for all you out there in the complete dark on these things, or just in sheer blank confusion.
The placenta has a number of healing hormones and nutrients that promote postpartum healing, encourage milk productions, help energy levels, and prevent postpartum depression. The known ingredients that give the placenta its healing properties are:
Gonadotrophin: the precursor to estrogen, progesterone and testosterone
Prolactin: promotes lactation
Oxytocin: for pain and bonding; produced during breastfeeding to facilitate bonding of mother and infant
Thyroid stimulating hormone: boosts energy and helps recovery from stressful events
Cortisone: combats stress and unlocks energy stores
Interferon: stimulates the immune system to protect against infections
Prostaglandins: anti-inflammatory
Hemoglobin: replenishes iron deficiency and anemia, a common postpartum condition
Urokinase inhibiting factor and factor XIII: stops bleeding and enhances wound healing
Gammaglobulin: immune booster that helps protect against postpartum infections
So there you have it. Pretty convincing stuff huh? Now don't you wish you could eat one too? No? That's okay. Took me two rounds of 9 month pregnancies and two babies to get here. This Crunchy Mama Thing doesn't just happen overnight.
So I now have a Placenta Lady. How's that for a business card title. Basically a girl who's trained in this stuff is going to come over after I deliver and "prepare" my placenta in our kitchen. HB nearly passed out when he heard this, but he has been SURPRISINGLY easy going about it all so far. He did almost have a heart attack when I told him about the raw smoothie thing, and declared that it better not be made in our blender, but Placenta Lady brings all her own stuff, and he said he just may not kiss me for a while. He thinks this is a threat, but that's okay HB, you obviously don't remember, but you have about 6 weeks to get over that before I'll be "available" anyway. So back to Placenta Lady. She's trained in the Chinese Method of preparation (and they know their stuff!) and most of her time here will be spent sterilizing, which is nice to know. I'm not entirely sure how it all goes down, but I know there's lots of cleaning it out, chopping, a dehydrating process, pulsifying into a powder, and then filling gel caps to put in a pill bottle as if you bought it at your local Duane Reade. I'm really excited to see it all go down. HB wants no peaks or pictures. How he cannot be even the slightest bit interested is baffling to me. That's like someone not wanting to look at a car crash as they pass. It's just not normal. It's the sick side of curiosity and somehow it escapes him. Maybe he's too good. Or self controlled. But either way, I think he's crazy (said the lady eating her placenta)...