Should i eat placenta

Here's what you need to know about eating the placenta and how to decide if it's right for you. Back to Top. In This Article. Continue Reading Below.

Read This Next. View Sources. October Pregnancy Groups. Third Trimester. Consuming human placenta is reported to have a number of health benefits - Copyright Getty via Canva. The placenta is rich in many nutrients like iron, vitamins, minerals, stem cells, growth factors and hormones. Sian Young. Sian Young Birth with Sian. Why might veganism be more popular with women than men? Human placenta is legally classified as a food. Placenta Birth Becomes Her. Veganuary: The 7 best plant-based restaurants in Europe.

Groaning cake Getty via Canva. What are the benefits of eating placenta? Is it safe to eat placenta? What to do if you decide to eat your placenta What to try instead of eating your placenta.

Possible postpartum benefits include: Increased energy level Increased milk production Improvement in mood , lowering chance of postpartum depression Reduction in insomnia Prevention of anemia Reduction in postpartum bleeding Pain reduction Enhanced bonding with baby Boosting of immune system Placenta supplements are also being studied for non-pregnancy related issues, such as treating sleep disorders, inflammation, and problems with hormone regulation.

What to do if you decide to eat your placenta If you decide you want to eat your placenta despite potential and largely unknown risks: Make sure it's prepared as safely as possible.

You'll need to cook or prepare the placenta in ways to minimize contamination. For example, heating the placenta to degrees F for at least two hours reduces Salmonella bacteria. There are kits for encapsulating placenta, and there are directions online.

Consider paying a professional. You may want to pay someone trained in placental encapsulation to prepare placenta capsules for you. They will dry, powder, and pack the placenta in capsules for you to take as supplements. There's no good oversight of the industry, though, so make sure you find a reputable practitioner. Ask your doula, midwife , or doctor for recommendations. Not all doctors will be open to the practice, however.

Check with the hospital or birth center where you plan to give birth. If you're giving birth at home, talk with your midwife. Some hospitals won't allow placentophagy, so plan accordingly. Wherever you plan to give birth, make arrangements ahead of time for how your placenta will be handled and given to you.

Cook or freeze the placenta right away, because it can spoil similarly to meat. If you have any negative effects, stop consuming the placenta immediately and talk with your caregiver. What to try instead of eating your placenta It's understandable that women are interested in eating placenta to speed their postpartum recovery and avoid postpartum depression.

For example, you can: Eat healthful, mood-boosting and energy-boosting foods Exercise once you get your caregiver's okay Take vitamins and supplements like prenatal vitamins as suggested by your caregiver Take our postpartum depression quiz and get help if you need it Ask friends, family, and your partner for help and support Get as much sleep and rest as you can Talk with your caregiver about any symptoms or concerns Learn more: Diet for a healthy breastfeeding mom Postpartum warning signs Taking care of yourself during your baby's first months.

Sources BabyCenter's editorial team is committed to providing the most helpful and trustworthy pregnancy and parenting information in the world. Featured video. Is it safe to use insect repellents? The placenta: What it is and how it works. The placenta is an organ that forms on the wall of the uterus during pregnancy, and it is connected to the fetus by the umbilical cord. When a mother gives birth, the placenta is also delivered.

If delivering vaginally, the placenta will normally follow the baby within 5 minutes, though it can take up to half an hour. If it is through a cesarean delivery, the placenta will be removed during surgery. So what happens to the placenta after birth? While most hospitals and birthing centers will automatically treat placentas as medical waste, mothers can request to keep them. But in recent years, more and more new mothers are opting for a somewhat controversial practice: placentophagy.

Placentophagy is simply the practice of consuming the placenta after birth. It is believed that the practice derives from ancient Chinese medicine, wherein the organ would be used to help treat medical conditions such as infertility and liver problems. The most popular method of placenta consumption — highly favored by the aforementioned celebrities — is encapsulation , in which the placenta is dehydrated, ground, and put into a capsule.

There are many midwives or doulas who can provide this service. The placenta can make up to pills. Shortly after birth, mothers may take their placenta pills as a daily supplement. For mothers with a stronger stomach, eating the placenta raw — in a smoothie, for example — or cooking and preparing it for a meal may be preferable.

The Doula Services Network provide some interesting placenta recipes , including placenta lasagna and placenta spaghetti. It was tender, kind of like roast brisket and not dissimilar to Texas BBQ. Preparation practices aside, there is really only one question that expectant mothers want answered: is eating placenta beneficial?

There is little scientific evidence proving that placentophagy offers health benefits. But research has shown that the afterbirth contains a variety of nutrients — such as fiber, protein, and potassium — as well as hormones including estradiol and testosterone. What is more, there is an abundance of mothers across the globe who claim that placentophagy helped to improve their postnatal health, and many advocates believe that these personal experiences defeat science.

Could placentophagy help? Writing on her blog Mama Natural , Genevieve Howland reveals how consuming her placenta in the form of pills significantly increased her milk supply.