Placentas and plants!

Placentas! They are amazing. This organ never ceases to amaze me. It’s beautiful in its circular shape with hues of red, purple and blue. It’s the only temporary organ that humans, ahem women, grow. How cool is it that we not only grow a little human being but also a temporary organ?!

Here at Portland Natural Birth, we are big believers in yup, you guessed it- placenta encapsulation! Ingesting your placenta replenishes your body in a way a regular supplement doesn’t. It’s formulated specifically for you, with your own blood and hormones. Cutting up small pieces for fresh smoothies is also an excellent way to get those nutrients but not everyone can stomach that idea. Hence, having someone amazing, like Kelley Burke, take your placenta away in the night and return it in lovely little pills is an easy way to get your reserves back after birth!

As homebirth midwives, we are also fully supportive of women knowing all their options.  So, wondering what others do with these amazing organs if they choose not to eat/ingest them?

Well, as much as I love placenta encapsulation for replenishing your body after the birth, personally I just had to plant mine! I know, I honestly believe in the power of ingesting your placenta. Its nutrients, formulated especially by your body, are something you just can’t get from a regular supplement. And having someone amazing like Kelley prepare it is hard to pass up!

lilac bush, placenta plantingBut, even so, I’m a gardener through and through. My husband and I had bought our first house months before my first kiddo was born. We spent hours after work taking out the grass, putting in garden beds, planting fruit trees and making the yard our own. By the end of April things were in bloom and my daughter had been born at home. A couple weeks later, at my request, my mother in-law dug up a baby shoot from her lilac bush and brought it to us. We planted my daughter’s placenta deep in the ground with that baby lilac bush on top. I knew I wanted something that would bloom around her birthday every year and what better plant for the northwest than a lilac!

Fast forward three years and two months to my son’s birth. I toyed with the idea of placenta encapsulation since I was tired as a mama to a kiddo and now newborn- I knew some nourishment like placenta pillshydrangea, placenta planting would do wonders! But… I had a beautiful, thriving plant with a sweet plaque a friend made for my daughter’s placenta. I had to keep on. This was our beloved house where both my kiddos were born. It took a little longer to get this placenta in the ground, we were suddenly busy with two kids! But we got there and so holding my not-so-new little guy and with our daughter doting a small shovel in her hand we dug a deep hole for my son’s placenta. Planted on top is a beautiful hydrangea which gets heavy with blooms in the summer, perfect for my summer solstice baby!

The point is, as much as I love seeing the effects on my clients when they have their placenta encapsulated, it’s also important to do what feels right for you. My heart wanted to see something beautiful continue to grow from this amazing organ that my body grew to nourish my kiddos- so that’s exactly what I did!

Now that my kids talk, they love showing new comers to our house their gardens where their own placentas feed the rich soil. ❤️

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