The Bridge of Life: Options for Placentas

by Kelly Graff

© 2008 Midwifery Today, Inc. All rights reserved.

[Editor's note: This is an excerpt of an article which appears in Midwifery Today Issue 84, Winter 2008. View other great articles and columns in the table of contents. To read the rest of this article, order your copy of Midwifery Today Issue 84.]

The thought occurred to me the other day that some people may find the use of their baby's placenta as medicine unusual. I also have begun to see that many people do not know the placenta's purpose and how it works. I realized that if people correlate the two (placenta medicine and placenta physiology), perhaps such use would not seem so bizarre to them.

The placenta is a beautiful organ. It is the only organ that develops and grows within another organ. It is responsible for growing a healthy baby. It is the bridge between a mother and her baby in the womb. In some cultures, it is called the called bucha-co-satthi, meaning baby's friend.(1) Others see the placenta as the baby's protective older sibling.(2) For these reasons alone, it is unique, amazing and beautiful.

The baby and the placenta are made from the same cells, which are formed through combination of the egg and the sperm. Once implantation occurs on about day six after fertilization, the gestation period begins and the fertilized egg and the placenta begin to develop separately, still connected. The placenta stays attached to the uterine wall while the fetus has the ability to move around the uterus.

The placenta is the fetus's only source of food, blood, oxygen, vitamins and nutrients. All of these vital resources are carried from placenta to fetus via the cord. These resources come from the mother's bloodstream, which is why a healthy nutritious balance of whole foods is so important during pregnancy. Iron is especially important because iron increases the hemoglobin level in the blood; hemoglobin carries oxygen in the body. Once the baby is born and the cord stops pulsing, that baby is no longer getting its oxygen from the placenta. When baby takes a first breath, the lungs begin to work and baby begins breathing on his or her own. In order for the baby to receive all the blood and oxygen required, the cord must stop pulsing before being cut.

What should be done with the placenta once it has served its purpose? Women who have a baby in the hospital most likely will have their placentas taken away for testing or for incineration unless they specifically request to take it home. When I think about my placenta being incinerated, I am so sad. The fact that no one ever told my parents that they had other options makes me angry.

Many people bury their baby's placenta under a tree or in the garden. That way, they will always know where it is. The nutrients from the placenta also make a great fertilizer! The downside to planting the placenta is that if you move away from that home, you have to leave it there. It also needs to be buried at least one foot deep in order to keep animals from digging it up.

Kelly Graff is a student at Birthwise Midwifery School. She is currently completing her training at the Hollywood Birth Center. She was first taught by Robin Doolittle, CPM, about placenta medicine and then carried the knowledge with her to Australia where she helped women to appreciate their placentas. You may contact her for instructions to make medicinal recipes. Do not attempt them without proper instruction from someone who has previous experience with placenta medicine, as very specific directions must be followed.

References:

1. Dunham, Carroll. Mamatoto. Viking Penguin, 1991. Page 108.
2. Ibid.

Editor's Note: For further information on the placenta and its uses, don't miss Placenta: Gift of Life, by Motherbaby Press.

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