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Melanie Jackson is mother of two, Midwife in private practice, PhD graduate, part-time blogger, obsessed veggie patch owner and even more obsessed crocheter

Tuesday 5 July 2011

Placenta Pleasantries and Possibilities – what to do with your placenta

As a homebirth midwife there is always that week in antenatal care where my clients and I discuss what will be done with the placenta. Some choose to freeze it to decide later, some wish to just dispose of it, others feel a connection to their placenta and wish to celebrate and commemorate it and some, like every other mammal on earth, choose to consume it. So when I ask the question, ‘so what do you think you’ll do with your placenta’, they almost always say, ‘well what are my options’. This blog post aims to give you a few ideas if you wish to immortalise, commemorate, celebrate, honour or harness the power of your placenta. 


 Placenta Prints

The placenta has an amazing network of blood vessels which can make for an amazing placenta print. A print is made by using the placenta, along with its bloody coating, as a stamp to outline and detail the placenta on paper. Here’s one I did for a client recently – the amazing tree of life!




Homeopathic Placenta Remedy
I’ve never done this personally but a dear midwife friend of mine does it regularly and swears by its benefits.

You can also find details about this http://www.placentalremedy.com/

Placenta Encapsulation
This is where the placenta is steamed, dehydrated, ground to a powder and put in capsules to make consuming it more palatable for mothers who choose to do this. Googling the benefits of consuming your placenta in this way will reveal some anecdotal evidence about its benefits. See the picture diary below of how a placenta is encapsulated.

Rince the Placenta under running water
to remove as much blood as possible
Cut off membranes and cord
Cut placenta into quarters
steam placenta for approximately
20 mins or until cooked through 
Slice placenta thinly

place thin slices onto trays
of a food dehydrator.
            Dehydrate placenta slices for 6-8 hours ensuring that before you grind the slices they are sufficiently dry. You can know this because when you break the pieces they will be crisp and snap. If the slices bend they are not dry enough and need to be dehydrated further.

Grind placenta peices in a
food processor, coffee grinder
or with a mortar and pestle
until a powder
Fill capsules as per instructions
on 'cap-m-quik' capsule filling equipment
Burying your placenta
Some women like to bury their placenta In the garden, it can be a ceremonious occasion and from reports, the placenta is quiet good for your plants. Some women choose a new plant to plant on top of it. Word is that it should be buried at least a foot down in the soil... this should also stop it from being dug up by pets in the yard.

I’m sure there are more things that could be done with your placenta- but these are the main things I’ve seen done with the amazing life giving organ- the placenta... if you’ve got something else that you have done with your placenta I would love to hear about it!

Kind regards,
Melanie Jackson (Homebirth Midwife)

Homebirth in the Hawkesbury

Introducing Emma Fitzpatrick- bringing Homebirth to The Hawkesbury
Emma Fitzpatrick is a midwife located in the Hawkesbury, and has commenced practice with Midwives @ Sydney and Beyond, Private Midwifery group practice. Emma has over 11 years extensive experience working with women and their families throughout pregnancy, birth and the postnatal period. With a background  of practising midwifery in a clinical setting, Emma birthed her first three children within a hospital setting, then had the incredible pleasure of birthing her fourth baby safely at home in the water.
Emma is experienced in supporting women and their families in antenatal education, breastfeeding and lactation support, surrogacy support and induced lactation, as well as supporting women to birth physiologically in both clinical and home setting.
Emma has a passion for homebirth, and aims to see Homebirth in the Hawkesbury as a valid care option for women and their families.
If you would like to Book Emma as your midwife or enquire about her services her details can be found at http://www.ellamaycentre.com/
I can't reccomend Emma highly enough- she is an amazing midwife!
Kind regards,
Melanie Jackson (Homebirth Midwife) xo