Placenta Eater

In researching a potential story on home birth, a colleague of mine who worked in New York told me about this piece on women who eat their placentas. Whether it's ground up and then put into a capsule, or stewed in a pot, or dried into placenta JERKY, there are so many ways to enjoy a placenta these days.

And while I'm sure the initial reaction from most people is hell no, placenta must go, I actually think there's something about this that makes sense. If it cuts down on post partum depresssion, or helps with the hormone swings after pregnancy, or if it ups your milk production, why not? Apparently almost all land mammals do it. I mean, it might be because they don't want lions to smell the blood of their young, which is not something I'm exactly concerned about, but there might be something to it. 

So I was talking to The Good Doctor about it, wondering if our hospital would allow us to take home our placenta, and I was like, "I might consider eating my placenta. I actually don't think it's the grossest idea in the world. Would you have some of my placenta?"

Him: "No. Definitely not."

Me: "Not even a little, tiny bit? Just a taste."

Him: "NO."

Me: "Dude, why not? I mean, it's MY placenta."

Him: "Exactly. You should have the whole thing."

He's nothing if not generous.

Comments

[christine]

omg, I just puked a little in my mouth.

[dolores]

just hoping there's no meconium in the mix there.

tell the hospital staff you want to plant it under a tree, if they think you are going to eat it they will mock you behind your back, don't ask me how i know this.

[Vicky Nguyen]

hey dolores! great to hear your thoughts on this one. long time no talk. i won't ask about the hospital staff. i know all about the mocking. it's so not hipaa. :)

[tokenblogger]

"She died from eating bad placenta."
"Where the H did she get placenta?"
"She died from eating her own bad placenta."
"Whut? WTF? Is this some crazy kind of self cannibalization?"

I tried to comment this the other day, but it wouldn't let me...

[Vicky Nguyen]

Tokenblogger: That's quite a conversation.