9 ways to honour your placenta

You already feel the significance the placenta has on your birthing journey; it has been growing alongside your precious baby and through incredible biological connections, it miraculously sustains both mother and fetus through pregnancy. Serving as a passageway and filter, sending nourishment to your growing baby, and returning what is no longer needed from the cosy amniotic depths. For the mother, the placenta is an incredible hormone workshop, signalling to your body to continue on this pregnancy journey - growing, nourishing and protecting your baby. Of course we want to honour it! Your placenta deserves to be revered. Here are a list of ways to do just that…

Lotus Birth

Rather than ‘cutting the cord’, you can choose to keep the connection between baby and placenta intact with the intention of allowing baby to choose when they separate from their womb mate. Families who choose this as part of their journey allow the umbilical cord to dry and naturally release away from their baby’s belly button. This can take anywhere from 3-9 days after birth and is best tended to with a Lotus Birth Placenta Bag and a fragrant blend of herbs and salt to keep the placenta from spoiling. When you really consider it, a Lotus Birth is the highest form of non-intervention on the placenta, and it is also a big decision for a family to make the space in the early postpartum to tend to it.

Credit: Faye Leggett from @birthfreedomproject

Partial Lotus Birth

You love the idea of a Lotus Birth but sounds a tad burdensome for your liking? There is the act of a partial lotus birth that could suit your idea of reverence. A partial lotus birth involves birthing the placenta while the umbilical cord remains attached to the baby, with an intentional release of the cord, typically a few hours after the birth. The release can be carried out with a beautiful cord burning ceremony (see below), and can even be requested as part of your birth plan when birthing in hospital (minus the open flame cord burning).

Credit: @bendingwillowbirth

Cord Burning Ceremony

If using a pair of scissors feels too fast, a deeply intentional way of separating placenta and baby is with a cord burning ceremony. Typically only possible in a home birth environment, the cord can be burned as a way of bringing traditional roots and sacred ceremony into the golden hours after birth. Using a safe container to comfortably hold two candles to either side of the umbilical cord, the flame will slowly burn the cord jelly (I dislike using the term Wharton’s jelly because it doesn’t belong to him), taking around 15 minutes to separate. The remaining cord attached to baby can be tied off using a beautiful cord tie, if the plastic clips don’t take your fancy.

“When I am asked, why don’t you cut babies umbilical cords? I say, Isn’t the real question: why do you cut?” - Robin Lim, Placenta: The Forgotten Chakra

Credit: Laura from @solmama__ who is a ceremonial potterist and lovingly handmakes these cord burning bowls available to purchase through her Instagram account

Placenta Burial

You may be called to a very traditional and cultural way of honouring the placenta and a placenta burial will do just that. It is very important in many cultures that the placenta is returned to the Earth, it’s final resting place. The placenta can be buried nearby an already established tree or planting a tree directly over the burial site. The placenta will provide deep nourishment into the soil. Alternatively, you can bury into a large pot, which is an option if you don’t have attachment to the land you would be burying on. Some plants do find the nutrient density of the placenta overpowering, and are unable to survive so it is important to choose a plant that can withstand levels of nitrogen and ammonia (released by the placenta into the soil). Fruit bearing trees are a visual way to see the placenta live on and enjoy the nourishment it provides from it’s final resting place.

Credit: A client of Wholehearted Birth who opted for a placenta burial.

Placenta Dust

If you don’t have the land or space to plant the placenta into the ground or a pot, another way to honour this organ by creating placenta dust. Much like the act of spreading ashes, this is a beautiful way of returning the placenta to Mother Earth. To turn the placenta into dust, this is processing similarly to creating placenta capsules by dehydrating the placenta and then blending it down into dust form.

Placenta Encapsulation

The hormone drop experienced by the mother in the early postpartum days is considered to be the largest hormone drop experienced by any human in their entire life. There is some scientific evidence and a lot of anecdotal evidence to support the benefits of taking placenta capsules. These benefits can include restored or balanced hormones and nutrients, higher energy levels, quicker recovery post birth, reduced bleeding, quicker uterine involution (the uterus contracting back to its original state after birth), decreased postnatal mood disorders, enhanced mood, increased breast milk supply and facilitating bonding with your baby - just to name a few! Much of the evidence surrounding these benefits can be attributed to the plethora of hormones, minerals and elements contained within the placenta. Encapsulation can be performed by a dedicated placenta specialist in your area, or you can opt to do this yourself (another beautiful ceremony).

Credit: Placenta Capsules prepared by Wholehearted Birth

Raw Placenta Consumption

Raw placenta consumption is a supercharged way of getting the benefits of the placenta into you quickly. This can be in the form of placenta smoothies; using small pieces of placenta mixed with your usual favourite smoothie ingredients. Or slicing the placenta into small tablet sized pieces and freezing for you to ingest as a capsule straight from the freezer each day. Special considerations do need to be made towards safe consumption practices here.

Placenta Tincture

A beautifully unique remedy of your very own, a placenta tincture will last you an entire lifetime. Often it is available to add on to your placenta encapsulation booking and is created by steeping a piece of the placenta in high proof alcohol for a minimum of 6 weeks before use. All that is needed is 6-10 drops under the tongue or dissolved in a glass of water and consumed during times of stress, transition, even menopause. This is a beautiful way to capture the essence of the placenta for you to benefit from forever.

Credit: Placenta Tincture prepared by Wholehearted Birth

Beautiful Placenta Keepsakes

No matter what way you choose to honour the placenta, you can always include to make beautiful placenta keepsakes. These can take the form of many pieces, including; a placenta print, a cord keepsake, resin art using a piece of the umbilical cord and/or placenta dust just to name a few. These are relatively simple for anyone to make, you really don’t need any specialised skill, just some patience and a willingness to work with the placenta. These keepsakes can then be cherished and admired and can live on to tell a beautiful story to their partner in the womb, your child.

Credit: Placenta Art created by Wholehearted Birth

Credit: Umbilical Cord keepsake created by Wholehearted Birth

Which way of honouring the placenta resonates with you the most?

However you decide to honour your placenta, it is important to remember that your placenta does not belong to the hospital. It is yours to keep and you do not need to state your intentions of what you plan to do with it!

Here at Wholehearted Birth, I am a Placenta Specialist offering birthing families on the Gold Coast a number of different options for honouring their placenta. You will find all the information on these offerings under Placenta Offerings. For families outside of the Gold Coast and unable to find a trusted local specialist, or for anyone who is wanting to create their own placenta magic, keep an eye out for some new offerings coming soon!!