Today, in many Russian maternity hospitals, obstetricians are interested in expectant mothers if they want to take their placenta. What for? To eat her! Where did this fashionable affair come from and who would benefit from it, we asked mothers and doctors.
Even just looking at the fresh placenta, picking it up, the doctor is able to learn a lot about the condition of the newborn. And we are used to the fact that this temporary, but very important organ is of more interest to doctors than women in labor.
But not always. That is why today in many maternity hospitals in Russia, doctors after childbirth are interested in whether mothers want to take their placenta with them. What for?
Custom of the ancients
Many people know the ancient custom, when a placenta, revered in different cultures, was buried in the ground and a tree was planted in this place – for happiness and health. Today, this practice is back in motion. As well as the lotus birth, after which the umbilical cord is not crossed, that is, the baby is not separated from it and, accordingly, from the placenta, and they wait until the umbilical cord dries out naturally.
Around the end of the 80s, the United States began the practice of preparing various substances from the female placenta: capsules and tinctures, which, according to the manufacturers, help mom recover and become healthier in the postpartum period. Today in the USA, Australia, New Zealand, Japan, as well as in some European countries, the so-called placenta boom is observed: mothers do not give up their placenta, but “let it go.”
Mostly it is eaten: eaten raw – but this is an extreme that few people go to (for example, Tom Cruise said the same), stew and fry (which also dare), and most often encapsulate the placenta. Encapsulate means it is dried under special conditions, crushed, packaged in capsules and taken as vitamins. Among the celebrities who did just that with their placenta and talked about it,
The use of the placenta for food began to be called placentophagy, and the attitude to this phenomenon is dictated not so much even by the degree of tolerance, but rather by awareness. However, it should be noted that comprehensive scientific studies of placentophagy have not yet been conducted. We offer several opinions on this subject.
I am proud to have taken the placenta!
Victoria Kachur, perinatal psychologist, child psychoanalyst, baby mother, encapsulating her placenta:
“Preparing for childbirth and seriously interested in this topic, on Facebook I saw a small note about placental capsules. She became interested, googled, asked questions and… decided to encapsulate her placenta. My baby was born at the end of last year in a state maternity hospital by cesarean section, where they gave me a placenta without any problems or questions. The birth took place under a contract, my husband and my midwife were next to me, to whom I passed the placenta. She wrapped the placenta in a cotton rag, put it in a disposable bag, and then carried it in the refrigerator.
And my husband passed the placenta to the courier for encapsulation, who supported me in this desire for 9 months. True, right before the birth, already in the hospital, he asked my midwife whether this was normal from her point of view. To which she replied that if you really want to, then you can. And she added that if the effect of taking the placenta was proven, then our commercial maternity hospital would put this matter on stream. Well, I don’t know… Yes, I was convinced that the placenta in capsules was working, and she really helped me. But my conviction was not built from scratch, but on information from the Internet, from an encapsulation specialist, from other midwives and midwives. After cesarean section, I had the task of recovering quickly, and the placenta, among other means, helped. Moreover, when breastfeeding, the circle of drugs harmless to the baby is very limited.
I don’t know how correct my feelings are, because I have nothing to compare with – I had only one birth, but I can definitely say that after taking the placenta, despite the anemia and loss of blood, I got strength, I easily endured the lack of sleep. My hair, nails, and skin have not deteriorated. And in general, knowing my body, I can conclude that the capsules helped me. Moreover, I had a break in their intake, which immediately affected my health: I had less strength, drowsiness arose. And you know… I am proud of what I did, because I was able to extract the maximum benefit from my body, and I helped myself and my baby myself. ”
I believe – and it helps me!
Violetta Minaeva, Deputy Director Int. Eco Academy, a mother of two, encapsulating her placenta:
“My children appeared with a difference of 3.5 years, and after the second birth I encapsulated my placenta. I thought about this for the first time, but at that time there were no specialists in this field in Moscow yet.
The fact that the placenta is used for food did not shock me at all, since my activity is directly related to medicine, I believe that natural assistance to the body is the surest approach to help it. I read a lot on the topic of placental care, I knew that there are cosmetic products based on sheep placenta, that in China and Japan they have been using this organ for restoration and rejuvenation for centuries. As for the female own placenta, my osteopath told me that her intake can relieve the manifestations of postpartum depression. In addition, during my second pregnancy on the Internet I came across a film about the use of the placenta (about how to stop bleeding in a woman in labor), which finally approved me in the decision to encapsulate mine. In addition, the necessary specialists in Russia have already appeared.
Did I feel the difference between my postpartum state the first time without placenta capsules and the second, with capsules? Of course! The first time the fatigue felt much stronger than the second, some time after the birth I started to feel something like depression… And right after I got home from the hospital after the first birth, literally half an hour later, hormonal euphoria from everything what happened has been replaced by such sadness! I didn’t have the strength to even talk with relatives. The second time, after three days of taking the capsules, I returned home in a completely different condition.
The mood was very good and stable. But I felt that it was not mine, it was the action of capsules. They really gave me strength! And I really was able to verify this when, about a week later, one evening I forgot to take the capsule. I had an emotional outburst, I don’t remember what, but something upset me literally, to tears. In the morning, after analyzing my condition, I realized that I had forgotten about the capsule and made up for what was lost. For a month I took my placenta, and I was in a great mood. The only thought that bothered me was: how will I continue to live when the vitamins run out. I decided to get off my “drugs” gradually. And it all worked out! Even the extra ones remained, which I store in the freezer in case of any difficult psychological or physiological situation. And I know that they will help me again! ”
The only thought that bothered me was: how will I continue to live when the vitamins run out. I decided to get off my “drugs” gradually. And it all worked out! Even the extra ones remained, which I store in the freezer in case of any difficult psychological or physiological situation. And I know that they will help me again! ” The only thought that bothered me was: how will I continue to live when the vitamins run out. I decided to get off my “drugs” gradually. And it all worked out! Even the extra ones remained, which I store in the freezer in case of any difficult psychological or physiological situation. And I know that they will help me again! ”
Tells the doctor obstetrician-gynecologist, head of the PMC department Anna Vladislavovna Belousova:
“The placenta is an organ that not only delivers nutrients and trace elements to the baby, but also delays such harmful factors as excess salts, viruses, and bacteria. It acts as a temporary filter, which, with an increase in the duration of pregnancy, like any filter, “clogs up,” which means it exhausts its resource. “Maturation of the placenta” (that is, a period-related deterioration in its work) is involved in the launch of the biomechanism of labor.
Reliable studies on placentophagy, which can be confidently talked about, have not been seen in modern scientific journals. A detailed study of English-language specialized literature on this topic also left more questions than answers. It is obvious that the placenta contains placental lactogen, progesterone, estrogen, b-endorphins, oxytocin, iron nutrients.
There is an opinion that placentophagy promotes the arrival of milk, reduces the risk of developing postpartum blues, and reduces pain in the postpartum period. There is also a theory about the beneficial effect of encapsulated placenta on the postmenopausal period, on the condition of the skin and hair. All known and published articles do not deny the placebo effect in placentophagy; therefore, the attitude of official medicine to this phenomenon, let’s say, is calm. If the placenta is not infected, taking it in the form of capsules is definitely not harmful.
Can the effects of placentophagy be called auto-suggestion? Partly yes, because from the fact that a woman did what she wanted, she receives psycho-emotional satisfaction. In any case, something like this today, according to official medicine.
As for me, I am very calm about placentophagy. I have many patients who take the placenta with them, and in our clinic there is no problem. “What for?” – we do not ask such questions. Moreover, during physiological births, I myself propose to take the placenta to absolutely all patients. After all, if the idea of encapsulating the placenta appeared, I think it is worthwhile to realize it so that later there would be no sensation of an unfulfilled dream, which over time threatens to grow to the size of a serious psychological problem. And if eating placenta does not do any harm, why not do it if you really want to? And no matter what, this is a placebo effect. The main thing is that there is a chance to reduce the manifestations of postpartum depression. ”
Says Daria Lepskaya, a certified specialist in the encapsulation of the placenta and the manufacture of placental products:
“I’m a happy mother of three children, who twice tested the effect of encapsulated placenta on myself. In the first pregnancy, having no idea about capsulation, she left her placenta in the hospital and I don’t know what happened to her next. My recovery after the first birth was difficult: problems with milk, painful and prolonged postpartum lochia, severe postpartum depression, slow regaining weight… Having this experience, having become pregnant for the second time, I began to look for information on how to make recovery after childbirth more comfortable.
Moreover, my older baby was growing up, who needed a mother in a good mood and full of strength. After learning about the encapsulation of the placenta, I decided to try. Honestly, I did not have much hope, I just wanted to help myself. The effect was amazing, the recovery was quick and easy, there were no problems with milk, and not a hint of depression – a good mood and a lot of energy, and the weight went into the first six months. And if I forgot to take the capsule in the morning, by noon I suddenly noticed that my mood was deteriorating, I was getting angry at everyone… And I remembered the saving capsule! And having become pregnant for the third time, she already knew that she could help me after giving birth.
It happened in the USA, where encapsulation is very common, and I, having experienced the effect on myself, also decided to do this. She studied to become a specialist in the encapsulation of the placenta, practiced with experienced professionals and soon began to help women as a specialist. I have been encapsulating for about three years.
Many are interested in how the process of placenta transmission occurs. A woman in labor calls the specialist for placenta capsulation and reports that she has given birth and is ready to pass the placenta for encapsulation; the placenta is taken with a cooler bag. After treatment, the placenta is placed in capsules. Already on the 2nd – 3rd day after the birth, a woman can begin the recommended intake, adjusting the dosage of these individual “vitamins” based on her feelings.
And the healing properties of the placenta have long been known. For example, a study on the effect of taking dried placenta on breast-fed babies by F.S. Hammett back in 1918, said that “the average weight gain in children whose mothers took this composition is more than 60 percent higher than the standard percentage change in weight on the 13th day.”
Or statistics conducted by IPEN (Independent Placenta Encapsulation Network), which showed that 93.1% of mothers who practice encapsulating their placenta will recommend it to others. There is no information about the dangers of the encapsulated placenta. According to the UK Encapsulation Specialists Association, it is very rare that less than 2% of clients report some side effects that are most often caused by improper storage or are adjusted by dosage changes. ”
