Planting the placenta: will you do it?
Is it weird that I want to plant my placenta? Some people might think so, but to me, it feels too sacred to not do something with. Plus a lot of cultures believe in the ceremony of committing the placenta to the earth.
The only problem is that I live in NYC and rent and don't have a yard.
Do I plant it in my parents' yard who live in the suburbs? Will they think I'm nuts?
Maybe. But not any more nuts than me in high school wearing all black and burning special love candles and incense on the lace covered altar in my room all night.
Don't make fun; that was a long time ago. But back to the placenta...
Some people eat the placenta, others make teddy bears out of it, some plant it, and of course, some don't do anything with it.
Discovery's Planet Green has great tips for planting a placenta tree. I looked into those and added some of my own.
Alert the hospital, birthing center, or your midwife that you want to keep the placenta in advance. More than likely you will need a cooler, garbage bags, and ice so you can transport it home to your freezer.
Bury it deep -- maybe even put mesh netting around it -- so animals do not dig it up.
Keep frozen for about a year or if you plant right away, mark the spot with a large rock or something because you will have to wait until around the child's first birthday to nourish a tree or flowers -- planting too soon will kill anything you plant over it since it's so nutrient rich.
Be careful who you tell. I'm giggling at this one. I just shared it with you all! But people will have strange reactions. In fact, I'm wondering what kind I will get here.
Would you consider planting your placenta to grow a tree?
Written by Michele Zipp for CafeMom's Pregnancy Buzz
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