What is it?
Afterbirth is known when the placenta and fetal membranes discharge from the uterus after the birth of your child.
This is known as the 3rd stage of labor. Most hospitals will treat the placenta as biohazardous waste, however, this isn’t necessarily the case.
The nutrients in the placenta have been known to guard against postpartum depression and to increase breast milk.
But how can you get those nutrients from the placenta?
Warning!
The following information is graphic in nature.
Placenta Encapsulation
Ingesting the placenta in any form is called placentophagy.*
You could do as many mammals and eat it raw. You could literally stir-fry the placenta with onions. Another option is placenta encapsulation, the process of encapsulating the placenta through steaming, dehydrating, and grinding it into a powder, and filling capsules.
If you choose encapsulation, be sure the placenta is prepared properly. There have been cases of capsules of the placenta becoming contaminated with Streptococcus agalactiae, so this is not a procedure to be taken lightly.
Should you decide to choose to save the placenta and go this route, you or someone on your birth team, like your doula or partner, may need to do a little extra legwork to make sure the hospital or birthing center carries out this choice properly.
* There is contradicting science on whether or not placentophagy is truly beneficial.
Cord Blood & Cord Tissue Storage
Cord blood, the blood collected from the umbilical cord of your newborn, is a rich source of red and white blood cells, platelets, and plasma, and most importantly, is a rich source of stem cells. These young stem cells are able to differentiate or change into other cells, like bone, muscle, cartilage, and more. They also can replicate themselves, making cord blood stem cells the ideal choice for transplantation and disease treatment.
Cord tissue is the umbilical cord itself, and is collected by cutting off a segment after the birth of your child. Both cord blood and cord tissue can be stored, which is sometimes called stem cell banking. Even placenta stem cells can be stored.
Why consider this? More than 80 diseases are treated with these stem cells.
Your baby’s stem cells will be 100% compatible with your child and almost certainly compatible with a sibling or a family member.
If you are considering this, be sure to research stem cell cord banks to make arrangements prior to the birth.
Birth Plan Decision
The Afterbirth
Dispose or Keep or Keep & Encapsulate the Placenta?
Make Arrangements to Store the Stem Cells?
