Is Eating the Placenta the Solution to Postnatal Healing?

There is this you tube couple I have been following for the past one year—Riss & Quan. They have become quite famous, am sure most of my ladies know them. I have specified on the ladies because the main reason I watch them is because of how the guy treats his woman in an almost “dreamy” way (acted or not 🤭😝)— I know y’all ladies can relate. Around two weeks ago, the couple were blessed with a son, and while I was following Rissa’s Instagram Stories, I found quite a long one describing the process of “Placenta Encapsulation.” After watching the video, with a totally disgusted and cringed face, I decided to embark on my own research on the issue.

First, I conducted an Instagram survey where I asked my followers whether you knew that some women choose to eat their placentas. 62%—including myself—said no, while 38% said Yes. I have to be honest, 38% is quite a large percentage considering I did not know, and neither did I have a clue of such a thing. Fascinated by the results, I embarked on an even deeper research. Why eat the placenta? Does it really have enough benefits to over look the baffling and disgusting idea that it is literally cannibalism?—too harsh of a word? I’m just calling a spade for what it is. Anyway, I believe in cultural relativism so let us keep an open mind people.

Most non-human mammals eat their placentas after childbirth, but most of us humans do not. However, there are some cultures which have consumed the placenta in the past as a form of traditional medicine. Among the Chinese people, the placenta was consumed by elderly people as a form of non-conventional medicine to treat liver and kidney complications. Among Indians, the placenta was eaten by childless women for they believed it helped with fertility (Out of mere curiosity, I would love to know if that worked). However, over the past decade, the consumption of placentas by the mother after giving birth has been extremely popularised. More and more mothers are choosing to consume their placentas for quite a number of reasons. Those who have the strength and guts simply consume it by blending it into an “after-birth smoothie”. However, for the many new moms and doulas who prefer to consume the placenta in a more, “civilized” way, there is, “Placenta encapsulation.”

What is Placenta encapsulation you ask? It is a “bourgee” process where the placenta is cooked and turned into a powder form and put into capsule pills for easier ingestion. The placenta pills are “bourgee” because the mother gets to choose the flavours such as strawberry, vanilla, or pineapple. The entire process is also not cheap as it can cost up to $500 in the U.S. Many mothers who consume their placental capsules claim they feel much better after consuming the tablets but could it just be a placebo effect? Because there are other women who claim to feel sick after taking the pills, while others feel nothing.

The supposed benefits I got from the internet are:

• Improved mood and energy levels to the mother-reducing chances of Postpartum Depression
• Increased milk production for healthy baby
• Pain Relief
• Prevents anaemia
• Enhanced bonding between the mother and the baby
• And reduction of postpartum bleeding
• Boosting both the mother and baby’s immune system

Apart from the many alleged benefits, eating the placenta posses various risks both to the mother and the baby.

• It maybe contaminated with harmful bacteria that may affect both the mother and the child.
• There is not scientific evidence to support the safety and benefits of its consumption.
• It may not be handled with “food-safe” practices either when being eaten as a smoothie or during placental encapsulation which might pose risks after consumption.

Despite there being no scientific evidence to prove the benefits of eating the placenta, the trend of placenta encapsulation is here and many women in the western countries are really embracing the idea. In the spirit of keeping an open-mind I cannot help but wonder, is placenta the “magic” non-conventional treatment that is going to help women make postnatal healing bearable?

Because if all these benefits are really true, I think the African contemporary woman should take a leap of faith here and embrace the trend because, in “childbirth is rosy but roses have thorns too,” we all agreed on just how excruciating the recovery process is.

So, could eating the placenta the solution? Ladies are we boarding?🤔 should we hop on the “after birth smoothie,” or the “placental capsules,” train?

❤❤❤❤

Nyambura Macharia