Yes, I ATE MY PLACENTA!

This for all of my curious friends and peers who really wondered if I would eat it.......I promised that I would document the placenta encapsulation experience---so if you are at all squeamish or appalled for any reason, please don't read this---I do value your friendship. =)
WHAT STARTED THIS OBSESSION?
It started during a massage session with one of my favorite people, Christina Harrell, with MamaLove Massage.  She was telling me how to give birth safely in the untimely event of having to birth alone.  She stated that if I was bleeding to death, I could eat a bite of my placenta, and stop the bleeding.  WOW!!  This sparked my curiosity, and after googling it, I was AMAZED at all the benefits of consuming one's placenta. Yes, Kevin was appalled at the thought......I continued to research, and discovered that there is one professional placenta encapsulator in the state of Montana.  I called her and she said she'd happily pick up my placenta, take it home in a baggie, encapsulate it, and have it returned in pill form within 3 days (which is important, because by day 3, the hormone levels are changing drastically). She charged $275, and I was EXCITED!!!!  Of course, as any good obsessing hormonal mother would do, I told all my friends!  Most wanted to barf, but one of my dearest of dear friends told me about a local midwife, Shehan, who had heard of my obsesssion, and offered to help me do it myself! I called Shehan, and we decided on a rug barter. =)  She told me to give her a call when my baby was born.....

The day came, and Iris was born. Shortly after, my placenta was born too.  Although my whole family (with the exception of Constance, age 7) was extremely grossed out, and unwilling to embrace the idea of a homeschool event of a lifetime, Kevin appeased me by calling Shehan immediately after I gave birth.  (thank you Kevin).

Shehan came out the next day, and helped me through the process of encapsulating the placenta.  When she arrived the day after Iris' birth,  I welcomed her in.  Quietly, everyone (Kevin, my mom, all the kids) disappeared.  Only Constance remained.  =)

Benefits of placenta consumption include more milk, less fatigue, quicker healing, a calmer baby (as they continue to ingest hormones from your placenta in milk form), less post partum depression (it's my own hormone replacement).  The placenta is a bag of hormones, perfectly designed for my body.
The placenta is highly valued in most countries, with the exception of America, where it is deemed as waste material.....

I consumed between 2-6 pills a day, depending on when I remembered, and how I felt.  I did not notice HUGE changes.  It is hard to make judgements when I don't have much to compare it too. I have never had any major issues, so I can only guess how much it really helped.

I did notice a big change in my fingernails. They, for the first time, have been growing like crazy and are strong.  Iris is happy and peaceful.....is that a result??  OR is she just happy and peaceful?

Here's the story in picture form.

Constance was extremely excited to be a part of the birth. She watched me push Iris out, and cut the cord.  She asked Dolly, my midwife, dozens of questions.   Even now, she wants to start a midwifery business.

 Baby Iris---day 1.

 Shehan arrived at my door.  I asked her to give Constance and I an "education," as I had never really examined my placentas before. Kevin did bury a couple of them under my apple tree.  A few he threw in the dumpster.  She put on her rubber gloves, and thourally examined the placenta, which had spent the night in the green popcorn bowl (a high school graduation present for Kevin) in the back of the fridge.....she said the placenta was average size and quite healthy looking.  I stood there, very proud of it.  It was a weird feeling.

Shehan showed me the bag of waters, which is where Iris lived for 40 weeks.  She showed me exactly where the bag broke during labor.  The sac consisted of 2 layers, and was very stretchy.  Pretty crazy!

There's the placenta. She showed us the blood canals and membranes. I admit, this was the grossest part.  

Okay, maybe this was.... =)  She washed the placenta off, to remove excess blood.  She got the double boiler going, and steamed the planta for 15 minutes.  Then she turned it around, and steamed the other side 15 minutes.  In the boiling water, she had added fresh ginger and 2 chili peppers (which have a warming effect).  The placenta shrunk considerably.  It looked like liver.  I know most of you don't cook or eat livers, and I can attest that it wasn't that bad....

Here it is all cooked up.

Shehan, with a sharp knife and fork, sliced the planta into thin slices. The thinner it's sliced, the faster it dries out.

We laid the thin stripes onto a cookie sheet and put it in the oven at about 150 degrees.  Shehan told me to keep them there until they become brittle, about 7-9 hours.    So in the oven it went.

It did take about 9 hours before it became brittle.  It looked just like my normally burned bacon, and just to gross out my favorite people, I ate a bit.  It tasted like my normally burned bacon as well. =)  

It was bed time when this process was completed, so I put the placenta strips in a baby, for a time when I could continue the process.  The next day was really busy and I didn't have time to deal with it. However,  I knew I should start taking it, so I just took bites of it through out the day.  As long as I didn't think about it, it was fine.  Burned bacon. =)

Finally, the time came (day 3 after the birth) to grind the placenta up. I decided to respectfully stay away from  Kevin's fancy espresso maker,  and use the cheaper coffee grinder that we use only for decaf coffee beans (consider next time you want decaf at our house--or popcorn for that matter).  The placenta strips were easier to grind than coffee beans, and when this process was done, I gently wiped out the grinder, and placed it back in the cupboard.

Part of the ground up placenta.

Joseph bravely enters the scene, and is drawn to the empty pills. =)

The encapsulating process begins.  Constance and I were beaming with pride at this point.  

Joseph caught our vision, and we gave him the job of taking the pills apart before we filled them.  Constance did most of this tedious work.  I ended up with about 100 pills.

I guess Susanna caught the vision too (Get OFF the table, Susie!).  Guess the gross part was over.  

a photo of the first pill I encapsulated.

My pills are gone.  I ate my placenta, and the story is over......

Constance and I are considering going into business...both of us would happily touch another persons placenta with rubber gloves (or not) for $275.  Easy money in my mind. =)  

So let us know.... =)  

And please comment!!!!!