The burial of the placenta and umbilical cord is thought to restore the woman's fertility and help heal her womb. This practice was even recorded in 19th century Sweden harkening back to heathen times.
Placentas Around the World
The Balinese wrap the placenta in cloth, place it in a coconut and bury it. In some cultures, burying the placenta connects the baby to land and heritage. Among the Navajo and many Hawaiians, the placenta is placed in the ground to connect the child to his or her homeland and ancestors.
In many African cultures, “zan boku” means “the place where the placenta is buried.” and bury the placenta under a tree. The Kikuyu of Kenya place it in an uncultivated field and cover it with grains and grasses, while other cultures bury it in the dirt floor of the family's house.
In Islam the placenta is buried because it is believed that "from the (earth) did We Create you, and into it Shall We return you” (The Noble Quran, 20:55). Judaism also believes in burying the placenta.
Some bury it, some burn it, while others believe it has a spiritual connection to the infant and aims to specially dispose of it. On the other hand, others who don't want to go through the trouble of finding the finest location for burying or burning it simply hand it over to the hospitals where their babies were born.
"In Aboriginal culture, we do a ceremony of burying the placenta," Ms Seale said. "It's very significant and connects us to our ancestors and our country."
But placentophagy -- the practice of eating one's placenta after birth -- is relatively common in China, where it is thought to have anti-ageing properties, and dates back more than 2,000 years.
The Hmong people of South Asia believe that a person has a spiritual connection with his or her placenta throughout life. It is important for the placenta to be buried at home.
Preparing the placenta for consumption by mothers is considered traditional among Vietnamese and Chinese people. The Chinese believe a nursing mother should boil the placenta, make a broth, then drink it to improve her milk.
Neither the ritual wash nor the shrouding is necessary for these babies. Placental tissue is considered part of the human body and should therefore be buried and not incinerated as presently happens in the United Kingdom.
Some Muslim scholars encourage us to bury our newborn baby's placenta and umbilical cord after their birth.
Some African cultures believe that the gods and the ancestors will curse the pregnant mother and the unborn child with death, illness, bad luck, and evil possession. In many African cultures, pregnancy and birth is revered because it is considered as the reproduction of future generations and the rebirth of ancestors.
In Samoa the placenta must be totally burned or buried so it will not be found by evil spirits. Burying or burning it at home also ensures the child will remain close to home as it moves through life.
The placenta is a key site of spiritual meaning for some birthing women, embodying the link between woman, child, and transformation of pregnancy and birth.
These are contemporary questions with ancient Jewish solutions. The Jewish Pregnancy Book says that, according to the Talmud, the placenta should be preserved in a bowl with oil, straw, or sand and buried in the earth a few days after the baby's birth to symbolize the cycle of life.
After the birth of a baby it is customary Māori practice to bury the whenua (afterbirth) in the land, most often in a place with ancestral connections. This act has deep cultural significance. Underpinning it is the belief that human beings were first made from earth, from the body of Papatūānuku (the earth mother).
They're not the only ones who've openly sung the praises of placentophagy. Model Chrissy Teigen and actresses Katherine Heigl and Mayim Bialik have also opened up about eating their placenta, claiming that it improved their energy and mood and helped with their postnatal recovery.
“For many Indigenous cultures, the placenta is a living being.” Some other cultures believe in a sort of twinning of child and placenta. In Ancient Egypt, the placenta was considered by many to be a child's secret helper. Some Icelandic and Balinese cultures see the placenta as a child's guardian angel.
Some people who have eaten placenta say that it's kind of chewy and tastes like liver or beef. Others say that it has an iron taste. If that sounds unpleasant, and you want to try placenta, you might want to consider combining it with other foods or cooking it.
“Umbilical cords were intended to be buried because this “anchors the baby to the earth” (Knoki-Wilson, 8/10/92). Baring the umbilical cord in the Earth establishes lifelong connection between the baby and the place.
Some hospitals still sell placentas in bulk for scientific research, or to cosmetics firms, where they are processed and later plastered on the faces of rich women. In the UK, babies are gently wiped dry, leaving some protective vermix clinging to the skin.
Once delivered, the placenta is considered as medical waste and requires safe disposal and handling in accordance with advice from the local health unit and compliance with Environmental Protection legislation. Please note that medical waste must not be placed into the local government domestic collection service.
It is your choice what you do with your placenta. You may choose to discard it; in which case your hospital or birthing centre will take care of this. If you wish to take your placenta home, you can speak to your doctor or midwife to arrange this.
Mothers in poverty are more likely to be malnourished before and during pregnancy, and are at greater risk of exposure to environmental teratogens such as alcohol and maternal infections [30]. This will lead to congenital anomalies in the fetuses carried by those affected. In Africa malaria is endemic.