You know, I always knew that the placenta was an amazing organ. Especially when I started having home births, it has always been so fun to have my midwife show me each placenta and all of the parts. It houses and nourishes my baby for nine months – what a miracle!

I have also heard a lot about the benefits of ingesting the placenta, and have also worked with a few clients who chose to do this after their births. But this blog post lists some benefits I had not heard of, and now I am even more interested! I know it sounds gross at first, but if it will increase my milk supply, help my baby sleep better, and increase my energy – I might be willing to try it if God blesses us with another baby! I’m almost 6 weeks postpartum with my 8th baby right now, and at the moment I’m feeling a little bit of regret that I chose not to save this placenta. I have a friend who has 2 placentas in her freezer – and I’m thinking she’s pretty smart!

Keep this list in a convenient place to use as a reference during the postpartum period. Contact your caregiver if you notice any of the following:

• Fever – could be a uterine infection, bladder or kidney infection, mastitis, or other illness

• Burning with urination or blood in urine  – could be a bladder infection

• Inability to urinate – there could have been swelling or trauma to your urethral sphincter

• Swollen red, painful area on leg that is painful to the touch – could be a blood clot in your vessel, do not massage!

• Sore, reddened, hot, painful area on your breast with flu like symptoms – could be mastitis (breast infection)

• Large blood clots, or return of heavy red flow of lochia after it has changed to brownish pink, or yellow – could be a retained fragment of the placenta, uterine infection, or simply overexertion

• Foul odor to lochia, vaginal soreness or itching – could be a uterine or vaginal infection

• Increase in pain in Episiotomy or tear repair site, may be accompanied by foul odor – could be a problem with the stitches, or an infection of your episiotomy

• Slight opening of cesarean incision, possibly with bleeding – could be an infection of your incision

• Mom feeling depressed, uncontrollable crying, inability to sleep or eat, extreme anxiety or agitation – could be postpartum depression

Childbirth Connection is a vast resource for families interested in important information regarding all issues surrounding new motherhood. Here is a link to a short article about baby blues and postpartum depression, and how to know if you have crossed over the line and need to seek outside help. This excerpt is taken from the book “Journey to Parenthood.” The text of this book is freely available on the Childbirth Connection website.

Baby Blues article

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