inner child magazine

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Placenta

It’s where we derive our first nourishment, without it we would not be here – yet it’s considered in western cultures as hospital waste. The placenta is incredible and like all aspects of reproduction, its creation and design are miraculous. It was, and is, certainly regarded as such by other cultures, but its significance has diminished in supposed developed nations. Although, there is growing evidence of increasing respect for this organ.

Dr Andrew Weeks a senior lecturer in obstetrics, was the author of a paper published in the British Medical Journal (BMJ) in 2007. This piece includes the information that part of the reason the cord goes on pulsing after birth, is that it is delivering oxygen to the baby until breathing is established naturally. It has also been discovered that blood in the umbilical cord contains anti-carcinogenic T-cells. Primatologist Jane Goodall, who conducted long-term studies of chimpanzees in the wild, noticed these primates do not try to sever the cord after birth.

A lotus birth is when the umbilical cord is not severed, rather it is left to detach itself from the baby’s umbilicus and these types of births are becoming more common. This occurrence happens naturally after two or three days and presumably there is a reason for this timing. Immediately after birth, the cord will continue to exchange blood between the baby and the placenta. Within twenty minutes, exchange will cease and the cord will clamp itself. What occurs during transference between the baby and placenta after birth and natural clamping are areas which are currently under-researched. Otherwise healthy babies, who have the cord cut immediately, lose weight after birth, yet lotus babies do not lose weight.

There exists published research whereby lotus birth babies do not seem to suffer at all from postpartum jaundice, which occurs in 60% of all non-lotus deliveries. It is also the choice of many parents who want their babies to have the least violent entry into the world. Lotus babies are reported to be calm, more mature, and happier than non-lotus babies although more research is required into this phenomenon. It may also be be because the parents are more conscientious and offer more reassurance such as feeding on demand, generally being receptive to the baby’s needs and keeping the baby physically close. It is thought there may be energy transference even after the cord clamps itself and in some way, possible conveyance of comfort and reassurance.

In the past when  babies were born,  it was believed the midwife should smack the buttocks to clear mucous and amniotic fluid from the airways. This smacking would cause the baby to cry and thereby breathe and cough out the unwanted fluid. This was believed to assist in several natural systems of cleansing. For example, the baby’s chest cavity is compressed while travelling  through the birth canal and excess fluid is squeezed out. This is very noticeable when the head has been delivered but not the shoulders. At this time, fluid streams from the baby’s nose and mouth.

More recently, instead of smacking, the airways are cleared using a suction bulb syringe. There was probably no need for the violence involved in slapping the baby. Newborn babies naturally cough, sneeze and splutter as they take their first breaths. This is perfectly natural and necessary and is probably facilitated in nature by the supply of oxygen-rich blood from the placenta and umbilical cord until breathing is established.

Not only is the placenta not regarded as clinical waste in other cultures, it is considered sacred. The Navajo bury the placenta in the Four Corner region of the USA to bind the child to her or his ancestral land and people. Maoris also gift the placenta to the earth by burying. Aborigines do the same and some Samoans traditionally bury the placenta, or plant a fruit tree over it believing the tree will feed the child throughout its life. Throughout the world, there are traditions and rituals connected with the placenta.  In some cultures, the placenta is regarded as the twin of the baby, in others, it is thought to have its own spirit. In Iceland, it is considered that the placenta contains the child’s guardian angel. Ancient Egyptians believed there were two souls present, one for the baby and one for the placenta. The placenta was given its own hieroglyph, which looks like a cross section of a placenta.

Placentophagy is the practice of eating the placenta. There is very good scientific reasons why doing so benefits the mother. Prostaglandins cause the uterus to contract and return to its normal pre-pregnancy size. These contractions also clean out the contents of the womb and any debris left behind after giving birth. The placenta is prostaglandin-rich and also contains the hormone oxytocin which cause the mammary cells to contract and stimulate milk production. Most land-based placental mammals eat the placenta, including surprisingly, herbivores.

Traditional Chinese medicine has been using the placenta as an ingredient for thousands of years. The organ is regarded as sacred and a very powerful life force. It has been prescribed to rectify low milk yield and this benefit has been validated by medical research. Of the women taking part in the research an overwhelming majority reported an increase in milk production after ingesting dried placenta.

Serotonin is best known as affect mental wellbeing in humans, although it also has some impact on physiological systems. Some of the very latest research shows that the placenta actually synthesises the production of serotonin and supplies this to the foetus. This is not supplied via the maternal blood supply as has been the belief for many years. It is incredible that the placenta is capable of this function as it was always believed the placenta simply supplied nutrition from the mother. It has now been established that the organ plays a far more critical role in developmental programming than was ever thought possible.

There is so much to learn and we have only just begun. Once again, I have to ask myself how the ancient Chinese knew more than we do about the medicinal properties of the placenta. Why do we ignore the behaviour of other animals that have always eaten the placenta? Modern medicine has given us many life saving and valuable inventions and discoveries. However, we always seem to utilise them at the expense of traditional medicine.

http://www.britishhomeopathic.org/