I had the pleasure of talking with Carrie Lauth from Natural Moms Talk Radio, and the show is now available! It was a great interview, so take a minute to check it out when you get a chance. Carrie was so easy to talk to, I could have chatted for another hour. 
Thanks Carrie!
Ok, sorry, I couldn’t resist.
I just think it’s funny that the headline includes “by herself”, as though that were a noteworthy addition. I mean, “California mom gives birth on front lawn” is not attention-grabbing enough?
Calif. mom gives birth on front lawn by herself
FULLERTON, Calif. (AP) — Alone and in labor, Jessica Higgins found the first place she could to give birth — her front lawn.The 36-year-old was driving home from the mall Tuesday when little Mary Claire gave her the shock of a lifetime by deciding to arrive six weeks early.
Higgins — with her 2-year-old son sleeping in the back seat — called 911 as she arrived at her Fullerton home, but she had already pushed her daughter out when police arrived.
“She was just standing in the driveway rocking the newborn, who was still attached to the placenta,” Officer Manny Ramos said Wednesday.
Higgins’ husband, Jeff, arrived in time to cut the baby’s umbilical cord under the front-yard ficus tree.
The proud mother, who was recovering at a hospital Wednesday, said “everything happened so fast.” She said she had her son’s portrait taken at the mall earlier in the day and was on hold with the doctor’s office when the baby started pushing.
Mary Claire was born at 5 pounds, 11 ounces and was doing fine at St. Jude Medical Center, Higgins said.
Gee, is The Placenta Blog becoming some sort of celebrity hound? Nah, but I figured since I was on a roll here…
Apparently Amanda Peet had some depression issues following the birth of her daughter 18 months ago.
Here’s a snippet of the interview she did for Gotham magazine:
AP: [after I gave birth] I had a fairly serious postpartum depression. I think it was because I had a really euphoric pregnancy.
Interviewer: So, the hormones had been working in your favor.
AP: Yes. I was like a princess and I was just euphoric and productive and I felt really sexy. But it all came crashing down the second she was born. And I was sleep-deprived beyond belief.Interviewer: You were expecting to feel good?
AP: Fulfilled, yes. And now I want to be honest about it because I think there’s still so much shame when you have mixed feelings about being a mom instead of feeling this sort of “bliss.” I think a lot of people still really struggle with that, but it’s hard to find other people who are willing to talk about it…
I like this last comment especially. I agree that the shame women struggle with when they have any negative feelings at all after the birth of their baby keeps many from talking about it and reaching out. Mothers are held on a pedestal, but without any real support, so oftentimes we are surrounded by all these expectations that are very difficult to meet. Not only our own expectations of motherhood, but also our partners’ and our family’s. It can be so much pressure, and feel so lonely.
I also liked the last sentence, because it really relates to why I started the Placenta Benefits.info website and started talking publicly about using the placenta for postpartum recovery. I found it was helping so many of my clients, but they were very reluctant to talk about it because it was so unusual. So I knew that in order to get the word out to more women, we just had to make it normal and acceptable instead of weird and even taboo.
I know we have a way to go on that, but I’m definitely seeing progress. Now my clients tell everyone about it, because they know that it helped them, and it’s becoming more acceptable to talk about it. I believe that as more women use their placenta, the incidence of postpartum mood disorders will begin to decline. There is no need for 80% of women to have these negative experiences in the first weeks after giving birth. That number can be much, much lower.
I admit, I have a bit of a crush on Matthew McConaughey (I mean, get a load of those abs!). But now I can declare myself an official fan, though it has nothing to do with his role as a movie star.
After the birth of his son Levi on July 7, he buried the placenta in an orchard to replicate an aboriginal ritual he had seen in Australia.
“It’s going to bear some wonderful fruit,” said the 38-year-old.
“When I was in Australia, they had a placenta tree that was on the river,” he added. “It was gorgeous.”
“All the placentas of all that tribe, all that clan, whatever aboriginal tribe that was, all the placentas went under that one tree and it was this huge behemoth of just health and strength.”
“This tree was just growing taller and stronger above the rest of Mother Nature around it.”
Next time, Matthew, put it in the fridge and call me. Camila needs all that vitality and nutrients to keep up with the next baby and little Levi!
A couple in New Zealand had their Subaru stolen with their newborn daughter’s placenta inside. Fortunately, the car was recovered in good condition, and baby Ella’s placenta was unharmed. The family is “ecstatic”, as they can now bury her placenta alongside 19 other family placentas on her great-grandparents’ property.
Imagine, a family burial plot for placentas, reaching back through generations. What a beautiful tradition of honoring the placenta, and their familial connection.
Unfortunately, the car was also used in a fatal shooting, to which the placenta was a silent witness. My condolences go out to the victim’s family.
This is my long-overdue book review. I must admit, I’m terrible at returning library books on time, and apparently, my book reviewing career is off to a similarly late start.
Jan Tritten of Midwifery Today graciously sent me a copy of Cornelia Enning’s book on placenta, with a simple request that I review it here. I’m sure she meant in a more timely fashion, when the book was first available. So, my apologies to Ms. Tritten, and I hope she forgives my tardiness. Perhaps a small fine would be in order?
Cornelia Enning is a pioneer in the use of placenta for treatment purposes. She has my highest respect, and it is intimidating to be asked to share my opinion on her work. The book is a quick and easy read, but it is packed full of information pertaining to all things placenta; a brief history of placenta rituals and practices, as well as a thorough recipe guide at the back. If you are curious about placenta and all its wonders, this book will definitely give you a broad base of knowledge that you will find helpful.
Ms. Enning’s admiration for the placenta is borne out via a thorough examination of the use of placenta in cultures around the world, and throughout time. I learned some new facts about placenta rituals that deepened my own respect for this amazing organ. It was gratifying to read the level of detail and commitment that some groups have in caring for the placenta, and in honoring the special role it plays in the life of a child.
The recipes Ms. Enning included at the end are very comprehensive. The sheer number of ways to prepare and use placenta after the birth should certainly encourage women to save this valuable connection to their baby, since there is sure to be at least one method that appeals to everyone.
Placenta: The Gift of Life can be purchased through Midwifery Today.
April Kermani, a well-respected midwife serving women in the greater Las Vegas area through her Baby’s 1st Day midwifery practice, has just sent me the most fabulous testimonial.
“My name is April Kermani and I have been practicing midwifery in both the hospital and home settings since 1999. I first became aware of Placenta Benefits from a client who had suffered terribly from postpartum depression (PPD) with her first baby. She had heard of placenta encapsulation and was ‘willing to try anything’ to prevent the postpartum experience she had with her 1st child. She said she could feel that ‘dark mist settling’ over me by days two postpartum, but with 5 hours of taking her first dose of placenta capsules she could feel the cloud lifting. She did not experience PPD with baby number two and could not have been more grateful.
There is evidence to support the many benefits of encapsulating and ingesting ones placenta. Most women are anemic postpartum leaving them feeling weak, fatigued, and irritable. The placenta is rich in iron and not upsetting to the stomach like most over the counter iron supplements.
I have seen such amazing results with placenta encapsulation that I recommend it to all my clients!”
Thanks for all you do to support women and mothers have a fabulous birth experience, April, and thank you for taking the time to pass this along.
Yes, I realize it is now the 5th of July, but better late than never, right?
Yesterday I was busy with clients in the morning. Then we had some great friends over for a BBQ in the afternoon, and everyone stayed late for the fireworks. Today I got to go see another client, and their beautiful sweet baby girl.
So I’m having an awesome weekend, and I hope you all are too!
We made it home from our sojourn in Minnesota. It is nice to be home, but I did not miss the heat of the desert summer. Anything over 100 is just too dang hot.
June has been an intense month, and as it draws to a close, I’m looking forward to next month, and whatever it holds.
While I was gone, PBi was at the BabyTime Expo here in Las Vegas. I had some wonderful friends, all former clients, who jumped in to help out at the booth in my absence. I am really blessed to be connected with such amazing women. Thank you all for your support and generosity.
I summed it all up in the June edition of the PBi Newsletter - sign up here if you haven’t already. 
I just want to let you all know how grateful I am to all of you for your support these past few weeks. I know I’ve been out of the loop, and off the blog, but I’ve read your kind comments and emails, and they have meant so much to me.
Here’s to July!
Mark’s memorial service was on Thursday evening, so I was in Wisconsin for that. I’ll be heading back down there next week to spend some time with my aunt.
I’m posting because I just discovered that the submission form on my contact page has had an error. If you have tried to contact me through that form and have not heard back, I have not received your message. I am so sorry for this inconvenience and communication breakdown. Please feel free to use the form now, but you should receive a thank you message after successful submission. If you don’t, it didn’t go through.
Argh! I hate technical difficulties. Sorry folks.
