Facebook is deleting pictures of placentas. They are generally being flagged as “violent imagery”. I am at a loss to understand how a placenta, a product of birth, a bringer of life, can in any way be construed as “violent”.

Birth itself can be violent. Women have been strapped down (whether with actual restraints or just via hospital policies that require routine fetal monitoring), babies pulled from the womb before their time under the guise of safety or even convenience. Women are supposed to be quiet and sedate (and often sedated) in order to birth in a way that is comfortable for the people around her. Our society finds these practices completely acceptable. Yet a photograph of a placenta is inappropriate, even violent?

Earthside Birth Photography posted this picture of a placenta on her Facebook page. Somebody flagged it as inappropriate, and it was removed. When others posted pictures of placentas in support, they were deleted as well. In talking about this situation on my Facebook page, several other mothers said that their placenta photos were deleted from among the pictures of their birth that they had posted. So this isn’t a singular, unique experience.

I think this is ridiculous. I’ve started a simple petition that you can sign online, aimed at Mr. Mark Zuckerberg, CEO of Facebook. It is meant to demonstrate that while we placenta fans may be few in numbers, we are passionate about placentas!

  Facebook: Let us post pictures of placentas!

In honor of all the beautiful placentas born each day, I’d like to share a few of them with you here. And yes, I will be posting this to Facebook! Special thanks to Job Description: Mommy for alerting me to this situation.

Thank you for taking the time to look at these placentas. The more we open our eyes and really see what our amazing bodies can create, the more we can appreciate these miracles. Each one of these placentas nourished a baby and helped bring them into the world. I don’t believe that a sane person could declare any one of these photos as “violent imagery”.

If you have a Facebook account, I know we’d all appreciate it if you’d take a moment to “like” these pages.

Earthside Birth Photography
Job Description: Mommy
Placenta Benefits

Delightfully announcing Kiani Torres as one of Placenta Benefits newer Placenta Encapsulation Specialists in Puerto Rico. We love that Kiani has joined Placenta Benefits and is working with Moms and families in Puerto Rico in both Spanish and English, enlarging the capacity to educate, serve, and support many more Mothers in placenta encapsulation and postpartum wellness.  Kiani brings a passion for breastfeeding, humanizing birth, VBAC, and lovingly raising children to her work with placenta encapsulation. In Kiani’s own words,

“I have loved learning about the science behind placenta encapulation. A woman’s body is a miraculous thing - let me help you learn about the different ways the placenta can be used to help you after you have your baby.”

To learn more about the services Kiani offers and how to reach her, please visit www.placentabenefits.info/KianiTorres.

Placenta Benefits is blessed to have such another wonderful, talented women included in our PBi community and work, we warmly welcome you Kiani!

We have some amazing placenta lovers out there! A fellow PBi Specialist, Polly Wood, pointed me to an artist who has created amazing imagery that honors the placenta.

Nané Ariadne Jordan creates placentas from felted wool, yielding a buttery soft, hand-spun and dyed piece of art. Nané created her masterpieces as part of the Gestare Art Collective, a movement she co-founded in 2009.

Ms. Jordan has this to say about placentas: “Human placental morphology (growth and form) pays homage to the growth of trees in their branching, rooting forms that seek an interchange of nourishment through elements of air, water and minerals between life forms. ”

Thank you for highlighting the beauty and the gentle spirit of the placenta in your work.

Please view all of Nané’s placenta art on the Gestare Art Collective website.

About the Gestare Art Collective
Living in different geographic locations in North America we share our individual and collective art practices and develop collaborative projects through digital on-line communication at a distance and at residencies. The source of our artistic collaborations comes from our shared engagement with the Divine Feminine and the Earth, gestated in the labyrinthine container of wombspace.

“Every baby’s first breath on Earth could be one of peace and love. Every mother should be healthy and strong. Every birth could be safe and loving. But our world is not there yet,” Robin Lim said during “CNN Heroes: An All-Star Tribute”.

Robin Lim is an American woman who began Yayasan Bumi Sehat health clinics in Indonesia. The locals call her Ibu Robin, or Mother Robin. It is through the Bumi Sehat health clinics that thousands of Indonesian women receive free prenatal care, birth care and medical aid where many families do not have the financial means to receive such necessary care. Lim believes the high expense of receiving proper prenatal and birth care is partly why Indonesian maternal and infant mortality rates are so high. She also is a committed advocate in teaching gentle birth and exclusive breastfeeding for the crucial growth and development of babies.

The CNN Hero of the Year was chosen by the public after an 11-week vote on CNN.com. For being named Hero of the Year, Lim will receive $250,000 for her cause. That’s in addition to the $50,000 that she and the rest of the top 10 Heroes each received for making the top 10.

Robin Lim is the author of “The Placenta: the Forgotten Chakra” and several other books. You can support her at RobinLimSupport.Org.

Having Robin Lim win this award is a landmark for promoting the midwifery model of care, it is truly exciting to have her work recognized globally.

In Peace,

Elenya Grafals, CPM, LMT, CPES

A recently published study shows that placental health is highly correlated with stillbirth and other pregnancy complications. Researchers were trying to pinpoint causes and risk factors for stillbirths, and found that in 26% of the cases where the pregnancy did not go to term, problems with the placenta were the causative factor. They were looking at stillbirths where the baby died at or past 20 weeks gestation.

What I found most interesting from the data, though, was the racial disparity. African-American women have more than twice the risk of stillbirth than white or Hispanic women, even when accounting for differences in prenatal care. This disparity “remains largely unexplained”.

Of the 7,000 stillbirths in the world PER DAY, 98% happen in developing countries. Finland has the lowest rates in the world, while India and Pakistan have the highest. The U.S. is just over half a percent of all births, which has stayed the same since 2003.
>>Read the study

Infant Loss

I had no idea that stillbirths were that prevalent.

Michelle Duggar recently lost her baby daughter, Jubilee, to stillbirth. She was over age 40 which was one of the risk factors. But now I wonder if there was a problem with the placenta that caused her death? In any case, my condolences go out to the Duggar family on their loss.

At 20 weeks gestation, the baby is a perfectly formed, tiny infant. Some families choose to memorialize the child by having family photos taken with the baby, as the Duggars did. The organization Now I Lay Me Down to Sleep has volunteer photographers who will come in and take tasteful, often beautiful, always heart-breaking portraits of the baby and family before the baby goes to the funeral home. This work is a labor of love and compassion, and is often very difficult for the photographers. I am just grateful that there are people out there with enough love in their hearts to do this for grieving families.

Death is a part of life, but the death of a baby is especially difficult. Just because the child was small doesn’t mean he or she didn’t exist, or wasn’t loved. I think that honoring that life with a beautiful portrait is a wonderful way to remember that child, and the impact they had on the family.

Frcblog.com recently wrote a blog “You will always be With Me: Fetal Cells Cross Placenta and Stay with Mom for life” The article is inspired from a National Public Radio’s Morning Edition program in which Science editor Robert Krulwich reports on fetomaternal microchimerism.  A bit about fetomaternal microchimerism (please allow wikipedia to go further into depth), in humans it is when fetal cells pass the placenta and make cell lineages in the mother. To make it more interesting, the cell lines are immunologically active for decades (possibly forever) after giving birth. Just to make it even a bit more interesting the births could be abortions, miscarriages and vital births, the activity of the baby’s cells in the mother is not related to how viable the pregnancy was. The mystery of biology is absolutely fascinating.

Dr. Kirby Johnson, PH.D from Tufts University, stated in his interview with Krulwich that it is proven that hundreds of babies cells slip out of the placenta and stay with the mom four to five decades following the last pregnancy. Dr. Carol Artlett, PH.D, who studies fetal cells at Thomas Jefferson Universtity in Philadelphia, said the cells essentially last forever on the mom.

What is the purpose of these cells in the body? A couple of different hypotheses are discussed. The first and least friendly hypothesis is that the baby’s cells can cause certain autoimmune diseases in mothers in later life by causing inflammation in the mother’s body tissues. Hmmm. The second hypothesis is proposed by Tufts University, which (happily) is like the antithesis of the first hypothesis. The second hypothesis proposes the cells that the baby leaves behind are there to protect, defend, and repair the mother for the rest of her life whenever she gets seriously ill, essentially acting as stem cells. And there is a true story to back it up in Krulwich’s interview. A women who had hepatitis and had five conceptions (one child, two miscarriages, two abortions) had her liver biopsied to see if they would find any fetal cells gathering in her liver, where she was in need of help. Low and behold, there in her liver they found hundreds of fetal cells turning themselves into healthy liver cells!

Research has been done to test both hypotheses, over and over the benevolence of the fetal cells comes forth as being true. More evidence is coming forth to support the hypothesis that baby cells in the mother may actually be repairing tissue and protecting the mom.

The benevolent hypothesis encourages the idea, or the truth (see it as you may), of a real biological, loving connection that children have with their mothers and vice versa. This cellular living connection begins as early as conception within mothers to extend all their lives. What a beautiful gift wrapped inside the mothers body.

In Placenta Peace~ Elenya Grafals, CPM, LMT, CPES

Kristen Oganowski, blogger at Birthing Beautiful Ideas is planning to use placenta capsules for her postpartum recovery. As part of the process, she came across PBi Specialist Kelsie Meyers in Columbus OH.

Kristen writes a great blog piece on how she came around to the idea of using placenta capsules.

So now–only a short time after getting the “squicks” about even thinking about consuming my own placenta–I’m downright excited to try out placenta encapsulation for myself.

Please read her blog for the full interview with Kelsie, and check back because it sounds like she is going to be chronicling her whole experience with placentophagy!

I’d like to share this guest post from Sarah Harding, one of my fabulous clients. She gave birth to twins this summer, and used placenta capsules again. Congratulations on now having three wonderful daughters, Sarah!

“There are several things you can do with your placenta after you deliver it,” advised our Childbirth Lamaze teacher at Well Rounded Momma in Las Vegas, NV. She said, “You can consume it—”

“You can do what?” I asked, trying not to let my jaw drop too low.

“You can consume it or eat it,” she repeated. “There is a terrific program called Placenta Benefits,” she explained, that dehydrates your baby’s placenta, grinds up the nutritious tissue, and then puts it in a pill form. So you take your placenta, like you do vitamins.”

Hmm, hearing it this way, encapsulating your placenta didn’t sound quite as cannibalistic as I had originally presumed. I’ve certainly been open to natural herbs, supplements, amino acids, vitamins, etc while training for Ms. Fitness USA competitions and performing as a professional acrobat for Cirque du Soleil. Despite my initial doubts, I decided to try it. Little did I know, choosing to consume my daughter’s placenta would be one of the healthiest choices I ever made for my family.

Emma’s Heart-Shaped Placenta

Contacting Jodi Selander at Placenta Benefits and encapsulating my daughter’s placenta launched my motherhood journey in a positive direction. My placenta pills provided just another “safety check” for Mom so I could have more energy, combat the baby blues, rebalance my hormones, have more breastmilk, and enjoy parenting! Upon taking the placenta pills, I immediately felt a boost of energy that even provided clarity in thought. And Goodness knows, clarity is not always something that accompanies a new mother!

Also, there was never a question of my milk supply waning. Boy, did I have more than enough! (Imagine a breastmilk shooting Austin Power’s Fem-Bot.) I nursed my daughter until she was two and I was four-months pregnant with twins. The only reason I stopped nursing was I needed more energy for my pregnancy. Of course, I must admit, my growing tender breasts helped reinforce my decision. Thankfully, with the help of my placenta pills, I never had to consider weaning due to a lack in breastmilk production.

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As a new mother with a boost in energy, clarity, and milk supply, I felt inspired to resume my active lifestyle. I wore my baby in the Moby Wrap and began creating my own Pilates program for Parents called, Asobi Sport™ Family Fitness. My babywearing Pilates workouts could make parenthood and exercise symbiotic. I was so excited to share this program with other parents and show them they didn’t have to sacrifice their health in order to tend to their little one. Of course, I couldn’t do this if my energy, confidence, and physical health were compromised. Who knows what would have happened if I hadn’t started my motherhood journey on such a healthy note by consuming my baby’s placenta. I do know it took a week before we could retrieve Emma’s placenta from the hospital and start the encapsulation process. During this first postpartum week, I scared myself with how often I burst into tears and lashed out at my husband. I felt significantly better once consuming my placenta pills.

Thank goodness I gave Placenta Benefits, a try! I now tell my Asobi Sport™ clients encapsulating your placenta is a lot like getting your harness checked before bungee jumping for Cirque du Soleil. You never jump without going through the various safety precautions first. If you skip a safety check, then you’re risking a potentially devastating outcome. These extra safety measures give you that added comfort that despite the various twist and turns that may occur during your trek, you can perform your journey safely and even enjoy the ride.

Sarah Training at Cirque du Soleil’s KA

Whether you’ve bungee jumped or not, I think most Moms would agree, motherhood can be a tumultuous ride! You will want to do everything in your power to anticipate those challenges, prepare for risks, and create a support system to prevent them all together, if possible. I can’t tell you what every Momma’s “motherhood bungee jump” will look like. But I can tell you with the help of Placenta Benefits, you are empowering yourself and your family to ensure a healthier ride!

I look forward to using the services of Placenta Benefits again soon when I give birth to my twin girls. Goodness knows, I will need all the energy I can get! Thanks PBi! You are helping women replenish, nurture, and thrive.

Fox News in New Orleans recently did a story on women using placenta for postpartum recovery. PBi’s own Stacy Soeten was interviewed in the news piece.

You can read the full article online here. Great interview, Stacy! Thanks for helping mothers in New Orleans have a better postpartum recovery, and for being a part of PBi.

You can watch more fabulous placenta videos on our YouTube channel.

Dr. Ralph Conti, a well-known pediatrician in the Henderson and Las Vegas area, has been indicted for fraud. These charges stem from his (alleged) association with Dr. Sapse, who claimed to have pioneered a revolutionary new cure for diseases such as MS from placental stem cells. Dr. Sapse was allegedly getting the placentas from Sunrise Hospital, since his apartment where he would perform the procedure was only a mile away from the hospital. However, those claims have not been substantiated. (I throw that in there because Sunrise was the hospital that I had to fight in order to get them to release placentas to the mothers, even though Dr. Sapse was under investigation at the same time, 2007 and 2008. You can read about those cases on past blog posts.)

Dr. Conti worked out of the St. Rose hospitals, who have gone on record to say that they did not allow him to take placentas from their hospital, and if he did, it was without consent. Sunrise said the same thing about Dr. Sapse. So these men were (allegedly) STEALING the placentas of unsuspecting mothers, and doing their own Frankensteinian operations on chronically ill patients, while charging them a total of one million dollars.

According to the indictment, Sapse hired Conti in the fall of 2005 and caused him to implant placental tissue in the abdomen of sick patients. The document alleges Conti, who had no prior stem cell training, performed the procedure on about 34 patients in 2006.

“Conti performed the implant procedures knowing they would not benefit the patients,” the indictment alleges.

In November 2006, according to the document, Conti performed procedures that resulted in the infection of several patients.
…
In a phone interview Thursday, Sapse said Conti’s name came up several years ago during a conversation with another doctor as “someone who was interested in stem cell research.”

“I contacted him, and he was very interested,” Sapse said.

Sapse said he told Conti how to do the implant procedure and then watched the pediatrician do it in his office in the Del Webb Medical Plaza on the St. Rose Dominican Hospital-Siena campus.

“I didn’t do the implantations,” Sapse said. “He did.”

Sapse said Conti would get placentas from the labor and delivery department at the nearby hospital.
…
Sapse said he did not know whether hospital administrators were aware of what Conti was doing, but he said the pediatrician seemed to have no trouble getting the placentas.

“He’d just walk over and get them,” he said.

Read the full article from The Review-Journal…

St. Rose has been one of the more difficult to negotiate placenta release from as well. They hold the placentas for seven days, at which point the parents can come pick them up or they will be destroyed. I think seven days is an extremely long time to hold a placenta. My clients who do want to encapsulate the placenta do not get their placenta capsules until 10 days postpartum, at which point many are already suffering from symptoms of baby blues. If we can get the capsules to the mother in the first few days, she often does not experience any negative effects from birth recovery.

So, bottom line of this whole situation is simple: TAKE THE PLACENTA HOME. Even if you don’t want to use it for your postpartum recovery. It is a part of your baby, it helped to give your baby life, and it deserves to be treated with respect - not lie discarded in a hospital bin, or stolen for its stem cells.