Unfortunately, my first post after the Midwifery Today conference ends up being about the negative perception of placenta in the media, instead of how uplifting it was to be at the conference.

The Doctors originally contacted me back in August of 2008 with questions about eating the placenta. I had several detailed conversations with a producer for the show, and she seemed very enthusiastic about putting the information out to their mainstream audience. I was excited about how many women the show would reach, and about the possibility that placenta encapsulation would be presented in a positive manner (although I wasn’t particularly confident that would happen).

It was determined that they were potentially interested in doing a show on placenta encapsulation, but I would have to ask one of my clients to subject themselves to a pretty invasive situation. The show wanted to film parts of a birth, have full access to the woman’s kitchen while the placenta was prepared (all the better that she should eat some of it right out of the pan, but not required), and then she would need to give daily video updates of her emotional state. I felt that this was far too invasive and did not want to subject any new mother, letalone my clients, to such a stressful situation immediately postpartum. Not to mention that the show had not even aired yet, and I had no idea what type of show it would be.

So I turned them down - I didn’t even want to ask any of my clients to do that. Women come to me for help with stress relief, and a film crew in the kitchen on the first day of your baby’s life, coupled with daily emotional video updates while trying to adjust to a new family dynamic, getting the hang of breastfeeding, and doing all this while sleep-deprived did not seem like a situation I could endorse in any way.

Then one of my repeat clients was soon to deliver her fourth baby, and I told her about the show and what they wanted. She was willing to subject herself to this level of scrutiny because her placenta capsules had worked so well for her that she wanted to share that message with the world. I contacted the show again, and they put me in touch with another producer. That person never got back to me. My client had another fantastic birth and postpartum experience, once again with the help of her placenta capsules.

Out of the blue, a producer for The Doctors called again a couple weeks ago asking more questions. It was clear that they were looking for an “eat the placenta” story just to sensationalize the practice. I had a long conversation with the producer (who was a young woman who hadn’t had children), and told her about all the benefits of placenta for postpartum recovery. I explained that while many women couldn’t stomach the thought of eating the placenta, that placenta encapsulation was actually becoming quite a trend. I suggested that their show cover the benefits of placenta as opposed to just airing more of the same; that women needed to hear from other women that this had helped; and that I would love to see a positive story about placenta come out.

She told me she’d get right back to me, which didn’t happen. No surprise, considering the show that aired today.

Extreme Health Trends: TOO Shocking?
Naked sushi, orgasmic workouts, bee stings and Bollywood dances are just a few of the extreme and outrageous health trends of the day. The Doctors put them to the test and determine which ones to try and which ones to toss.

Placenta Stew! People actually EAT the placenta - ewww!
Is this getting old to anyone else?????

I’m very disappointed. Although I am a fan of Dr. Sears and Dr. Hottie (I mean, Travis). I don’t know, maybe one of these days someone in the media will figure out that placenta is worth more than just shock value for ratings. Holding your breath? I’m not.