New moms eating their placentas in attempt to beat post-partum depression

National Post ^ | April 12, 2013 | Jen Gerson

[Loyalist]

Twitter Google+ LinkedIn Email Comments More

.

Susan Stewart collects fresh human placentas, takes them home and steams them with lemon, ginger and cayenne pepper. Once cooked, she puts the organs in a dehydrator overnight then grinds them and measures the powder out into gel capsules.

The service – the Calgary single mother makes a living at this – costs about $200.

Within a day, she presents new moms with their placentas in pill form – an average human placenta yields about 150 capsules – with promises of renewed energy, better lactation and no post-partum depression. They keep indefinitely.

Placenta-eating has gained some cachet among the natural-birth set, including Mad Men’s January Jones. Ms. Stewart said she became interested in it in 2009, after she was knocked down by depression following the birth of her first child, and she could see little downside from trying it.

[AuntB]

Okay, that’s it. We have officially lost our minds!

[who knows what evil?]

Okay, that’s it. We have officially lost our minds!

Hang in there...something will come along to top this in no time...

[Gefn]

Wow I brought out the nope button. I’m honored sir

[wardaddy]

Straight out of Whole Earth Catalog

Paging Stewart Brand

[who knows what evil?]

Damn...I assume you can only use that once; otherwise; my palm would be black and blue if I responded 'NOPE' to all the material I see on the 'internets'...

We need more kittens. Cute ones. STAT.

[trisham]

Imho, any woman who would do this already has a mental health problem.

[null and void]

Missed me!

[Slings and Arrows]

[Slings and Arrows]

Don’t worry, something worse will come along.

[Cyber Liberty]

Can I run to the head to get sick, or should I just vomit all over the floor right here?

[Slings and Arrows]

There’s always a next time...

[Cyber Liberty]

dog eat their own vomit too

And worse.

[null and void]

I'm ready for that...

[Slings and Arrows]

Don’t forget the parsnips.

[who knows what evil?]

May G-d bless you... :-)

[who knows what evil?]

Can I run to the head to get sick, or should I just vomit all over the floor right here?

Is the floor tile, hardwood, or carpeted?

[S.O.S121.500]

other mammals eat the placentae after birth. Regardless of the verity of these claims, it seems to be something that’s natural from an animal nature perspective.
One thing that separates humans from animals is that humans resist doing many of the things that come naturally to animals.

---

Even herbivores engage in this behavior. Whether to deter predators or to regain nutrients is unknown (by me). Mother Nature abhors waste as well as voids.

[Cyber Liberty]

Does it matter?

[Gefn]

Agreed. More kittens for Friday please.

[fso301]

Even herbivores engage in this behavior.

From the article:

Not only are mothers not attracted to the placenta, they’re pretty much revolted by it

Otherwise, human mammals, along with dolphins and some higher primates, are alone in rejecting the habit.

“We stopped doing it before recorded history, apparently. And we would have to conclude that there was something about it that was not only not beneficial, but somehow deleterious, or somehow maladaptive or harmful,” he said.