Dear Love,
We need more tea for this topic.
I feel if more people knew the power of their placenta they would keep it.
The placenta quietly grows alongside your baby for months, doing one of the most incredible jobs imaginable. It provides oxygen. It delivers nutrients. It filters waste. It produces hormones. It literally sustains your baby throughout pregnancy.
So what do you do with it? There isn't one right answer. Just like so many parts of birth and postpartum, this is a personal decision.
Some families choose to do nothing at all. If that's you, that's perfectly okay. Many hospitals simply dispose of the placenta as medical tissue once you've confirmed you don't want to keep it.
Other families feel called to honor the placenta in a more intentional way. One option you've probably heard about is placenta encapsulation. This is where the placenta is prepared, dehydrated, and placed into capsules that some parents choose to take during postpartum. People choose encapsulation for many different reasons. Some hope it may support their recovery, energy levels, or emotional well-being during the postpartum period.
Another beautiful option is placenta burial. Many families choose to bury the placenta beneath a tree or in a meaningful place. For some, it's symbolic of new life. For others, it's a way of honoring the journey that brought their baby into the world. I've seen families plant fruit trees, flowering trees, and even native plants over the placenta as a living reminder of this season of life.
There are also families who choose to create keepsakes. Some make placenta prints using the natural shape of the placenta and umbilical cord, which often resembles a tree. Others preserve a small piece of the umbilical cord or create artwork that helps them remember the experience. For some people, these traditions carry deep cultural or spiritual significance. For others, they simply feel meaningful.
There are also situations where families choose to donate their placenta for medical research or education if that's available in their area. Donation opportunities vary depending on the hospital and local programs, so if this interests you, it's worth asking your provider well before your due date.
One thing I always encourage families to do is decide before labor if possible. You don't need to make the decision months in advance, but it's helpful to think about it before you're holding your newborn and trying to answer questions while running on very little sleep.
If you think you may want to keep your placenta, let your provider know ahead of time. Every hospital has its own policies for releasing placentas, and some require paperwork or specific storage instructions. Having that conversation during pregnancy helps everything go much more smoothly.
Something else I'd love to share is this. You don't have to do something with your placenta simply because other people are. Many families choose none of those things. And that's okay.
This isn't a decision that determines what kind of parent you'll be. It's simply another opportunity to choose what feels right for your family. Whether you decide to encapsulate it, bury it beneath a tree, create a keepsake, donate it, or allow the hospital to dispose of it, your decision deserves to be respected.
Your placenta has already done something extraordinary. It spent months nourishing and protecting your baby. However you choose to honor that chapter, or even if you choose not to, doesn't change the incredible work it has already done. There is no perfect answer. Only the answer that feels right for you.
I do hope this is helpful, and if you ever have any questions, please reach out. I'd love to talk about placentas with you.
Sending you tons of light and love.
With Gratitude,Charisse