It is understandable that many women find the idea of eating their placenta, their baby's lifeline during pregnancy, after birth intriguing. Advocates for this behaviour, which also exists in the animal kingdom, attribute benefits like increased breast milk, weight gain in newborns, decreased postpartum depression and fatigue, and improved mothers’ mood.

As an evidence-based resource, Unii needs to first point out that there are no proven health benefits to eating your placenta after you give birth, but many mothers still do it for cultural reasons or because they've been inspired by alternative health and wellness practitioners or even celebrity news stories. The guidance from the Royal College of Midwives is that this is a personal choice that parents should be allowed to make for themselves.

How do mothers consume their placentas?

You can express that you want your placenta to be kept and stored in a refrigerator after birth in your birth preferences, and in the UK, a nurse or midwife can see that this is done for you. They will handle it with sterile gloves. They won’t store it forever, so be sure to ask how long they can keep it (14 days is common) and collect it as soon as you can. There are private companies that offer the production of your placenta as capsules (they may also supply you with a placenta collection kit), or some mums fry it or blend it into a smoothie.

Can eating your placenta be dangerous?

There are some dangers associated with eating the placenta, mainly to do with the preparation method. Placentas for consumption should be treated just as you would fresh, raw meat and should be placed in your cooler as soon as possible. However, the placenta should not be stored in a fridge where food is kept because of the potential for cross-contamination.

If you have an infection or suspected infection, it is best not to take the placenta home for consumption. This is due to the risk of transmitting the infection to your family, (though you should still be able to take it home for burial). The private companies mentioned above will always reject a potentially infected placenta.

Are there any nutritional or preventive benefits to eating the placenta?

We completely understand the desire to explore every avenue when trying to feel more like yourself after you have a baby. While it is true that the placenta contains a number of vitamins, including iron and vitamins B6 and B12, these can be provided by consuming a balanced diet after your baby is born and avoiding too much alcohol, overexertion through exercise before you’re ready, and other behaviours that deplete you.

In addition, postpartum depression symptoms may be both prevented and managed with good lifestyle habits, like a nutritious diet and as much rest as a new mum can get. It is also important to seek proper treatment, including counselling. Postpartum depression can happen up to a year after birth and manifest as anxiety, OCD, and psychosis, as well as the more widely recognised persistent sadness and weepiness.

What will happen to the placenta if I don't eat it?

It will usually be disposed of with other hospital waste. A placenta is legally defined as “human tissue” in the UK, so it must be incinerated at a high temperature or buried at a significant depth and not placed in domestic or council waste bins.

Some families choose to bury a placenta after birth. In some cases, the placenta will be sent to the hospital laboratory. You may be interested to know that the placenta can provide very useful information about your pregnancy and birth to your healthcare team. This is especially useful if you or your baby have had certain health problems. If your doctor or midwife feels that the placenta needs to be examined further, they will talk with you about why this is necessary. You should still be able to collect your placenta and do what you wish with it afterwards. Otherwise, it would be incinerated, as outlined above.

To learn more about what happens right before, right after and during childbirth, take Unii's Giving Birth Journey video course with Dr. Keith Duncan.

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