The placenta is a temporary organ that forms during pregnancy, acting as a lifeline that transfers oxygen and nutrients from the parent to the fetus while removing waste products. Interest in retaining this organ after birth is growing among new parents, often driven by cultural traditions or the belief in postpartum health benefits. However, the process of keeping the placenta involves navigating hospital policies, understanding safe handling, and considering significant health warnings. This article addresses the practical steps and concerns surrounding the decision to take the placenta home.
Navigating Hospital and State Regulations
The default policy in most healthcare facilities is to treat the placenta as biohazardous medical waste, which leads to its incineration. Parents wishing to take possession of the organ must communicate their intent well in advance, often by including it as a request in their birth plan. This early communication is necessary because hospitals require time to prepare the necessary legal and logistical paperwork.
State laws vary considerably regarding the release of biological material. Many treat the placenta as “discarded” medical waste only if the patient does not request it. When requested, it is typically viewed as human tissue released after the signing of a liability waiver. Hospital policy can sometimes override parental wishes, especially if a physician determines that the placenta requires pathological examination due to complications like preeclampsia or suspected infection. Some state regulations, such as those in Texas and Hawaii, specifically mandate the release of a healthy placenta to the mother, provided she tests negative for certain infectious diseases.
Essential Steps for Safe Handling and Transport
Once permission is granted for release, the immediate priority is safe handling and rapid cooling to prevent bacterial proliferation. Parents must bring specific supplies to the hospital, including an insulated cooler or ice chest and several freezer-strength, gallon-sized, leak-proof plastic bags. The placenta should be placed into one or two new bags, sealed tightly, and then stored in the cooler with an ample amount of ice.
The healthcare staff will place the placenta in a container immediately following delivery. It is crucial to ensure the organ is double-bagged or placed in a sealed, labeled container and put on ice within two hours of the birth. The placenta must be removed from the facility as soon as possible, ideally within 12 to 24 hours. If pathology testing is required, parents must explicitly request that the placenta not be treated with formalin, a chemical preservative that renders it unusable for consumption or encapsulation.
Common Post-Delivery Uses and Rituals
Parents often choose to retain the placenta for use in rituals rooted in cultural practices or for modern wellness applications. A common practice is ceremonial burial, which holds deep spiritual meaning in various cultures worldwide. The Māori of New Zealand, for example, use the same word, “Whenua,” for both the placenta and the land, symbolizing a profound connection between the child and their ancestral home.
The Hmong culture considers the placenta to be a spiritual “jacket” that the soul must retrieve after death to complete its journey. In contemporary Western culture, the most popular use is placenta encapsulation, where the organ is steamed, dehydrated, ground into a powder, and placed into capsules for ingestion. Other uses include creating keepsakes, such as umbilical cord art or placenta prints.
Health and Safety Concerns Regarding Ingestion
The ingestion of the placenta, known as placentophagy, is promoted anecdotally for supposed benefits such as boosting milk supply, preventing postpartum depression, and increasing iron levels. However, scientific evidence from controlled studies does not support these claims, finding no significant difference in mood, energy, or iron status between people who consume their placenta and those who take a placebo. The dehydration and heating process used in encapsulation may degrade beneficial hormones and nutrients, making the resulting capsules biologically inactive.
A significant health concern is the risk of bacterial contamination, which can occur during handling, storage, or preparation. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) has warned against placenta capsule ingestion, citing a case where a newborn developed a Group B Streptococcus (GBS) blood infection linked to the mother’s contaminated placenta pills. The placenta naturally filters and accumulates trace elements, including heavy metals like mercury, lead, and cadmium. While concentrations are often below toxicity thresholds, consuming the organ reintroduces these elements to the parent’s body.