Making a lovely tree print. Hanging out with it in a salad bowl for days, lotus birth style. Chowing down on some chili, spaghetti sauce, or even a blended 'cocktail', for the daring. Encapsulating it, for those who want the benefits in a tidier, less-squeamishness-inducing way (I hope to eventually offer this service myself). Burying it under a tree - which I still plan to do with Lily's someday. Leaving it wrapped and labeled in the freezer for years on end with intentions of doing one of the above is a very popular option. Or "donating" it to cosmetics companies, which if you're in the hospital may be pretty much your only choice.
But here's one that is truly news to me: making a teddy bear out of it.
A crafty alternative for those who don’t necessarily want to eat their baby’s placenta, but want to pay their respects to the life sustaining organ by turning it into a one-of-a-kind teddy bear. Green’s ‘Twin Teddy Kit’ ‘celebrates the unity of the infant, the mother and the placenta,’ and enables preparation of the placenta so it may be transformed into a teddy bear. The placenta must be cut in half and rubbed with sea salt to cure it. After it is dried out, it is treated with an emulsifying mixture of tannin and egg yolk to make it soft and pliable.
I'm not sure I'll be adding this onto my list of optional postpartum services just yet . . .
Oh. My. God.
ReplyDeleteLike you, I thought I had heard it all, and a lot of the stuff you listed sounded weird at first, and has started to normalize itself in my head.
But this? Wow. Don't know if this will work its way in.