Just out of curiosity, I'm taking a poll about does eating/not eating their placenta. In adition to being midwife to my goats I am also a (very) part time doula to human clients. Today I was doing some reading to keep things fresh in my mind and I a portion of my reading was on women choosing to eat their placenta. Some women believe that it boosts their milk supply, mood, energy level and pain tolerance. Human placenta, it turns out, is considered medicine in China. It got me thinking...
Three part question:
A. Do you allow your does to eat their placenta?
B. If so, what percentage of your does choose to eat it?
C. Do you have any positive or negative possible correlations to report?
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Something interesting to think about is that placenta is the only meat you can eat that doesn't have to be killed. I'm old enough to remember the days of hippie midwifery, and most of them were vegetarians but would eat placenta.
Historically, it was also believed that eating the placenta would prevent or stop a postpartum hemorrhage because it was a source of hormones. Pitocin is a synthetic form of the natural hormone oxytocin, which our bodies produce during labor, birth, and breastfeeding.
It's hard to believe, but women are eating their placentas in many ways. The most common way is "encapsulating" it. It is washed, steamed slightly, sliced, dehydrated, ground into a powder, placed in gel capsules, and taken as a supplement daily in the weeks after the birth. Others cook/steam and eat it, and a few die hards have eaten a portion of it raw {shudder}. It's supposed to elevate mood, enhance bonding, help shrink the uterous and increase milk supply. However, a few women report more of a depressed feeling when taking it that lifts when they stop, and too much milk and a very intense letdown has also been reported.
My goat kidded in the night and there was no placenta in the morning, so I guess she ate it. But women are eating their placentas, really?!! Are they cooking it first or eating it raw? Whatever about watching a goat eat theirs, I have a harder time getting my head around a woman eating hers...............but fascinating!
Thanks, ladies. :) When I first started with the goats I read that I should remove it to prevent the does choking, so I did. I tried once or twice to let them eat it, but it was pretty gross and it did seem as if choking would be a posibility. Now I think I'll let them have it if they want. Can't argue with all the good stuff in it going back to the does.
Yes, I allow them. I haven't paid close attention, but I would say most if not all eat at least some part of it. (Any left I toss.) I haven't noticed positive or negative side effects either way, but since I haven't documented who ate it and how much they ate, then tracked any possible effects, etc, I don't think there's any real way to determine the answer to that. I don't really go against their natural instincts much as long as everyone is happy and healthy. Sure it's gross, but birth in general is pretty gross...doesn't mean it's a bad thing. :)
Yes, we let them eat it. Most of them eat the whole thing. First fresheners sometimes don't. It is highly nutritious, and they've been doing it since the beginning of time. I have a time arguing with something that's worked "forever."
Both of my does have always eaten the placenta, and I let them do it. I haven't seen any negative repercussions, except that I can't watch! I have a pretty strong stomach, but, yeesh!
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