What happens with the placenta after the birth?
After the birth the midwife will take a blood sample from the cord and examine the placenta to make sure that it is intact and has no anomalies. She should leave the disposal decision up to the family. The placenta is also known as the “internal grandmother,” “the baby’s cake,” and “the baby’s home.” And like its many names there are also many ways a family may dispose of the placenta. Most bury the placenta and plant a tree or other plants over it. Others burn it. And some families give the placenta to the midwife to use for educational purposes or dispose. Still some families take the disposable of the placenta very seriously, often with ritual. In some cultures the placenta is regarded as sacred with postpartum powers and the mother of the baby eats the placenta. This is known as placentophagia. Lotus birth is another placenta practice; the placenta stays attached to the baby via the cord until it dries up and falls off of the baby. Some cultures cut the placenta away and dry it sep
