By now I hope you have had the chance to read a fantastic blog post written by Gina Crosley-Corcoran, entitled “I’m Birthing at Home and Eating My Placenta, and I Swear I’m Not Even a Hippy“. If you haven’t, head on over to The Feminist Breeder’s Blog and give it a read. I found it to be humorous, honest, and it hit really close to home.
I emailed Gina and asked if she’d mind if we share a bit of her post here. Gina graciously agreed. She writes:
“I’m encapsulating my placenta because [PBi] scientific research shows that it can have enormous benefits for my health, including reducing my risk for that damned postpartum depression, and helping to boost my milk supply. My Type-A personality prefers to steer clear of mind-altering drugs anyway, so if there’s a way to keep my own feel-good chemicals in my body, then by all means, I will try that way first. And I do NOT have to cut off chunks of this veiny thing and put them in a hippy-dippy kale and beet smoothie. Nope! I can just pop a couple of pills that look like vitamins, which just so happen to contain an organ of mine. No big, hairy deal.”
Please understand that in talking about the term “Hippie”, Gina isn’t talking about the hipster beatniks of the 1960s. Rather she is talking about the current day earth-loving, cloth diapering, organic homemade baby food making, (sometimes) long skirt wearing, attachment parenting, baby wearing, home birthing, midwife adoring friends and family we all know and love so well here at PBi. While placenta encapsulation may make perfect sense to the ‘current day hippie’, the more ‘modern mainstream mother’ may NOT know about this option or even begin to understand why someone might want to do such a [seemingly crazy] thing.
Gina has such a great view on becoming a new mother and how that major life shift changes your whole perspective on life. The person whom she thought she was in her youth, had slowly changed through the process of becoming a mother. (This seemed eerily similar to my own realizations of who I thought I’d be as a mother vs. the mother I have become today.)
She feels that placenta encapsulation shouldn’t just be for crunchy hippie types and nature mommas, but it needs to become a viable, normal and obvious choice for all mainstream women – women who wear heels and short skirts and work in high powered, fast paced offices and government federal buildings. Women who wear makeup, do not care for patchouli, and can’t sew. Women who give birth in a hospital, using an epidural and an Obstetrician by their side (and of course, these are all perfect choices if that is what’s right for you and your baby). Placenta therapy should be an option for all mainstream women and only with exposure by women like Gina can we start to expose mainstream women to other options.
Placenta encapsulation is something everyone should consider, regardless of their social, cultural, or parental beliefs. Placenta encapsulation is a valid and scientifically proven way to fight the baby blues and postpartum mood issues. It is a legitimate birth option. An option which may, in the near future, become a better and more natural option than turning first to expensive, synthetic pharmaceuticals; an option even for those in the mainstream.
Thanks so much for talking about your experiences with PBi and placenta encapsulation Gina! Not that being mainstream is a bad thing, of course, but having ‘mainstream mommas’ like you on our side is a great way to spread the word!
Gina Crosley-Corcoran is a 32 year old married mother of 2 young boys, she is a very smart pre-law student, and a women’s rights advocate and activist. She is passionate about natural birth, breastfeeding, and choices in healthcare. Her blog, The Feminist Breeder has over 1100 subscribers. She played bass guitar and sang in Veruca Salt and played bass guitar in a short-lived band with Courtney Love! (So cool!) Bottom line is… Gina Rocks.
By Guest Blogger Lauren (a mainstream momma who is slowly learning and expanding her horizons, options and experiences with the help of a lot of wonderful current day hippies and nature mommas in this wonderful PBi community.) Lauren is a Certified Placenta Encapsulation Specialist® and Mentor in Baltimore, Maryland. She is one of those short skirt wearing, office working, carpooling soccer moms, moonlighting as a DONA labor doula and placenta encapsulation activist.