Placenta- excerpt from "Giving Birth to Ourselves, contemplations for midwives and other birth companions."

The placenta is an amazing organ of nourishment & cleansing, which also maintains the hormonal state of pregnancy in the mother. The beauty of a healthy placenta goes far beyond its meaty mother's side and shiny baby's side. Yet many people in this culture abhor the thought of seeing and touching it. It is treated as garbage or made into cosmetics after the birth. Honoring the placenta is a way of honoring nourishment and the process of life itself.

In giving birth to ourselves we each have that which nourishes and cleanses us, maintaining the state of creation in us. That is our placenta now. It may be something very meaty, motherly , shiny, or baby-like. It may be Mother Earth Herself . Whatever it is that provides for us in this way brings us the blessings and nourishment of our Great Mother. By honoring it - acknowledging & thanking it for it's support- we honor ourselves and the process of giving birth to ourselves.

Contemplations--

· Do I know what constitutes my placenta now?
· Do I honor it?
· What could I do to better respect this aspect of giving birth to myself?

Activities--

Create a physical representation of your placenta to help remind you of it. It could be a special pillow, or a collage of pictures that represent that which sustains you.
Start a placenta book. It could include anything you learn about nourishing yourself and physical placentas.
Be sure that all birth placentas you are in contact with are treated with respect - if need be, take custody.

Giving Birth to Ourselves, contemplations for midwives and other birth companions by Terra Rafael is available as a print on demand book or download at www.lulu.com