Bad ass in a few bites

On Monday morning my phone rang, unexpectedly-bright and early. It was my client, in labor.  We spent our prenatal visits together discussing early labor, and how it was her first baby, and how it would very likely be long---ish. At least a few hours of-is this it? Yes, this is it! Oh wait, the contractions have stopped, maybe this isn't it?  But not for this young mama.

I arrived shortly after and suggested we call the midwife for this home birth because at the peak of each contraction there was a catch in her breath, was she pushing? Yes, whether she knew it or not, her body was puuushing. I have been to enough births to know that sound, and have caught one surprise baby at home, I wasn't going to 'push' my luck- so the midwife we called!

Her labor was fast and furious and this mama was so strong! But after the little guy was born mom felt weak, a little faint. The remedies offered weren't working. Then the midwife's assistant's eyes lit up! She said "Eat your placenta!"  "What?" This nice mother asked.  "Eat your placenta, I don't know why I didn't think of it earlier!"

Now, many mammals, and many cultures do this or recognize the placenta for it's profound and spiritual properties. But here, in NYC? Not so much, at least not raw, freshly born and not dehydrated for encapsulation.  But this mother, was so bad ass. She said "Give it to me, I'll eat it."  My jaw dropped because a week before-this was not in the 'birth plan' but tonight, this lioness was ready to do what she needed to do, to be well, so she could care for her baby.

And so the midwife said "Kristy, take this to the kitchen and break it up, put some salt on it."
I am not squeamish, I see babies and placenta's born regularly, but I have never actually TOUCHED one. I've admired it from afar, I have even photographed it, mentioned the 'tree of life' pattern of ir'a blood vessels. But prepare it for consumption? This was a first! I obediently brought the placenta into the kitchen where I broke a golf ball size amount apart into bite sized pieces-with my bare hands-I tried my best to make it look like sushi, or steak tartar. I made some toast-with butter, used the best french sea salt they had in the house.  Then returned the feast to this lioness. Who swallowed it piece by piece, with nothing more than a sip of ginger ale to wash it down. 

I was deeply moved by this action. Her incredible sense of what her body needed to be well for her child. Her ability to get past mental barriers, fears or doubts.  She just ate it. Bad ass in a few bites. And guess what? She was much better, her color returned, still weak but definitely better, different, more like herself.

I'm not an expert on placenta's or even child birth for that matter, but I do believe that women are incredible beings who know what they need for themselves and their children especially in pregnancy, childbirth and immediate postpartum. I've seen it, many times, when the rest of us are scratching our heads, these woman just DO it, whatever IT is they need to do. They just do it.