The Placenta, Sacred Organ

Look at your navel. Undoubtedly, there is a small depression or scar left from the detachment of your umbilical cord, right in the center of your body. This is a permanent mark, a reminder that evokes your placenta, which was crucial in your development as an embryo and fetus.

Robin Lim, Placenta: The Forgotten Chakra (i)

When we find out we are pregnant, we start thinking about everything related to this new process our body is going through. We begin to read and search for information about the stages of gestation, the baby’s growth, breastfeeding, parenting, basic care, and, in general, we look for people who can support us by providing proper information, care, and companionship.

It is common to find prenatal courses—whether private or offered by healthcare institutions—that briefly explain the stages of childbirth, often overlooking detailed explanations of the organ that plays the leading role in the third stage of labor, called the delivery of the placenta. Why does this happen?

There are several possible answers. Among many factors, disinterest and lack of information about this topic stand out, as the system has little interest in teaching women to go through their natural processes consciously.

In some places of our planet, healthcare institutions, in general, are not authorized to give the placenta to the women who have just given birth. Therefore, no one talks about this organ. Why provide information about something consideres as “biological waste” and even hazardous, an organ that is simply taken away to discard and no one will claim? This question opens up other inquiries for those of us who resonate with this organ in a different and loving way, considering it sacred.

The disinterest in the placenta may be excused by not knowing how or why it is used, or simply by considering it waste. In any case, few people take an interest in this topic or question the fact that after giving birth, the placenta is not returned to the woman who carried it in her uterus for over nine months, sharing that space with her baby.

Placenta print I made for a mother and her baby

Now, leaving aside the controversial topic of the placenta’s fate in our society, let us see how this organ is regarded in other parts of the world and the treatment it receives.

The word placenta comes from Latin, meaning “flat cake.” It is an organ formed from the fetal membranes and implanted in the uterus, connecting the baby to the mother through the umbilical cord and enclosing it in a sac that holds the amniotic fluid. As we can see, being made from fetal membranes, the placenta shares the baby’s DNA—it is like an identical sibling or, as some consider, the baby’s guardian angel.

During gestation, the placenta is responsible for transporting various substances, as well as the three “foods” the baby needs: oxygen, nourishment consumed by the mother, and emotions. All of this passes through the blood via the umbilical cord.

The placenta functions as a permeable barrier: it allows what the baby needs to pass through while blocking many substances that could cause harm. This is possible because the placenta has two sides: a maternal side attached to the uterus and a fetal side from which the umbilical cord emerges. The network of tiny veins covering the placenta resembles a lush tree with beautiful roots and branches.

Placenta photo before I transformed it into medicine for the mother and her baby

In Traditional Chinese Medicine, the placenta is considered the quintessential organ explaining the existence of the Mutant Realms (ii), as it behaves like the kidney, liver, heart, spleen-pancreas, stomach, lungs, and intestines. It is an organ that functions as every organ in the body to allow fetal development—a constantly moving organ during fetal life.

Within this Eastern theory, every organ has a spirit, and the placenta holds the memory of all the body’s functions. It carries this spirit, shares the baby’s DNA, and nourishes and protects the baby in the womb. Is there any doubt now that it is a truly magical and sacred organ? Do we still think it is normal to leave it at the hospital where it will be discarded?

Moreover, communication between mother and baby is possible through the placenta without the mother needing to make an effort. However, after seeing how magical this connection is, it's worthwhile for the mother to consciously engage with the organ. Just as we talk to the baby in the womb, speaking to the placenta can be fascinating. Women from other cultures who have had placenta-related problems have resolved them simply by connecting with it, speaking to it, and caressing their belly—not only thinking of the baby but also of that tree of life that protects and nourishes it.

Different cultures have stories connected in one way or another to the placenta. An example is the aforementioned tree of life. It is the disconnection of our modern society that keeps us away from knowledge about the placenta and its mysteries. But it was not always this way: many peoples honor their placentas by burying them under sacred trees or hanging them from branches. Others consume them, as mammals commonly do. In other parts of the world, the placenta remains attached to the baby until the cord naturally detaches, among other known practices.

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In short, we have seen some of the placenta’s functions during gestation, but what makes it special after birth? The placenta is full of hormones and substances that, if consumed by the mother, can aid in lactation and postpartum recovery. It can stop postpartum hemorrhage if a piece is quickly administered to a mother losing significant blood, help heal women who experienced high blood pressure and swelling during pregnancy, and, if properly processed into powders, capsules, or tinctures, can be preserved for years and serve as medicine for the mother in emotionally challenging situations with the child who was connected to the placenta in her womb.

This is just a glimpse of what can be said about such a wonderful organ as the placenta. However, the intention of this brief text is to spark curiosity in readers so they do not remain misinformed and are encouraged to read and explore more about this extraordinary organ.

I should also note that the healthiest practice for the baby is to clamp and cut the umbilical cord only after ALL the blood has passed from the placenta to the baby, as this blood belongs to her or him, and it is baby's right to receive it. If we have seen how valuable the connection with the placenta is, the importance of maintaining that bond for as long as necessary after birth becomes evident—it is essential for a more loving and conscious arrival into this world.

Understanding the placenta both spiritually and physically—with its postpartum benefits—does not mean every woman will want to consume or bury it. It is enough for each woman to connect with this organ in the way that feels right, to ask questions, and begin taking steps so that our society gradually reconnects with this bond we lost—a connection we might have maintained with the source of life if we had not been abruptly separated from our placenta at birth.

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(i) I read this book in Spanish, therefore the quote I mention here is a translation of the Spanish version, as I do not have access to the original.

(ii) The Mutant Realms are part of the circle of life and consist of five elements: water, wood, fire, earth, and metal. They are “mutant” because each element arises from the one preceding it; that is, one element transforms into another, and the next into another, maintaining the cycle of life.

Written by Carolina