The great placenta debate!

I haven't given up on this. I am still trying to understand. I don't think I will ever be able to see eye to eye with those that practice placentophagia, or placenta eating. I'm trying, I think in order be able to care for families that perhaps live or accept things differently from myself I need to truly make attempts to understand people with different views than myself. Sometimes it's so easy and then sometimes, like with this one, it is a little harder. It's not that I am trying to convince myself it's good and ok and all that. No way! I am just trying to understand it a little more so that I can see why for someone else it would be ok.
It's been easy to find testimonials from women who have consumed their own placenta's (I'm told even vegetarians can do it as the killing of an animal doesn't occur in it's harvesting) by simply googling. I love google. I've gotten quite good at it actually, which is why when I posted the last post I was so surprised to find so much of what I would categorize as "opinion" and little scientific research. Even the website that claimed to have scientific research had very little. I did get a giggle out of some of the reasoning on some of the websites though. One sites major claim was that other mammals do it and that is why we should, plain and simple. It's mother nature's way. *clears throat* ok, well, other such animals do it as to not attract predators that will eat their young. It's their instinct as to survive. I don't remember the last time someone came into the hospital because they had sniffed out someones after birth. :) I giggled to myself last night while doing research on the computer which in turned made my husband question what I was giggling at. I told him, I was just thinking about our likeness to other mammals. I explained to him the theory of eating our placenta because other mammals do and I told him I giggled cause I wondered what would happen if we as humans also did as other mammals and abandoned or even ate our week or injured young. You know, like my dog (who did eat some of her placentas) who ignored one of her puppies because it was much smaller and weaker than the others. Something was obviously wrong with it. Everyone told me that was mother natures way of weeding out the ones that wouldn't survive. Hum. I guess if dogs do it we should too right? Lol.
The other thing I can't figure out is why we would think that the placenta was for our benefit. It didn't take much looking for me to find all the ways the placenta benefits the baby. The placenta is made by our bodies with a specific purpose. There's no question as to how AMAZING it is. The whole process from conception to delivery is truly a miracle. So many times I just look at the new little humans and I am just in awe. I realize that THIS isn't a scientific study but just by reviewing the information there I learned so much. Even so much more about how the placenta is purely for the baby and the pregnancy. Even the hormones produced and stored in the placenta that many have claimed are for the mom and that help against post partum depression or will help with building a good milk supply, those hormones are for the pregnancy! Progesterone is vital in making sure that the pregnancy is not lost and Estrogen functions in stimulating uterine growth so that it can sustain a growing fetus. I can accept cultural reasons people may have for burying or consuming their placenta but I am still having a hard time understanding that it's just "natural" or "mother natures way". I may be too "medical" to fully understand the meaning behind the decisions that some mother's make. One thing I know is that no matter how your baby got here or what you did with your placenta as long as your baby is healthy and happy it's non of my business. But it sure does make for a good blog topic. :)

Got Milk?

Alright! It's no secret that I haven't been as supportive of breastfeeding as I could be. In fact, I work on a postpartum unit as an aid and I frequently THANK HEAVENS that aids aren't supposed to do any breastfeeding teaching. I bottle fed my babies because when I tried to do the nursing thing with my first it was a night mare. Strange old ladies touching my boobs. No way I was doing that again with baby #2. SO....I have become the #1 supporter of the formula companies. I once recently joked with the Similac Rep when he came to the hospital that I would like to grow up and have his job one day. Changing the world one bottle at a time!
I have to admit though, lately, I am starting to see the error of my ways. I'm not admitting that breastfeeding is for me, I'm just saying that perhaps breastfeeding isn't as bad as I pretend it is. I have a friend that recently had twin baby girls. She is amazing. She will be the best little mom. She is VERY dedicated to strictly breastfeeding. She would never do so if it for any reason was dangerous for the babies. (for example if they had low blood sugars or lost too much weight) This got me thinking, for the moms that are really dedicated and determined to make breastfeeding work and work for the long term what could I do to be more supportive. So, let my research begin........here's what I learned. The most interesting for me wasn't how to build and sustain a good milk supply, it was the mechanics behind breast milk. I went HERE and learned about what they call endocrine control of milk which basically means that in the beginning your hormones control your milk supply. I love the way they describe it as "a safety net for the milk supply in case things between mom and baby don't get off to an ideal start." Then after the first few weeks as your mature milk comes in it is called the autocrine control of milk. This period basically means supply and demand. Your body is going to produce based on what is emptied. So if you have a baby that doesn't eat well or if you are spending long periods of time away from your baby then your milk supply will decrease. SO, what was the best advice I found on  keeping a good milk supply? Pump after each feeding. Keep in mind if you have a crappy pump then it's not going to do you any good. Best advice for if your milk supply decreases? POWER PUMPING! Anyone know what that is? I sure wish I had. Apparently the advice from lactation nurses is to power pump. To power pump you pump for 10 minutes then rest for 10 minutes on and off for 1 hour.  It's like tricking your body into a growth spurt. Well, a milk spurt. Lol. The other thing I found that they recommended was to take fenugreek. Stay tuned. Who knows maybe my next post will be about breastfeeding holds and other tips. Well, maybe not either. :)

If I have favorite lactation consultant the author of this book is her. Anything good I know about breastfeeding is from her. I <3 Michelle. Check out her book.

I found the following review of her book and I love it!

"When my daughter was born and wouldn’t latch on to my breast for the first ten days of her life I felt very helpless and alone. I had no idea that breastfeeding would be this difficult, had no one in my immediate circle who was able to help me figure things out and had no time to read a book. I eventually sought out the help of a lactation consultant and La Leche League but I wish I had Mommy’s Little Breastfeeding Book: 101 Tips Your Baby Wants You to Know About Nursing by Michele Leigh Carnesecca, RN, IBCLC in my hands.
Though there are plenty of breastfeeding books out there, what I like about this one is how to-the-point and easy-to-read it is. Written by a registered nurse and lactation consultant who realized that she was repeating the same breastfeeding tips over and over again to nursing mothers, the book is divided into three categories — Before the Hospital, At the Hospital and At Home. Each page offers important information without scaring off the reader. I also like that it offers product suggestions and can, at times, even be funny while still sharing crucial tips. The book’s small size is also appealing as it can easily be carried in a bag."

Oh the sadness

This is one of the happiest times of your life right? So why so grumpy and where are the tears coming from? Your poor body has been through the ringer. Preganacy and child birth are no walk in the park. Unfortunately for some of us it's not our favorite color but more the way we feel. Blue. The baby blues are a common during the week or two after you deliver the baby. Your mood changes are caused by the sudden shift of hormones. Things like stress, lack of sleep and the new lifestyle you have with the baby at home can add to or make the baby blues worse. Generally the baby blues will go away on it's one without any treatment. Just take time for yourself each day, get some extra help and rotate with your partner or another helper during the night for babies feeding. You need to get some sleep.
If the baby blues don't go away, you may have postpartum depression. After a month or so if you are still or begin to experience anxiety, a disinterest in your baby, you want to sleep often and are generally lacking motivation, or even if you are having trouble sleeping it may be postpartum depression and not just a case of the baby blues. My advice, see your doctor. Talk openly with the Dr. about what you are feeling. We can't control certain aspects of our bodies and this is one of them. Give yourself a break. It's ok to admit what you are experiencing.
I couldn't figure it out after my second baby. I had no problem with connecting with him and never had any thoughts of self harm or harming him or my daughter, but man did I cry at the drop of a hat. I'm pretty sure I nearly bit my husbands head off more that a dozen times a day and I SO didn't want to clean or cook. Well, I still don't want to do that. Lol. I don't even remember now what I went to the Dr. for origionally. All he had to say was, "how are you today?" and I burst into tears. How embarassing! NO! I am so lucky that it happened at the right time and to the right person. For whatever reason I guess I didn't really think about depression. My baby was 6 months old! The good Dr. gave me and antidepressant and within a week I felt like a new woman! With in 2 weeks my house was clean again, by week 3 I could sleep at night between the babies feeding. IT WAS WONDERFUL!
My advice to you is to not ignore the little signs. If you feel "not quite yourself" then you probably aren't. It's ok to seek out advice especially from a Dr. Medication doesn't always have to be a permanent thing. Just use it to get you over the hump. However, DON'T stop taking it without your Dr.'s instructions to do so.
Be happy or get happy. It's so much more fun to enjoy the baby and your new life when you can really ENJOY it.