Why some women dey chop dia placenta afta childbirth?

BBC News

3 days ago

Placenta na waste product from childbirth, so why anyone go choose to eat raw human placenta?
E dey sustain life inside womb and don fulfil im primary purpose once e comot from di mama body afta childbirth. Di human placenta den become somtin wey dem suppose trowey - but no be evribodi dey see am dat way.
Some pipo believe say di nutrients wey don pass from mama to pikin over months of pregnancy still dey inside di organ and no suppose waste.
Dem believe say di raw placenta fit provide just wetin di mama need as she dey recover from childbirth and begin to breastfeed.
Some women prefer to drink di placenta in a fruit smoothie hours afta dem give birth, some prefer to keep am cool and dry am so dem go use am make capsules.
Dem dey convinced say di magic bullet fit give dem energy boost, fit encourage breastmilk production, and even prevent post-natal depression.
Charlie Poulter from Reading, Berkshire, England, believe say ingesting a palm-sized piece of placenta within a cocktail of red berries and banana bin give her energy afta her labour.
"I drink am quickly becos I no want think about am," she tok.
"But I bin just push a baby out, I bin get lots of pipo dey look at me. I bin insignificant compared to wetin I just go through.
"I bin think 'if dis go stop post-natal depression and give me some energy, den I fit drink three-quarters of a pint of liquid. Man up and drink am'," she tok.
Di woman motivation bin dey clear.
She bin dey receive therapy for depression for 18 months wen she get belle and she bin dey concerned say she fit develop post-natal depression.
"I bin neva hear of placenta encapsulation bifor but find out say e fit help wit di baby blues.
"I bin dey willing to try anytin and my husband say even if e get placebo effect, e no mata, e no go harm you."
She say she bin no develop post-natal depression and "swear say na di placenta".
Humans dey for minority over placentophagy, wey mean to eat di placenta.
Wit di exception of marine mammals and some domesticated ones, all oda mammals dey eat di afta birth - possibly to help wit di bonding process.
Dem dey use dried placenta for some traditional Chinese medicine and dem believe say e dey restorative, but di practice of placentophagy na trend in western culture and e dey controversial.
Eating placenta 'no benefit health'
Scientific evidence no support claim say to dey eat di placenta afta childbirth fit protect women against depression and boost energy, US research suggest.
Claims wey tok say di placenta contains vitamins wey fit benefit a woman health don increased interest for di practice in recent years.
But one review by Northwestern University no find proven benefits and research on di potential risks.
Di Royal College of Midwives say make e be di woman choice.
Di researchers tok say di popularity of eating placentas don rise but dis fit be sake of media reports, blogs and websites wey dey influence women.
Review wey dem publish for Archives of Women's Mental Health, bin look at 10 published studies wey dey related to eating placenta.
But e no find any data to support di claims say to dey eat di placenta raw, cooked or in pill form get any health benefits.
Di review also say studies no dey wey look at di risks of eating di placenta.
Di organ dey act as filter to absorb and protect di developing foetus from toxins and pollutants.
As a result, di scientists say, bacteria or viruses fit remain within di placenta tissues afta birth.
Lead study author Cynthia Coyle, wey be clinical psychologist for Northwestern University, say: "Our sense be say women wey dey choose placentophagy, wey fit otherwise dey veri careful about wetin dem dey put into dia bodies during pregnancy and nursing, dey willing to ingest somtin without evidence of im benefits and, more importantly, of im potential risks to demsefs and dia nursing infants.
"Regulations no dey on how dem dey store and prepare di placenta, and di dosing no dey consistent.
"Women really no know wetin dem dey ingest."
Louise Silverton, of di Royal College of Midwives, say enough evidence no dey for dem to dey able to advise women about eating dia placenta.
"E gatz be di woman choice if she choose to do am.
"Women gatz dey aware sat like any foodstuff, placentas fit go off, so care go dey needed about how dem dey stored."
She add: "If woman dey intend to do dis, dem gatz am wit dia midwife ahead of di birth so arrangements fit dey to ensure she get her placenta."
Dr Daghni Rajasingam, wey be consultant obstetrician, say although di placenta dey veri rich in blood flow, to ingest am get potential risks.
"Wetin women do wit dia placenta dey up to dem - but I no go recommend make dem eat am."