Honoring the Placenta: A Ceremony of Connection
Much has been said recently about placenta encapsulation and smoothies as ways to support postpartum recovery. While these practices have helped some, they weren’t for me. When preparing for my son’s birth, I knew I wanted to keep my placenta—not to consume it, but to honor its sacred role in growing and nourishing my child in the womb.
Despite a difficult postpartum period that delayed my original plans, I kept my placenta frozen until I was ready.
But let’s be honest: with a newborn, “ready” never quite arrives.
It wasn’t until we moved back home to Brisbane that I finally made time for the rituals I had long envisioned.
Reclaiming Connection to the Body’s Wisdom
Handling your own placenta is an epic thing these days, given how far removed we have become from our own physiology—especially in birth and menstruation. Many people, even mothers, feel squeamish about the placenta. That, to me, is a real loss.
You didn’t just grow a baby—you grew an entire organ to sustain them. That’s something extraordinary.
If you’re here, maybe you share a curiosity or reverence for your own placenta. If so, read on for three ways you can honor it.
1. Creating a Placenta Print
Once I finally thawed my placenta, I was overwhelmed by the memories it brought back. Birth is raw, transformative, and layered with emotions—grief, pain, love, power. Holding my placenta in my hands became a deeply healing experience, allowing me to sit with all that my birth had been.
To commemorate it, I created placenta prints—a visual tribute to the life-giving connection we shared.
How to Make a Placenta Print
You’ll need:
- High-quality art paper (270gsm)
- Watercolor or gouache paints
- Place the placenta with the maternal side down (the side attached to the uterus) and the veiny side up. Use a towel or disposable pad underneath to absorb blood.
- Arrange the umbilical cord in a meaningful shape—a spiral, a heart, or the classic Tree of Life shape.
- Paint directly onto the placenta, experimenting with colors and textures.
- Press the paper gently onto the placenta to create your print.
- Repeat as desired, wiping away paint in between for varied effects.
** A note on consumption: If you plan to consume any part of your placenta, set some aside before painting, or use food-grade dyes instead.
Two of my placenta prints were professionally framed—one for me and one for my son, should he want it when he grows up.
2. Crafting a Placenta Tincture
Before making the print, I removed a small portion of my placenta to create a tincture—a remedy traditionally made by infusing plant medicine in alcohol for several weeks.
There are mixed views on consuming the placenta in this way, but for me, the tincture was about longevity. It can be used as a postpartum tonic or even incorporated into body balms and salves.
Want to make your own?
Check out these resources:
Placenta Remedies Network
Moonsong’s Placenta Remedies
3. Burying the Placenta: Returning to the Earth
Of all the ways I honored my son’s placenta, burying it in the Earth was the most profound.
Across cultures and continents, people have buried placentas since time immemorial—unless they were consumed. This practice symbolizes a child’s connection to the land, a rooting in belonging. Yet today, most placentas are incinerated en masse as medical waste.
Our placentas deserve better than that.
For me, this was a ceremony of reciprocity. As my son began his life, his placenta returned to the Earth, completing the cycle. I sang to him the same song I had sung throughout pregnancy and at his birth—an unbroken thread of love.
This ritual gave me deep comfort, knowing that my son’s womb mate had been cared for, not discarded. It also grounded him in the land, in a way that Western culture often forgets.
Learning from Ancestral Knowledge
Minmia, Wiradjuri Law-woman, teacher, and great-grandmother, speaks of the sacred placenta customs of her people. She teaches that all children—Indigenous and non-Indigenous—benefit from growing up with a connection to Country. This is something many of us are relearning: Earth-honoring ways that remind us we are not separate, but part of a greater whole.
I’m grateful for her teachings and look forward to learning more.
How Did You Honor Your Placenta?
Every placenta has a story. Did you keep yours? Create a ritual? Bury it? I’d love to hear your experience.
Womb Blessings,
Anne x