Placenta Magic

"I knew a placenta once. She was a big gal. Knew how to hold her space. I considered inviting her home but others said "oh no - no, no, no.," and then she was gone, just like that."

Most women these days who give birth surrounded by doctors or midwives don't learn anything about the placenta before they give birth, and then afterwards it disappears just like the one Sarah described above. She birthed in the hospital, was followed by midwives, and had no idea that her baby's magical organ would simply disappear into the bowels of the hospital.

The placenta is a unique organ that provides nourishment for the fetus during their time in the womb. It is attached to the mother's body; it works as a filter between the mother's blood and the fetus'; it provides the fetus with oxygen-rich blood from the mother's body, and allows for the transportation of oxygen-depleted blood to leave the fetus' circulation and get transported back to the mother's circulatory system.

After the baby is born, the uterus works to expel the placenta, and if the umbilical cord has not been cut, then the attached placenta separates from the baby's body within a few days to a week after birth. However, it is very common practice now to cut the umbilical cord even before the placenta is born, thus depriving the newborn of some of the oxygen that it could have had access to without the separation.

Many women do not know about the placenta. I've created a Mini Series about this magical organ on my Baby Magic Podcast. Listen up on the 9, 16 and 23 of February, 2021 for a look at the placenta: 

On February 9 we will be guided by Patricia Edmonds, midwife of over 40 years, who will answer the question: What is the placenta? 

On February 16 I will be chatting with two women who decided on Lotus Birth for their babies. One of these women gave birth in a hospital, and the other at home.

And on February 23 two business partners from Australia will enlighten us on placental encapsulation and the benefits of ingesting placenta.

Listen up! I hope our meanderings through the world of women's bodies, justice, and love are pleasing to you. 

Gratitude Alphabet (2021)

I am starting another gratitude alphabet because I had some pandemic blues last week and started a good old Pity Party. 

So here is what I am thankful for:

A is for Avraham.

Weirdly, my husband tells me that when we first met, when he was only 20 and I was 25, I told him I wanted five children!!! To his credit, he didn't run or try to hide like many men (and women) would have done back then. We were leftists! Revolutionaries! We didn't do such things as plan families or have babies; we were destined for bigger things...

Anyway, we had four sons and lived an idyllic life on a small farm in Italy until reality struck and we moved back to Canada. In 2000, I thought I was done reproducing but I wasn't! I gave birth to my fifth son in 2001.

Avraham is the most laid back person I have ever met. He's the tallest of everyone in the whole family. He loves to ski. He makes films. He helps me with my podcast. 

I'm so grateful that he is in my life. This year has taught me a great deal about being content with what we have, and about how things can change on a dime, and about how we aren't really in control at all. Avraham always taught me about love, patience, slowing down, living to your own beat.

Magic and Technology

I was thinking about mathematics the other day.

Random thoughts:

• If you wanted to, you could realize that the whole universe as we know it is just made up of zeros and ones, in millions and gazillions of permutations and combinations of just 0 and 1. Just to be or not to be.
• Maybe magic really shouldn't be made accessible to the masses. Look what they've done to the internet.
•