3. If you wish to bury your specimen, it must be placed in a hole at least 1 metre deep.
A placenta is “human tissue”, which the law says must be incinerated at a high temperature or buried at a significant depth and not placed in domestic or council waste bins.
Bury the placenta 4-6 inches lower than the placenta and place soil between the placenta and tree, so that the placenta has time to decompose before the roots reach the placenta. To use a large urn or pot, place 6-8 inches of soil in the pot, then the placenta, then, 4-6 inches of soil, then the tree.
Take the placenta home right away and keep it in a cool place. It should be stored in a fridge (3- 7°C) that does not hold any food. If you are planning on keeping the placenta for more than 2 days it must be frozen.
State regulations allow parents to keep their baby's placenta, said state Environmental Protection Agency spokeswoman Maggie Carson. Some parents may want them for a post-birth ritual, she said. "But it is never acceptable to put placenta into the sewer system," Carson said. "Never."
If you do bury your placenta in a public park, bury it very, very deep. Plant your placenta tree in a large pot. Good gardening columnist Paul Thompson says planting your placenta in a pot is a good option, provided you choose a big enough pot.
Do Hospitals Keep Placentas? Hospitals treat placentas as medical waste or biohazard material. The newborn placenta is placed in a biohazard bag for storage. Some hospitals keep the placenta for a period of time in case the need arises to send it to pathology for further analysis.
"Hospitals are very worried about safety, because the placenta really is a biohazard," says Titi Otunla, a certified nurse midwife at Texas Children's Pavilion for Women in Houston. "It's full of blood, it's not very sanitary-it could be a public health nightmare."
In many cultures, the placenta is buried. Some people plant a tree or shrub on top of it, because it fertilizes and makes a visual memory for years to come. Ukrainian tradition says it must not be buried in a doorway or it may inhibit the mother's future fertility.
Storing placenta maximises the number of cells parents can store. It provides access to as many regenerative therapies as possible, as they become available. More cells stored could enable more treatments or mean the difference between treating a small child or a fully-grown adult.
This ritual is said to give protective powers over the child. In both Japanese and Chinese culture, the placenta burial is believed to bestow blessings or protection for the child's future.
Disposal of Placenta At Home Births
Medical waste disposal companies can help; the company may ask that you purchase a medical waste bag and a sharps bucket to contain your medical waste until it can be picked up. If so, they can instruct you on the proper way to bag and seal the placenta.
The Hmong people of South Asia believe that a person has a spiritual connection with his or her placenta throughout life. It is important for the placenta to be buried at home.
Legal Action for Retained Placenta Mismanagement and Errors
If you or a loved one has suffered due to retained placenta mismanagement or error, you should book an appointment with one of the many medical malpractice attorneys at the reputed Rosenberg, Minc, Falkoff, & Wolff Law Firm at 212-344-1000.
That's because the placenta – an organ that develops on the wall of the uterus and helps sustain the fetus during pregnancy through nutrient-rich blood – is considered to be medical waste, like most organs or tissue removed during medical procedures.
When the placenta malfunctions, it's unable to supply adequate oxygen and nutrients to the baby from the mother's bloodstream. Without this vital support, the baby cannot grow and thrive.
But once your baby is out and the umbilical cord is cut, the placenta has no use. A new one will develop with every future pregnancy. That means after you deliver your baby, you also need to deliver the placenta (called stage three of childbirth).
In Islam the placenta is buried because it is believed that "from the (earth) did We Create you, and into it Shall We return you” (The Noble Quran, 20:55). Judaism also believes in burying the placenta.
Once delivered, the placenta is considered as medical waste and requires safe disposal and handling in accordance with advice from the local health unit and compliance with Environmental Protection legislation. Please note that medical waste must not be placed into the local government domestic collection service.
You are able to take the placenta home as long as your obstetrician or midwife does not wish to send it for testing.
The placenta does not, technically, belong to the mother.
Our bodies may create it, but it is part of the developing child, which means it is also made up of 50 percent genetic material from the father.
Typically, delivering the placenta isn't painful. Often, it occurs so quickly after birth that a new parent may not even notice because they're so focused on baby (or babies!). But it's important that the placenta is delivered in its entirety.
You may decide to have your healthcare provider be responsible for disposition of the fetus. The provider may dispose of the miscarried fetus by burial or cremation. You can ask your healthcare provider if you want to know the specific method for disposition.
Placental abruption - Better Health Channel.