Placenta, Cord, Hypnosis, Oh My!

The title indicates that the topics discussed in this post are often thought of as "weird" or even "scary" ideas about birthing. Yes I'm actually considering eating my placenta. Ok. Swallowing a pill that has ground up placenta in it. That's not gross right? :) Well at first I thought so, but the more I research it and think about it the more I feel that nothing could be more natural. It's full of everything you need to have healthy hormone balance after birth. If I possibly may benefit from it, then why not? I just have to find a placental encapsulation specialist that will do it all for me so I don't have to see it til it's in un-gross little capsule form.
Also I found a really cool article about delayed cord cutting that I thought I'd share.
http://www.nurturingheartsbirthservices.com/blog/?p=1542
It's amazing how much blood, oxygen, and nutrients the baby can get by waiting to cut the umbilical cord until it's done pulsing. It seems silly to deny the baby those benefits! I mean why not?
Third thing I've been working on in preparation of baby boy's arrival is relaxation and visualization techniques. We're taking a hypnobirthing class from an awesome instructor, Fiona Judd. It's such a great way for dads to get involved and excited about birth and their role in the birthing process. Clarke's been amazingly supportive and we're both excited about practicing and using the techniques we're learning to achieve a great birth experience. I want to write a lot more but have run out of time.
I think I'll chronicle my birth preparation experiences in future posts. Stay tuned. :)