There are various reasons why families choose to bring home the placenta after giving birth. Some people plant the placenta; others encapsulate it to make a supplement. These instances might already sound weird to some. How much weirder would it be to hear families creating a piece of art from the placenta?
The placenta serves as the home of a baby while inside the womb of their mothers. It provides nutrients for the unborn baby and removes waste products from the baby's blood at the same time.
Apparently, some people are into placenta paintings. There are even articles and videos teaching readers or viewers on how to do placenta paintings.
Placenta Painting Takes the Limelight on TikTok
Recently, a couple posted on TikTok a video showing how they used the placenta of their firstborn to create an artwork.
Ariana and Manny Luna chose to keep the placenta that served as the home of their baby girl, Kehlani, for almost ten months.
The video showed the process that the couple used to create the painting. Aside from using canvas, the couple also used oil pastels to make the painting. The end product looks like a colorful tree with a heart at the bottom, which is the umbilical cord.
In an interview with BuzzFeed, the couple shared that they got the idea from a YouTube video.
Ariana and Manny shared that they also found the idea weird at first. However, this idea turned into a beautiful one as they realize it is the organ that sheltered their baby.
TikTok users had different takes on the idea. Some found it gross; others think it should be weird, and some had mixed reactions at the same time.
The painting that the couple created will be changed in their firstborn's room. For Ariana and Manny, it is a reminder of their love and the life that they created. They are also hoping that when Kehlani grows up, she will find the painting cool as it was created just for her.
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Creating a placenta print
In an article by VeryWell Family, steps on how to make a placenta painting are provided.
The materials needed in creating the placenta painting are paper (or in the case of the Luna family, a canvas), color (or paint), water, gloves, towels, and of course, the placenta.
According to VeryWell Family, the placenta should be frozen, and the material used should be acid-free.
Most of the things which should be done are dependent on how the parents would want it. For example, it is the parent's choice, whether they would like to use the fetal side where the cord protrudes or the maternal side, which has more texture.
In a YouTube video by a doula name Angie Hotz, she showed the step-by-step procedure on how to create the placenta painting. She calls the art happy little trees of life.
According to Hotz, these placenta paintings could be a way to remind parents of the pregnancy. Instead of paintbrushes, Hotz uses Q-tips.
