What Does Burying the Placenta Mean?

The Ibo of Nigeria and Ghana treat the placenta as the dead twin of the live child and give it full burial rites. Filipina mothers are known to bury the placenta with books, in hopes of a smart child. Other cultures place a symbol of their people with the placenta when burying it, as a kind of heritage insurance.

Why do you bury a baby's umbilical cord?

“Umbilical cords were intended to be buried because this “anchors the baby to the earth” (Knoki-Wilson, 8/10/92). Baring the umbilical cord in the Earth establishes lifelong connection between the baby and the place.

When do you bury placenta?

it needs to be taken home as soon as possible after the birth and stored in a cool place. It should be stored in a refrigerator that does not contain any food and buried within 48 to 72 hours. Another alternative is to keep the placenta in its container, on ice and in an esky, for no more than 48 hours prior to burial.