I just remembered another thing we did with our kids' cords. I can't remember where I read this but we wound the cord into a ring and put it somewhere (out of the reach of our cat) to dry. It was later used as a teether. They loved it. It looked sort of gross when they had soaked them with saliva. Then we'd just re-dry it. BTW, the placenta coctail is made with V-8 juice and is called a Bloddy Mama. We also have two placentas in our freezer. Our midwife has a placenta garden with all these beautiful trees and bushes that her clients have planted .All this placenta chat is making me nostalgic for another birth. I love all that "primitive" ritual before and after the birth! Tracy Kirschner,DC