For many families, burying the placenta is a way to honour birth and create a lasting connection between baby and nature.
Across cultures and generations, the placenta has been seen as more than just an organ, it’s a sacred connection between mother and baby, the very source of life during pregnancy. For many families, burying the placenta is a ritual of respect, gratitude and symbolism that creates a lasting bond between the child and the earth.
Placenta Traditions Around the World
In Māori culture, the placenta is called whenua, a word that also means “land.” Burying the placenta connects the child to their ancestral land in a deeply spiritual way. In Bali, families place the placenta outside the home, believing it acts as the child’s guardian spirit. In Hawai’i, the tradition is to bury the placenta with a tree planted above, a living symbol of growth, protection, and life. And in parts of the Philippines, families may bury the placenta with sacred items as blessings for the child’s health and future.
Why Families Choose to Bury the Placenta Today
For many modern families, the practice offers a way to pause and honour the role of the placenta in sustaining life. It can also be a grounding ritual of closure after birth, a way to mark the transition from pregnancy to parenthood. Some families plant a tree above the burial site to watch it grow alongside their child, while others keep the act quiet and personal, a private expression of gratitude.
Making the Ritual Your Own
There’s no single “right” way to bury a placenta, which means families can shape the ritual in a way that feels most meaningful to them. You might choose a special spot in the garden or on family land, wrap the placenta in natural cloth or biodegradable materials, or plant flowers, herbs, or a tree above as a living reminder of your birth journey.
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A tree can grow with your child as they do, a lifelong marker of their beginning.
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A flower garden (the birth blooms kit) can honour the beauty of the transition into parenthood.
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Herbs or medicinal plants may symbolise strength, healing, and nourishment.
If you’re unsure of what you’d like to bury your placenta in, opt for our Placenta Burial Kit which includes a freezer safe 1L biodegradable container for your placenta. Our Placenta Burial Kits are suitable for both hospital births and homebirths.