Baby's placenta : How do the Beninese go about it??

From the youngest dad to the oldest, management of the child's placenta remains a fundamental question. How and where to bury it ? As long as babies are born every moment, this concern as old as the existence of humanity remains relevant today. It is even more so in the era of intercultural mixing where civilizations influence each other with the very advanced urbanization of the regions of Benin.

Even if the handling of the placenta varies from one family to another and depends on the residence of the father of the newborn, a practice, almost common, emerges. The use of hyssop leaf, humidity and privacy. Douche, garden or on the edge of a backwater ! Bury the placenta in a damp place and just after delivery, remains a logic shared by more than one. " Often, it was at the shower level that I did that. Because right now, I was in a house where the shower was not tiled, nor cemented as is the case today in almost all houses” confides Innocent Codjo Abouké, resident of Ouèdo-Kpossidja. Originally from the plateau and precisely from Sakété on a daily basis L’Événement Précis. Thierry Fatolou is of the same opinion. A place where there is humidity is always sought after in these circumstances: “At our place, the placenta is buried after childbirth in the courtyard of the house or where there are plants that are watered,” he says.

Urbanization, an embarrassing reality?

So old, it is easy to bury your child's placenta in your own shower or in a corner of your house, the data has changed significantly. With the urbanization of cities and even certain remote areas, many live in rentals. Is, they are alone or in a common courtyard. When a baby is born, they are caught up by this reality linked to the Placenta. Some do not hesitate to bury him in the rented house, but for other people, there is no question of burying the placenta of their children in someone else's house. " Currently, I am renting. When my wife gives birth, I receive the placenta and I will bury it in our family home in a damp place. Because as a tenant, I am called to leave home there one day. This is why I prefer to bury him in the family home, where I know it is safe” indicates Wanignon Anicet Loko, living in Ouèdo Dessato. Same story with Biowa Yolande, resident of Arconville: “My husband buries her in his family home in the village”. Innocent Codjo Abouké also aligns with this principle “For my last son, born ago 5 years, I did this burial at a backwater. This is with the aim of allowing the child to have peace, ease in this world” he confides to our daily colleagues L’Événement Précis.

How to bury the placenta?

According to Beninese traditions and certain cultural practices,  management of the placenta is governed by certain practices. " At my house, you need a little canary plus some hyssop leaves (7 if it's a girl and 9 if it's a boy). These leaves, you place them in the canary before putting the placenta on top while taking care to keep the placenta in an open position. That is to say place it so that the umbilical cord is at the top on the placenta” explains Innocent Codjo Abouké before adding “When you turn it over, the woman no longer gets pregnant ». There is a small variation in the way of burying the placenta at Wanignon Anicet Loko, inhabitant of Ouèdo Dessato. “I put the placenta in a small canary and pour red oil on it before placing it in the hole I dug. There is also another way to do it. That is to say, when I make the hole I place the placenta in it and I put it in the ground in the place that is commonly called “agnan”. This taking into account the adage which says “si man hain do agnin” (this plant is always full of water) just to ensure that this placenta is always in humidity. Which will definitely bring peace to this child’s life.”.

A question of trust

" As far as I am concerned, it's the parents who take care of it. They put the placenta in a canary along with some leaves and say prayers before burying. Maybe one day, I will do this for my daughter’s newborn” says Thierry Fatolou, resident of Cotonou. A detail added by Messan Dohou at the microphone of Anselme Houénoukpo. “In doing so we say a prayer to bring good signs to the child who has just been born”. But first the first precaution, he says, “is to ensure that this (their placenta) not be touched by mice. And then you have to bury it with hyssop leaves and in a damp place.. This is why some advise under a tree or near a shower”. He insists that the placenta be buried by someone he trusts. On this plan,  trust is excluded at Biowa Yolande. “My husband doesn’t tell anyone. It is he himself who takes responsibility for doing it since you have to be careful with these things which are really sensitive,” she informs.. “In the hand of a malicious person, this can affect the destiny of the child. So my husband goes directly to the village to bury and when we go there together, he shows me the place” argues Biowa Yolande.

Dissonant voices

In the age of interculturality and especially with the adoption of Christian practices, certain rituals linked to the placenta tend to no longer mean much to some. This is the case of this taxi driver. “All families have their story. There is no law or text that regulates its management (placenta). And it depends on each ethnicity. For me, I bury it and it's over. I am a Christian and I can even throw away” says Carlos Biaou.

Arnaud ACAKPO (Coll)