Monday, September 21, 2009

My Paper Plate Poll

I would like to start with a confession. I asked my mom for diapers, disposable ones, as a gift for this new baby. We don't use disposables for reasons of cost, health, and the environment. I have already put in the request, though, and I'm pretty sure she's gotten us the package.

Still, I am looking for other ways to make my life easier while we transition into new baby life. There is a placenta recipe I wanted to try, and it looks like it would be good with rigatoni, so I was thinking of buying store bought pasta, just this once.

I was also thinking of buying a package of paper plates to cut down on my dish duty. We would be buying them ourselves; we can afford one package. The environmental effect will be much less than my scandalous diapers. But it doesn't quite sit right with me. Maybe I just feel real guilty about the diapers. What do you think? Should I buy them?

Please, take my poll and let me know.

Comments and further explanations of your answers are welcome here, in this post's comments section. I would also love suggestions for future polls!

27 comments:

Henrietta said...

Guess I should have read more carefully before I voted in the poll. I thought you were permanently switching to paper plates!

I don't see anything wrong with buying the occasional package of paper plates to ease the tough times (illness, new baby, moving, etc.). Every so often we buy disposable plates/cups/flatware for a party or barbecue, and we just hold on to the leftovers to use in such situations.

Emily said...

Henrietta, you're right, the wording was tricky, so I deleted the old poll and wrote a new one. There were only six votes so far, so if to the first six voters, please vote again. Sorry!

Captain Cleavage said...

one package of paper plates is fine. my parents get the recycble ones

The Cummings Family said...

Who cares about the paper plates. What makes you want to eat anything made from your baby's placenta?

Anonymous said...

I have to echo the above question!

Anonymous said...

Don't feel guilty about the diapers or the paper plates. Your body has worked hard for nine months. You deserve to have a break and relax with your family and the new baby.

Emily said...

It's my placenta too, not just my baby's. It's just meat. If you're grossed out by it, don't do it. This will be my first, if we remember to store it right away. Sometimes births can be a little hectic, though, and placenta recipes might be the last thing on my mind. But I'd like to have the pasta on hand, just in case.

http://pregnancy.about.com/od/placenta/a/placentarecipes.htm

Anonymous said...

Look for sales and coupons and you can get quality name brand, whole wheat pasta for .50c a box.

Anonymous said...

Get paper plates! They're so worth it and it's only 1 package for a very busy time in your life! I'd pass on the placenta thing though....it just seems really icky to me! And, you'd have the whole family eat it? That seems really odd to me, but to each their own!

Anonymous said...

I've heard that eating your placenta can lessen your chance of getting postpartum depression. There is not scientific evidence to back this up though...regardless of that, it's harmless. It probably, at the very least, has tons of nutrients that your body can make use of :)

On the paper plate thing...why not just have your hubby help with the dishes? I had my baby 2 months ago and I cooked about 3 weeks worth of meals ahead of time (freezer...I know yours is full though!) and that really helped lessen the dish load for me. I also started using my dishwasher instead of hand washing...but even then I needed a break at times.

Anyway, you definitely need to give yourself time to recover after your pregnancy...so if the paper plates will help you rest - go for it!

P.S. Do you visit mothering.com (forums?). They have threads on eating your placenta with links to more recipes too...just in case you wanted to take a peek :)

Emily said...

beachbride, No, the whole family would NOT eat it. It is unsafe to eat other people's placenta, and my husband wants no part in it. This would be just for me.

I'm also surprised about how my poor husband is doing in the poll. He's going to be busy, too!

Emily said...

Athiest Mama, I've heard a lot about benefits of eating the placenta, including preventing post partum depression, aiding in milk supply, and protecting against hemorrhaging. I'm not sure how much is true, but I KNOW it must be full of good nutrients, regardless. I'll have to check out those forum for more info. I was just doing searches for info.

Jen said...

Why do you keep removing my comments? I've said very supportive things in several of your threads and I've looked back and it appears my comments have been removed. What's going on?

Jen said...

Heck, I'm even supportive of placenta eating. I'm not sure what I've done to have my responses removed? Offered to buy yeast? Clue me in please!

Emily said...

Arthur, Robin and Maggie, I haven't deleted your comments, not intentionally at least. There have been people trying to spam the comments section, so I have been deleting those. Sorry if I got some of yours, too! I haven't seen any comments from you for a while, though.

CT said...

What about biodegradable plates? More expensive, but so much better for the environment.

Anonymous said...

I'll be on the lookout for coupons and deals. I have stacks of chinet paper plates that I have gotten for free or 50 cents at most. I've also stocked up on a few packages of newborn diapers already. I got them for FREE because I purchased them at the same time as boxers and socks for my husband.

Emily said...

Caroyn, I'll have to look into that.

Anna, smart move, stocking up now. Have you not looked into cloth diapers? They are more expensive upfront, but save in the long term.

sweetmonkeycheese said...

Ok, you are going to have to do a post about the whole placenta eating. Did you do this with other other placentas? Why are you doing this, and are you just a little bit fearful that it will taste bad and you will have wasted the ingredients used to made the meal?

slugmama said...

What's to feel guilty about with paper plates?
As long as you get paper and not styrofoam ones, they can be composted. Better yet, I believe CVS carries a recycled paper plate. The ones at CVS aren't too pricey so a good balance between budget and environment.

Devon said...

LOL UGH on the placenta!! It is SO just me personally, but I can't imagine eating anything that came from the INSIDE of my body. Or the outside, for that matter.

That being said, I know many people do it. Good on ya for trying it--I am anxious to hear how it tastes...

Girl, get the plates. The paper ones will biodgrade, and you will save yourself some annoyance.

Devon said...

*biodegrade

Emily said...

I'm thinking the biodegradeable or even compostable plates is the way to go. Thanks for the idea!

Jen said...

O.k. so long as I didn't say anything that caused you to do it. I really find your blog very interesting and have tried some of the tips.

I even bought real carrots today instead of the pre-peeled kind. :)

Anonymous said...

Emily, I will be using cloth diapers. I have put away two packages of newborn only because my husband was begging me to buy new boxers (which were on sale) ;) and the diapers were free with the boxers. I may stock up on more, anticipating times that we are sick or busy, but only if the diapers are a few dollars a pack. Suprisingly enough, there are several ways to get Pampers and Huggies for a few dollars if you catch the right overlapping sales.

Emily said...

Lisa, I think I deleted your comment when I meant to accept it. Ooops. But I do not see placenta eating as cannibilism, as cannibilism is murder. I am eating my own organ, technically. Also, I don't know about you, but I haven't followed any of the post partum rituals in the Bible, nor the mentrual cycle rituals, as they were the Jewish law, which Christ has fufilled.

Anonymous said...

Cannibalism isn't always murder. The cases most people know about like the Donner party and the plane crash in South America was about survival of the people alive after a traumatic event. With no food, waiting to be rescued for weeks, they had no other choice. In both cases, it was very cold so it was like living in a meat locker.

The members of the Donner party ate the bindings of their books (made from animal glue and leather) before they resorted to cannibalism.

Anthropologists studying ritual cannibals in New Guinea found that many of them suffered from a disease much like creutzfeldt-jacob syndrome (BSE).

I had a hysterectomy... I guess I could have asked my surgeon to save my parts so I could eat them for dinner... or maybe if I had a limb amputated... I think burying the placenta in the yard under a tree is a better idea if you're feeling granolaish.

I'd go check out Whole Foods to see what kind of disposable diapers they have. They'd be much more biodegradable, and you could probably find an internet seller to get them cheaper.

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