Midwife earns $15,000 a year selling products made from patients' placenta
In this modern world, everybody is trying to scrape whatever cash they can to help boost their monthly income. Some people become part-time cupcake bakers, others choose to use their out-of-office hours selling their wares at craft fairs.
Meanwhile, others are more niche in their efforts to earn some extra revenue. One such person is 23-year-old Ciara Noble, a midwife from Melbourne, Australia, who sells a variety of products made from the placentas of the mothers she helps during her day job.
For the past two years, Ciara has been collecting placentas from new mothers and, at their request, she's transformed them into face creams, capsules, raw smoothies, and creative keepsakes.
Her unusual line of work has been met with many a raised eyebrow from those who don't understand the health benefits linked to the placenta.
"Some people might be turned off by it, but it's such a natural and beautiful thing," says Ciara, who became a certified Placenta Remedies Specialist two years ago. "I've provided my services to over 100 women so far and have had nothing but positive feedback. It's an amazing to feeling to know I've helped in some little way."
Credit: Instagram / Kindred Postnatal Products
"I first heard about the possible benefits of placenta encapsulation which turns the placenta into pills to swallow after I graduated from university," she explains.
"There are so many women that just don't want to see it or know about it and just throw it away. But why wouldn't you want that back inside you," says Ciara.
Credit: Instagram / Kindred Postnatal Products
"There is this constant pressure for women to be flawless mothers and bounce back straight after birth, which just isn't realistic, and this can cause lots of stress for new mums. My role as a midwife is to make women's transition into motherhood as smooth as possible. This is my passion, and so my decision to launch my business came naturally to me."
"Once I get the placenta I cut it into thin slices, and I pop it into the dehydrator for 15 hours, the same as if you were making beef jerky or dried fruits," she said. "Then I'll put all the slices in a blender and whizz it up into a powder. I have a pill-making machine that makes it all into little capsules."
Credit: Instagram / Kindred Postnatal Products
For those concerned about the taste, Ciara adds a variety of flavors at the client's request, ranging from bubblegum to strawberry.
'The placenta smoothies are meant to be very potent and full of nutrients, as it's done raw. You don't kill any of it from the dehydration, and you're putting back what you just birthed," she explains. "I'll put fresh frozen oranges, bananas, strawberries, coconut water and a walnut-sized piece of placenta. It is just like a regular smoothie, but of course, it's red due to the placenta blood."
Credit: Instagram / Kindred Postnatal Products
"I also love the little keepsake ornaments. The umbilical cord is so beautiful. You can see the veins, and those are the lifelines that keep your baby alive," she said. "It depends how long the cord is as to what I can make. If a cord is only short I'll just do a love heart, but if it's longer I can make words like 'love'. But not many people get that."
Credit: Instagram / Kindred Postnatal Products
In addition to her salary as a midwife, Ciara makes an additional $15,000 a year from selling her homemade products, which enabled her to take a dream trip to New York City earlier this year.
Whilst her side job may be considered strange to many, it cannot be denied that it is profitable!