Placenta Encapsulation

PLACENTA SERVICES

Did you know that, other than camels, humans are the only animal that doesn’t consume their placenta. Even herbivores consume their placentas!

Why?  Some might eat it for protection from predators (to remove evidence of the birth so as not to attract predators), some eat it out of  hunger , and some to bond with the offspring.

However, even high predators with no natural enemies other than man will eat their placentas. Hunger doesn’t explain herbivores consuming it – and bonding with offspring is difficult to argue when often placentas come hours after the birth and they have already nursed and shown to parent the offspring.

In humans, evidence shows benefits of placentophagy (consuming placenta) can be looked at in two ways: For Medicinal Healing, or Energy Healing, and how it is respectfully prepared and consumed for those purposes differently, or you can enjoy both!

Benefits of Placenta Capsules
The placenta has amazing abilities during the postpartum period; it can heal, sustain, and strengthen.
Traditionally Placenta Capsules are used to help:
     - balance your hormones
     - enhance milk supply
     - increase your energy.

Placenta Capsules may also help:
     - You to recover more quickly from birth
     - To bring the body back into balance
     - Prevent the "baby blues"
     - Shorten postpartum bleeding
     - Assist the uterus to return to size
     - Increase postpartum iron levels

Women who take placenta capsules report fewer emotional issues and enjoy a faster, more pleasant postpartum recovery. Women, and their families, notice a marked improvement in overall feelings of happiness and well-being when taking placenta capsules.
The role of the placenta does not stop at birth, so do not let your placenta go to waste...Encapsulate!

Some client statements at 6 week postpartum check-up: 

"I started taking the pills right away.  I stopped after about 3 weeks.  In the 4th week I started feeling horrible-crying all the time, feeling overwhelmed and starting to lose connection with my son.  I started re-taking the pills and those horrible feelings were gone in 2 days.  I took the pills for another 2 weeks and I have been slowly phasing them out in the last few days.

The Placenta's Healing Chemicals:
The known ingredients that give the placenta its healing properties are:
    - Gonadotrophin - the precursor to estrogen, progesterone and testosterone
    - Prolactin - promotes lactation
    - Oxytocin - for pain and bonding; produced during breastfeeding to facilitate bonding of mother and infant. In
      pharmaceutical form this is a very addictive drug because it promotes a feeling of connectedness with others            and is often referred to as the “love” hormone
    - Interferon - stimulates the immune system to protect against infection
    - Thyroid Stimulating Hormone -  boosts energy and helps recover from stressful events
    - Cortisone - combats stress and unlocks stores of energy
    - Prostaglandins - anti-inflammatory
    - Hemoglobin - replenishes iron deficiency and anemia
    - Gammaglobulin -  immune booster that helps protect against postpartum infections
    - Urokinase Inhibiting Factor & Factor XIII - stops bleeding and enhances wound healing

The placenta is full of feel-good hormones and healing chemicals, so it makes sense to safely welcome them back into your system during your postpartum period, in order to have a happy babymoon.

 How?
Ideally, the placenta is encapsulated within 48 hours after the birth.  While you bond with your new baby, I will come to you and take care of your placenta in your own home.  I am basically “on call” for you and will make every effort to come to your home within the 48-hour time frame to encapsulate your placenta. 

Even if mama and baby are recovering in the hospital, I can encapsulate your placenta at home with your partner or other relatives present and get the capsules to you right away.

 BEFORE/AFTER

Raw Foods Method Pills (MY MOST POPULAR)

This method is different from the traditional method in that the placenta is not steamed or cooked in any way before dehydrating.  It is still dried, powdered and encapsulated and the dosage is similar but mothers who utilize this method often report a more immediate energy burst after taking these placenta pills. 
This method is a good option for those who already follow some degree of a raw foods diet or for those who are particularly interested in the freshest hormonal benefits of placenta encapsulation.  There are however a few situations where raw encapsulation would not be ideal, like if the mother had a suspected infection during labor.

Really Raw: Some mamas will also have me cut up a few small pieces of raw placenta to use in smoothies or shakes immediately after a home birth, or during the first week daily after a hospital birth.

Traditional Chinese Method:

For thousands of years, Traditional Chinese Medicine has recognized the placenta as powerful medicine used to increase scanty lactation and tonify Qi, life energy, after the birth. Today, many women look to placenta encapsulation as a natural way to even their hormones after birth and avoid postpartum depression.  I use Traditional Chinese Medicine methods to gently steam, dehydrate, powder and encapsulate the placenta.   I jalapeño, lime, and ginger root during the steaming process to enhance the warming and healing properties of the placenta.  
Each placenta is different in size and substance so the amount of capsules it makes can vary from 90 to 140. The standard dosage is up to 2 capsules, 3 times a day for the first 2 weeks.  After 2 weeks you can start to decrease the dosage down to 1 or 2 pills a day as needed. By ingesting your placenta in pill form you can reap the benefits of your placenta medicine without the aversion that some people feel about cooking and eating it after the birth. Additionally, you get a longer, sustained application over the first month postpartum than if it was ingested immediately after the birth. Some people even save some of their remaining placenta capsules and freeze them for later, knowing they can be useful during other physically/hormonally stressful times.

Or, Choose Both Options:
If you are curious about experiencing the energy burst from the raw method, but would also like to benefit from the tried and true traditional method, I can do both for you.  

I do all of the placenta work at your home and you are welcome to watch as much or as little as you like.  The process takes two days - the first part of the process takes appx. 2 1/2 hours, the placenta is left in the dehydrator at your house overnight and I return the next day to finish the process which takes another appx. 2 1/2 hours. 

Placenta Prints

In addition to the medicinal uses, another way that we can bring back the tradition of honor and gratitude toward birth and the role of the placenta is to make artistically beautiful prints with it.  I make your prints before I wash and prepare the placenta.  They are printed with the natural placenta blood on water color  paper.  Some families frame them and display their prints as art or others choose to save them as personal keepsakes.  
The prints are unique imprints that display the size, shape and general appearance of the placenta and also remind us why the placenta is often referred to as "The Tree of Life."

The umbilical cord that connected your new baby to your womb during the pregnancy played a key role in delivering nutrients and essential blood to your baby during gestation.  To honor and treasure the umbilical cord it can be dehydrated into a charm shape and kept for a lifetime. 

For more information, contact me at 602-697-6463 (I text too), or e-mail: yourperinatalpartner@cox.net