Placenta Encapsulation
Have you heard of encapsulating your placenta after birth? Why in the world would you want to do that?!
Let’s break this seemingly odd practice down:
Your placenta is the organ that surrounds your baby while in utero. It provides the nutrients to your baby through the mother’s blood supply. The placenta is expelled once the baby is delivered.
Placenta encapsulation is the practice of ingesting the placenta after it has been steamed, dehydrated, ground, and placed into pills. Traditionally, this is taken by the mother and is believed to impart numerous health benefits. It is frequently taken shortly after giving birth.
This practice is centuries old and is very common in Chinese medicine.
There have only been a few studies conducted on this practice, which did not conclusively support the proposed benefits nor did they dismiss the possibility of benefits.
Many women have tried placenta encapsulation with great results, which is why I chose to give it a go after my last pregnancy and am choosing to do it again this time around.
Possible Benefits of Placenta Encapsulation: (according to AmericanPregnancy.org)
• Increased release of the hormone oxytocin, which helps the uterus return to normal size and encourages bonding with the infant
• Increase in CRH, a stress-reducing hormone
• Decrease in postpartum depression levels
• Restoration of iron levels in the blood
• Increase in milk production
My personal experience:
I started taking my placenta pills a couple days after delivering both of my sons. I kept them in a dark jar in my freezer. I never noticed any adverse effects directly after taking the pills. I did not suffer from PTSD, had a great milk supply, and overall felt great! It’s hard to say how much of this was supported by ingesting my placenta, but I do personally feel like it helped!
Is it safe?
If stored safely and performed by an experienced company or individual, there are no inherent risks to the mother. I do not recommend any other person ingesting the mother’s placenta to avoid any possible sharing of blood-borne diseases.
How do you do Placenta Encapsulation?
You’ll need to get in contact with a company or individual who is well versed on safely storing and encapsulating placentas. Find someone who has a lot of experience with this practice! You’ll also need to let your OB and hospital nurses know that you want to save your placenta so they can put it in a safe container and refrigerate shortly after birth. If you are in the Bloomington/Normal area, I am happy to get you in contact with the Doula who can safely encapsulate your placenta. Just ask!
Questions?
Want to work with me 1:1 to create the perfect diet for you and/or your family? Contact me today at dana@thrivekin.com.