The benefits of placenta encapsulation everyone should know about
My favorite thing is telling people I ate my placenta, and seeing people’s reactions. But really I don’t just bite off chunks of my placenta and eat it raw. After giving birth I had my placenta freeze dried and made into pill form. There are plenty of amazing benefits that everyone should know about.
You may have heard about placenta encapsulation if you watch Keeping up with the Kardashians. Kourtney Kardashian was the sister to start it all. Many celebrities as well get their placentas encapsulated, but it isn’t just a thing for celebrities to do and it is something anyone can afford as well.
When I was pregnant I had many people secretly telling me their stories about their postpartum depression. It is like a secret thing that happens, that many moms don’t like talking about. While I was pregnant I watched a documentary all about women who faced postpartum depression. Many women reported that the second time around they encapsulated their placenta, and it made a world of a difference. Women didn’t feel those “baby blues” when they took capsules of their placentas.
The Benefits
There are many possible benefits to placenta encapsulation such as:
none or less signs and symptoms of postpartum depression
increase milk production
helps your uterus contracts back down
decrease postpartum bleeding
gives you energy
replenishes nutrients and hormones lost during child birth
restores iron levels in the blood
How to get your placenta encapsulated?
There are a few companies that I found in San Diego that will encapsulate your placenta. The one I found to be the best priced, best reviews, and most trust worthy was through The Birth Education Center.
I reached out to them when I was around 28 weeks pregnant and I had any questions answered. I had paperwork filled out, and lab results sent to the birth center. They will not encapsulate if you have any blood borne pathogens, so that is great to know.
After you deliver, the birth center drives out to the hospital to pick up your placenta. The placenta gets encapsulated while you are in the hospital. It was a very easy process!
Be sure to let your OB or midwife know that you plan on keeping your placenta so that way you can fill out necessary paperwork with the hospital.
Day of delivery
When labor began, I gave the birth center a heads up. We packed a small cooler (like this one) to place my placenta in once I delivered. The placenta must be treated like a raw piece of meat. The hospital was very accommodating, they knew I was keeping it so they kept things as sterile as possible, bagged it up, and placed it on ice. Once baby arrived, we notified the birth center and they arrived quickly to pick it up.
How is the placenta prepared?
There are different techniques that they use to prepare your capsules. They can steam it, do the raw method, or the traditional chinese method. I opted for the raw method with my placenta. I had great results with this method. I never felt overly tired, my emotions seemed balanced, and I was happy!
I was instructed to start by taking 6 capsules a day for the first 5 days, then taking 4 capsules for the next week, and then 1-2 as needed. I saved capsules for when I first returned back to work because I knew leaving that baby bonding time would pull on my heart strings. I also saved some for my first overnight trip away from the baby. I must say they did help! I dreaded the first day back to work, I cried the days leading up to it, but the first day away actually wasn’t as bad as I thought it would be. Maybe it was the capsules that helped, or maybe I really needed a break away….. Who knows!
What else can you do with your placenta?
Besides encapsulating your placenta, it can also be made into a tincture, a salve, or be used raw. I had my placenta also made into a tincture. I read that the tincture can be used for mama and baby. It can be kept basically forever, so I can use it when I begin menopause to balance out my hormones.
The placenta tincture has said to be great for the baby when they are teething or having separation anxiety. Currently I am trialing this with my baby. He is 10 months and he is popping teeth left and right! When I sense he will be popping some teeth I add a couple drops to his water and give it to him in the morning. So far it has worked well, he currently has popped 7 teeth and he is handling it all like a champ!
Have you had your placenta encapsulated or a tincture made? Share below your experiences with placenta encapsulation or tinctures I would love to hear!