Placenta Encapsulation

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Traditionally, placenta capsules have been used to help:

· Balance your hormones
· Increase milk supply
· Combat Fatigue
· Increase your energy
· Prevent signs of aging
· Recover more quickly from childbirth
· Replenish what was lost during childbirth
· Bring the body back into balance
· Prevent and treat the “baby blues”
· Shorten postnatal bleeding time
· Increase postnatal iron levels

Studies show that placenta is extremely nutrient rich, high in iron, protein, vitamins and minerals, including vitamin B6 and of course, your own natural hormones, making it perfectly made for you, by you. Experts agree that the placenta retains hormones, and thus reintroducing them to your system may ease hormonal fluctuations.

Some even believe it can help:

· Build baby’s immune system
· With any type of trauma and life’s many transitions
· Weaning from breast feeding
· Heal bone breaks
· Regulate hormones during menopause

I first learned of mother’s ingesting their placenta as a supplement after childbirth while in school for Traditional Chinese Medicine. This has been in practice in China and many cultures for thousands of years. Almost every mammal ingests their own placenta after the birth, sometimes even ignoring the young until the placenta has been completely ingested.

Traditional Chinese Medicine has used placenta for thousands of years to augment the qi (energy), nourish the blood, and augment the kidney essence. In layman’s terms, it brings the body back into balance, replenishing what was lost during childbirth. In China it is also used for debilitating chronic diseases and widely used as an anti-aging treatment, as well as a variety of other ills, including fatigue and insufficient lactation.

In many cultures the placenta is considered the tree of life, and indeed, without it life would not be possible.

Hormones and the Placenta

The placenta is an endocrine organ, meaning it is a hormone producing organ.  The placenta begins producing hormones at 6-8 weeks gestation to help sustain pregnancy.  These hormonal levels continually increase during pregnancy, and by the third trimester there are 3 times the normal level of hormones in an expectant mother’s system.  By 4-5 days postpartum, these hormone levels will drop to below normal.  This is a huge fluctuation going from 3 times the normal level to below normal hormonal level, and this is where the healing properties of the placenta come into play.

Here are just a few of the scientifically known hormones and their functions that are produced by the placenta and are still viable and intact after delivery.  Amazingly these hormones are such that are needed postpartum, so why would the placenta naturally create postpartum hormones if not to be used to replenish the new mother’s system?

• Prolactin: promotes lactation
• Oxytocin: for pain and bonding; also known 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
• 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

These are just a few of the powerful healing hormones that the placenta produces, so doesn’t it make sense to safely welcome these hormones back into your system as well as your baby’s through your breast milk?

Are there any research studies on ingesting the placenta?

Unfortunately the research is some what minimal, but as time goes on and more women continue to choose to benefit from their placentas I am positive that there will be more research proving the placenta’s immense benefits.  For now click here to read some of the studies that are out there.  I have prepared 400+ placentas now and my clients have benefited tremendously, many of them have even had me back to prepare their placenta for their next baby!

When is the placenta prepared?

Ideally, the placenta preparation takes place as soon as possible after delivery, within the first 72 hours, allowing you and baby to benefit from the most potency the placenta has to offer. The first two weeks are the most important and effective time to be taking the placenta, so, the sooner the better.

Directly after the birth, the placenta should be placed in an enclosed container (the hospital will put it in a plastic container or a bag) in the refrigerator or in a lunch size cooler with ice if you are in the hospital, until it can be taken home and placed in the refrigerator. It can be stored in the refrigerator for up to 72 hours. If you know ahead of time that it will not be prepared within that time frame, it is best to place straight into the freezer. More times than not I am available to start the process within the first 24 hours.

Where is the placenta prepared?

Preferably the placenta is prepared in your home.  I have obtained the appropriate Bloodborne Pathogen course Completion Certification and adhere to the strictest standards of safety as set forth by OSHA and the EPA and conforming to local health department guidelines for food preparation and safety protocols.  The preparation process is always done in a sterile environment, using sterile equipment, with love and patience, giving you the greatest quality and care you can ask for.

I bring all the equipment needed for the process. The first visit I make to your home, taking about an hour and a half to an hour and forty five minutes, the placenta is prepared for drying, and it is then left there in the dehydrator for several hours. I return the following day to begin the encapsulation process, taking only about 30 to 45 minutes. You can then start taking your capsules right away for the maximum postpartum benefits! The tincture needs to infuse for at least 6 weeks before using.

Most client’s who have hospital births prefer me to get started while they are still there.  If this is the case I usually meet partner, family member or friend at your home to let me in to get started.  Often clients even leave a key or arrange for me to pick up a key, it is completely up to you and what you feel comfortable with.  There is also the option of me starting the process when you are back home from the hospital so long as it meets the time frame mentioned above.

Will the hospital release my placenta?

Most hospitals in Southern California are great about releasing the placenta.  You should tell your doctor ahead of time that you plan to take your placenta home and write it in your birth plan.  This way if there is an issue, you can deal with it before you are in labor.  The hospital may ask you to sign a liability release form.  I can also provide you with a form that you can give the hospital if they are reluctant.  If they say it is not their policy to release your placenta to you, ask to see the hospital’s official written policy on this matter.  And know that every single woman who has been denied her placenta and they took the hospital to court has won their case.  Of course it was too late for them to encapsulate their placenta, but that has helped pave the way for others.

What if they want to take my placenta to pathology?

If the placenta needs to be taken to pathology ask if they can do a visual exam or if they can cut a small piece to examine instead of taking the whole placenta. If they insist on taking the whole placenta, you insist that it is kept refrigerated before and after examination, that you get it back within 72 hours and that they use absolutely no solutions, especially their usual formaldehyde.  If this solution is used, the placenta is no longer a candidate for encapsulation.

What if I have an epidural or a c-section?

It is my understanding that the placenta acts as a filter, filtering out toxins and sending them back to the mother’s liver to be detoxed from the system.  Many of my client’s have had epidurals and c-sections and those women benefit just as well as my natural birth clients.

How do I know I won’t receive somebody else’s placenta?

Impossible, because I prepare the placenta in your home, there is absolutely no chance of an accidental switch.

What if I am a vegetarian?

Not a problem.  Nothing died in the process; only life has provided you with these amazing nutrients and benefits.  As well, the dehydrated and powdered placenta is inserted into vegetarian capsules, not gelatin, and stored in a glass amber jar.  The capsules I use are also gluten-free.

Why should I choose your services over some of the other providers in the area?

I have been properly trained and certified.  I have prepared over 400 placentas in the last couple of years and follow the utmost safety guidelines, having obtained the appropriate Bloodborne Pathogen Course Completion Certification and adhering to the strictest standards of safety as set forth by OSHA and the EPA and conforming to local health department guidelines for food preparation and safety protocols.

I not only prepare the capsules for you, I automatically prepare a tincture as well, providing you with a lifelong supply of your placenta remedy.  I am no longer taking clients as a doula so I can focus on my placenta clients, ensuring a fast turn around time.  I will have your placenta back to you ready to start taking within 24 to 48 hours.

Is this approved by the FDA?

No.  This is not a product.  I am providing a service, not selling you anything.  I take what your body naturally made, just as your body naturally makes breast milk for your baby and turn it into something that is palatable for you to ingest.

Why do you use a dehydrator and not the oven?

For one, because I do this in your home, I am not inconveniencing you and your family by using your oven for hours at a time.  As well, every oven is different and temperatures can fluctuate.  The high-end dehydrator that I use removes the moisture out at an even level and is at such a low heat that it is conducive with the preparation of raw and living foods, keeping the nutrients and enzymes in tact.  And even though the placenta is steamed slightly before being dehydrated, it is a slight steam to infuse the tonifying and warming herbs and is only for a short time period.

How long can a placenta be stored in the freezer?

Although it is advised to begin taking the placenta capsules as soon as possible after delivery, placentas that have been properly frozen, meaning that they were frozen just after delivery and have been double-bagged and protected from freezer-burn can also be encapsulated up to 6 months after birth.  While you may not be getting the postpartum benefits, these capsules can be saved and used for you and your baby throughout the years for any type of transition in life or trauma and can also be used for mommy later in life while transitioning through menopause, using your own natural hormones.

Is there any time that I shouldn’t take the capsules?

There are different schools of thought about this in TCM.  Some believe that placenta should not be taken if the body is fighting off a common cold, flu, or infection. If mommy should get a breast infection, the placenta should not be taken until infection is cleared. If symptoms such as chills, fever, sneezing, aches, flushed cheeks, hot palms and feet or night sweats should occur, stop taking the capsules until the body has fought this off. The reason for this is because placenta is extremely tonifying in nature and can cause a pathogen to grow stronger and get deeper into the body.

Other schools of thought believe that the placenta can actually help in these times.  Each woman is different and should listen to her body.  If she feels the capsules are helping during these times, then continue, if she feels that it is indeed making the ailment worse, then definitely stop taking them.

What does your fee include?

The capsules of course, tincture, cord keepsake and upon request placenta prints.  And a lifetime of support, if you ever have any questions or concerns, please do not hesitate to contact me.

Now Offering Placenta Tinctures and Placenta Prints!

In addition to turning your placenta into capsules, I am also offering placenta tinctures at no additional fee, as well as placenta printsupon request!

Turning your placenta into a tincture is an added bonus in that it can be used in addition to and long after the capsules are gone.  By tincturing a small piece of the placenta in a high grade alcohol, you can increase the length and benefits of your placenta for both mother and child, the tincture can even be made into a homeopathic remedy.  The tincture can be used in any time of trauma, transition, emotional distress and for mother…menopause! Read more here on the details of placenta tincture.

Please contact me via email or phone to discuss this incredible process further.  I am always ready to answer any questions and or concerns. I would also be happy to meet with you in person before the birth if that makes you more comfortable. Happy birthing!

Cost:

§ Los Angeles $275

§ Camarillo $325

§ Malibu $325

§ Manhattan Beach $300

§ Pasadena $275

§ Redondo Beach $300

§ Thousand Oaks $300

§ Torrance $300

§ San Bernadino $350

§ San Pedro $300

§ Santa Barbara $375

§ Santa Monica $300

§ Ventura $350

§ Walnut $300

§ Whittier $300

Not in the Los Angeles area? Find a specialist near you: Placenta Directory

Accepted forms of Payment:

Cash, check, or credit card

Gift Certificates Available!

If you know a soon-to-be mommy who really wants to have her placenta prepared but is on a tight budget, please contact me about a Gift Certificate.