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 2000+ placentas now and my clients have benefited tremendously, many of them have even had me back to prepare their placenta for their second and third baby!

When is the placenta prepared?

Ideally, the placenta should be started within the first 24 to 48 hours, allowing you and baby to benefit from the most potency the placenta has to offer.  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 or until I can get there to pick it up. 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. It is very rare that I am not available to start the process within the first 24 hours.

 

Where is the placenta prepared?

I have a fully dedicated lab space where the preparation is done in a clean, sanitized environment, giving you the greatest quality and care you can ask for.  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.

          

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

This is certainly a valid concern.  I take my career very seriously and would never allow this to happen.  Whether I am only preparing yours that day or I have more than one to prepare, each is properly labeled from the time of pick up all the way to drop off.  Multiple placentas would never be prepared at the same time.  Each is processed one at a time, allowing the necessary time and effort to completely sanitize all equipment and space used.

When can I expect my finished product?

In most cases I have your capsules ready and back to you within 24 hours, occasionally 48 to 72 hours under unusual circumstances.  I aim to please and my clients are always very impressed with my turnaround time.

Why don’t you require that I give you a pathogen report like some other providers?

I want this process to be as easy as possible for you, eliminating any added stress for you during this time.  I treat every placenta as if it is contaminated, wearing protective gloves, clothing and face mask.  Every piece of equipment and workspace used in the preparation to make your capsules and tincture is properly soaked in a 10% bleach solution for no less than ten minutes, killing any potential pathogens.  If your doctor and the nursing staff feel safe giving you vaginal exams, delivering your baby and your placenta with gloved hands, then I too feel safe in properly handling your placenta.  My not requiring you to go out of your way for a full pathogen report in no way jeopardizes you or any other clients and is quite frankly out of a placenta provider’s scope of practice to ask for such documents.  As well, hospitals will not release a placenta known to have a contagious blood borne pathogen.

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 if you have one.  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 then 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, that they use a clean field and sterile equipment for examining, and that they use absolutely no solutions, especially their usual formalin which has formaldehyde in it.  If this solution is used, the placenta is no longer a candidate for encapsulation.

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

I have had many clients who have epidurals and many who have a cesarean birth, they have benefited just as much as my clients who had completely unmedicated births.  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.

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, yeast free and kosher.

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

What sets me apart from other providers other than my many years of experience in this field, is that I have a fully dedicated lab to prepare in, I am not preparing in my own personal kitchen. Clients are always welcome to visit my space and discounts are offered when drop off and pick up are arranged to my location.

I have a background in Traditional Chinese Medicine and have been properly trained and certified.  I have prepared well over 2500 placentas since 2008 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 also sit on the advisory board of APPA, a training and certifying organization that sets the highest standard of practice in this industry.

I not only prepare the capsules for you, at no extra charge I 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 solely 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, I am 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.

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?

Complete Package $350

• phone, email or in person (at our location) consultation and logistics planning
• pick up an drop off services
• all materials and supplies
• approximately 75-150+ placenta capsules
• tincture
• umbilical cord keepsake
• prints (only upon request)
• guidance on pill usage

Discounted Package $275

• phone, email or in person (at our location) consultation and logistics planning
• client arranges drop off and pick up to Mommy Feel Good facility
• all materials and supplies
• approximately 75-150+ placenta capsules
• tincture
• umbilical cord keepsake
• prints (only upon request)
• guidance on pill usage

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 prints upon 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 portion of the powdered  placenta and a few drops of cord blood in a high grade alcohol (the traditional way to tincture), you can increase the length and benefits of your placenta for both mother and child.  The tincture can be used in any time of trauma, transition, hormonal fluctuations, PMS, menopause, emotional distress, anything physical, baby’s first day of school, weaning, growth spurts, I like to think of it as mom and baby’s own personal Rescue Remedy.  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. Happy birthing!

Areas served:

Greater Los Angeles area, Altadena, Pasadena, Glendale, Santa Monica, South Bay, Tarzana, Malibu, Topanga Canyon, Malibu, Whittier, Alhambra, San Gabriel, Harbor City, Encino, Panorama City …

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

Accepted forms of Payment:

Cash, check, or PayPal transfer

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.