The Placenta

We are thrilled to announce that Janice is in the midst of her Placenta Encapsulation Specialist training, and will be adding this incredible service to her doula work in January 2017!

The placenta: best friend to your baby for 9 months, the transient organ you miraculously grew to support life, the main ingredient in pills you ingest postpartum?!

It might be an odd thought when you consider placenta encapsulation - even I admit I was grossed out by a friend years ago who got hers done – shhhhhhh BUT I’ve seen many dogs and cats birth their babies and eat their placentas and kind of thought ‘well, they do it’… Ingesting your placenta is now a growing trend, even celebrities are doing it!

After my experience postpartum, maybe ingesting my placenta would have helped my body level out hormone levels, prevent the hives that came up and make my milk not take 5 days to come in. 

Maybe. But would I pay someone to come into my home, prepare my placenta, dehydrate it, grind it and put it into capsules for me to take IF it meant I never had to go through that? YES! A resounding yes. So if you think it is trendy or healthy or natural, whatever your take on the process, would you consider it to as a preventative measure for a known health issue?

There is not a lot of research behind placenta encapsulation and should be noted that much of the information online comes entirely from women who have tried it themselves. Traditionally the pills are taken by the mother shortly after birth and can be stored to take when your menstrual cycle returns. Also it can be made into a tincture for help with menopause symptoms.
Among these possible health benefits are:
  • Increased oxytocin levels
    • helps the uterus return to normal size
    • decreased postpartum bleeding
    • encourages mother/baby bonding
  • Increased CRH, a stress reducing hormone
  • Increased milk production
  • Increased energy levels
  • Decreased in post-partum depression and anxiety
  • Decreased insomnia or sleep disorders
  • Balancing postnatal hormones
  • Restoration of iron levels in the blood
There are currently no known negative side effects to ingesting the placenta. However, some mothers experience dizziness, headaches, engorgement and even become hyperactive. These symptoms can easily be remedied by lowering and/or changing the timing of the dosage given to the mother by her certified placenta specialist. Each placenta is unique to each mother and baby and can affect each women differently.

Placenta encapsulation is an alternative option for a healthy postpartum and it is an amazing and natural alternative to antidepressant and antianxiety medications. Whether it is just a fad and has a placebo effect on you and make you feel like super mom, if it can give you extra energy and a great milk supply, why not? If you have experienced post-partum depression or anxiety in the past why not try to prevent it. 

When in doubt I’m sure you will get a good laugh out of your family and friends reactions to eating your placenta! I bet they will think twice next time you invite them over for dinner.