The placenta is an amazing organ that plays the role of a baby's life support system during pregnancy. The placenta is located within the uterus and is connected to the baby by the umbilical cord. It provides blood, nutrients, and oxygen to the baby while filtering out waste. Blood from the mother is filtered through the placenta and through the umbilical cord into the baby. As the blood from the mother passes through the placenta, it acts as a filtration system, weeding out any harmful substances before it reaches the baby. After a child is born, the mother then delivers the placenta. Humans are one of the very few mammals who do not always consume their placenta after giving birth.
At the birth of my son, I was lucky enough to have one of my dear friends as my doula. One of the things she recommended I do was encapsulate my placenta. Many doulas and midwives are certified to do so, and the benefits can be huge for a new mom. For me, consuming my placenta postpartum helped alleviate the Baby Blues, increased my milk supply, sped up my postpartum healing, and boosted my iron stores to help reverse the anemia I had developed from blood loss during my son's birth. While this topic can be a bit controversial, I personally found it to be beneficial. If you are thinking about encapsulation your placenta, here are some things to think about;
*Please note: I am NOT a doctor, healthcare provider, midwife, nurse, or doula. I am just a mama who has done her research, and is speaking from my own personal experience. Always consult your healthcare provider when making the decision to consume your placenta postpartum. Never share your placenta pills with another person.
What Is Placenta Encapsulation?
The act of consuming one's own placenta is also known as Placentophagy, and has been practiced in many other cultures for thousands of years. In fact, most mammals consume their own placenta after giving birth. The easiest (and most common way) to consume one's own placenta is through encapsulation. This process usually includes steaming, dehydrating, and grinding up the placenta, then placing it inside capsules. Sometimes placenta tinctures are also made. As long as your placenta is healthy after you give birth, it should be able to be encapsulated or made into a tincture. You must tell your healthcare practitioner ahead of time that you are planning to encapsulate your placenta, and it will them be given to your doula after you give birth to be put directly into a cooler for your doula to take with her. It important that your placenta go directly into a cooler as soon as possible to keep it fresh.
What Are The Benefits?
There are many benefits to consuming your placenta after giving birth. Some of those benefits include
- lessens postnatal bleeding
- helps regulate hormone changes after birth
- increases milk supply
- helps prevent postpartum depression
- boosts energy
- restores iron levels, and helps alleviate anemia
- helps uterus return to its pre-pregnancy state faster
- speeds the healing process
- contains oxytocin which aids in postnatal bonding between mother and baby
- increases CRH, a stress-relieving hormone
Consuming one's own placenta that has been properly prepared by a certified professional has shown to carry no inherent risks if it is ingested solely by the birth mother. It is not recommended that you share your placenta pills with anyone else, as this can pass on blood borne illnesses.
Are There Any Side Effects?
While there has not been a large amount of studies done on the consumption of one's placenta after birth, the studies that have been done have shown that in 96% of cases women have reported to have experienced positive to very positive effects from consuming their placenta postpartum. Only a small amount of women reported to have had any negative effects, including feeling jittery and moody.
How To Find Someone Who Can Encapsulate Your Placenta:
Many doulas and midwives are also certified to do placenta encapsulation. If you are planning to hire a doula to be with you at your birth, (which I highly recommend doing) be sure to ask them during your interview if they are certified to encapsulate your placenta. You can visit www.dona.org for more information about finding a doula in your area. To read more about the benefits of having a doula present at you birth, read the interview I did with my doula here.
Sources:
http://americanpregnancy.org/first-year-of-life/placental-encapsulation/
http://www.dona.org
www.lovelifedoula.com
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