Thoughts on placenta encapsulation or otherwise consuming the placenta? - Page 2

[Mommy2Austin]

My husband just chunks it up There is like a membrane around it that he cuts away, but nothing gets cut out that I know of. I would say that its smart to set it in a collander and rinse it off before you start cutting. That way most of the "fluid" can drain.

[staryla]

Just ordered this 'Capsule Machine':

http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B000AD10LK and some capsules.  I really wanted to use this as an excuse to buy a food dehydrator...but just can't afford it.  So for less than $25 I'm set--and I could have gotten away without the capsule machine.

I printed out the instructions/pictures at the links mentioned earlier and my husband read through it and has already agreed to do it.  Though he did question my placing those instructions in the 'appetizers' section of our 3-ring cookbook (LOL).  I just put the printout at the front of the binder because I knew we'd remember it that way!

[jshannyn519]

I would love to have my placenta encapsulated, but the only person I know of in my area (DFW) that does it charges $250 and there is just no way that I can afford that.  :(   I can also say with absolute certainty that if I am the one to dry it out and grind it up and put it in pills, it will never happen. I don't know anyone else who would be willing to do it for me either. It really sucks because I've had PPD after every birth and I would really like to be able to use my placenta to combat it.

Maybe I can find someone that does it for less... it's worth a shot, right?

[tracymom1]

Jenni, talk to every doula you can find! I bet someone will be willing to help out. Maybe give a shout out in the Find Your Tribe forum here on MDC - someone might have a connection.

DH and I are going to do mine. He is going to take care of the washing, steaming and dehydrating. I am going to grind and put it into the capsules. Last time around I felt way too overwhelmed to even attempt it, but now that I have found some peace regarding childbirth, I am pretty confident we can do it. I have a doula-friend who might be able to help out if needed, too.

[msmiranda]

I had it done last time (encapsulation) and didn't feel that it lived up to the hype, for me.  I didn't have a history of PPD or feel I was particularly at risk for it, though, so that might have had something to do with it.  I also have to say in all honesty that burping up the pills was pretty gross.  If I was going to do home birth again I think I might plant a tree or something, but I'm fine with the hospital throwing it away.  The one nice thing I got out of it that I still value is that the woman who did it dried the umbilical cord and made a heart shape out of it, and that is in his baby book.  

For those who are interested in doing it but not paying a fortune, I paid $100 and found the person through my midwife (they also transported the placenta over to her for me since my MW's assistant lived close to her).  The woman who did the encapsulation is a doula and offers the service on the side.  She isn't certified by the organization that does that -- all of those people seemed to charge $300 and I wasn't willing to pay that much.  For $100 I was willing to give it a whirl though. HTH!

[mossimo12]

I didn't do anything with the placenta after #1 and I'm pretty sure I had PPD, but then we had literally every breastfeeding issue there is that went on for months and months.

With #2 my midwives encapsulated the placenta for me and I had no issues with PPD....and no issues with breastfeeding.....

With this one I am very excited to have found out that the midwife-in-training will do the encapsulation for only the cost of renting any equipment she needs (Yeah!)

[staryla]

My husband encapsulated the placenta and it has been great!  I remember how I felt last time and this time is so very different.  I don't mind the middle of the night feedings, I feel capable of handling my new daughter and my DS.  I am emotionally on solid ground.  I had no idea you could feel this good post-partum!

Some of this is no doubt because I am not a first time mom.  But the one day I missed taking the lunch session of my 'happy pills' was the only day that I got weepy in the evening.  I'm a placenta consuming advocate now (though I'm pretty sure my mainstream friends will be totally freaked out by the idea.)