Anyone going to have their placenta encapsulated? « Back to Group Discussions

[Georgetown HB Mom]

I am a placenta encapsulation specialist. This will be my first birth after finding out the benefits of having the placenta encapsulated so I am looking forward to the benefits of ingesting the placenta. All of my clients rave about how good they feel during postpartum. Anyone else looking into placenta options?

[Knitting Mama]

I am planning on it, yes! I have supply issues due to breast surgery 12 years ago, and I have heard that placenta encapsulation can help with your supply. I have a friend who charges $200 total for it, and that includes some "freebies" because we are friends (a fresh smoothie, chocolates, a tincture, herbs to boost supply, etc) as well as her usual service, which is the encapsulated placenta done in your own home within 24 hours of birth, and membrane and umbilical cord preservation if you want them.

[Ninetales]

I'd like to but I can't afford it.  We are strapped as it is and may not even be able to afford a doula or prep classes.  If I do anything I'll just take it home and do something with it.

[yoginimommy]

Ninetales ~ If you feel comfortable enough, you could just encapsulate it yourself :)

[Ninetales]

I don't feel like doing the work myself.  If anything I'll either cook part up or put it in a smoothie. 

[CCoello]

Placentophagy certainly seems like a great idea - but I'm with ninetales, I'm not sure I can see spending the money to encapsulate either. I'd really like to chop it while still fresh, make a smoothie and save the rest to defrost and smoothie piece by piece. However, my dear husband and my mother both said they don't really want to handle that chore for me, so it will depend on whether I'm feeling strong enough to do it for myself

[IntuitiveJamie]

Most definitely and I'm really looking forward to it.

Last birth I was going to do it myself. But being fresh post birth brain, I put it in the oven to "dehydrate", only instead of putting it on the lowest setting, I put it on 400 degrees. You can imagine what happened to it. I couldn't believe it. I was so mad. Especially after I had steamed it and that was the most disgusting process ever. Then I cut it up into small pieces. Only to char broil it.

I have someone else doing it this time.

[pennywhistle]

I think so...I'm prone to depression/anxiety, so I've always been really worried about PPD.  I'm honestly a little squicked out at the concept, though, so I'm glad my husband is into it - hopefully he'll take on the project!

[LilyTiger]

I probably won't.  I'm not really comfortable with the concept and DH definitely isn't.  It'll be interesting to hear about other people's experiences though.

[Thebyr]

My doula does it.. but we aren't going to do it. I have issues about ingesting things that are expelled as waste from the body. But I hear that it offers some women some awesome benefits - so MORE POWER to anyone who plans on doing it.

I will be keeping it  and burying it. Gonna plant a tree or plant over it. It is baby's first "house" after all.

[intime0]

Theybr, with our first homebirth we planted rose bushes to honor each of the children. We planted the placenta under our new daughter's bush.  The dog could smell it, dug it up and ate it. EEWWW. That rose bush died.

It's interesting to note that humans are one of the few mammals who DONT eat their placenta.  Hmmm.  LOL

I say every time that I'm going to make mine into a strawberry smoothie, and every time, away it goes.  I found a lady who charges $300!!!!!  I dont want it for that price.  I might do it for $100, but I doubt my DH would go for that even. But THREE hundred?  Who's doing it for that price????

[Thebyr]

lol intimeO - that is pretty gross. Luckily our pooch doesn't dig. We did discuss putting it in a huge pot with a lovely hardy plant on top so that we could keep it even if we moved.

[AdinaL]

I want to get mine encapsulated this time.  I just need to find someone local who will do it.

[pandd06]

I think that I will. My MW offers this service (not herself, but she contracts with someone who does it) for $150, which I find reasonable. The other prices I've seen are $300.

[Thandiwe]

Originally Posted by IntuitiveJamie 

Most definitely and I'm really looking forward to it.

Last birth I was going to do it myself. But being fresh post birth brain, I put it in the oven to "dehydrate", only instead of putting it on the lowest setting, I put it on 400 degrees. You can imagine what happened to it. I couldn't believe it. I was so mad. Especially after I had steamed it and that was the most disgusting process ever. Then I cut it up into small pieces. Only to char broil it.

I have someone else doing it this time.

How awful!  I can't even imagine how you must have felt!

I want to, but I don't want to do it myself.  Not sure if there's someone local who does it or not.  Need to check still.  Not if it will be $300, though. 

[Knittin Mama]

I absolutely am.  I did it with my first pregnancy.  I do believe it helped, especially with my pp bleeding, was mild just a little over 2 weeks.  My best friend is my doula and she did it for me, as well as making a placenta print and drying the cord which ended up in the shape of a heart. 

[keuriweo]

I'm open to the idea, I think, but I'm not sure that I'll actually get around to arranging to have someone do it for me.  I know for sure that I won't be doing it myself!  Luckily, there are plenty of people who provide the service in the city (Portland.)  I do have a history of depression/anxiety so I'm a little worried about PPD.

[SomethingAnonymous]

I'll be doing it myself again. It was so easy and helped me so much that I can't imagine going through the postpartum period without it.

I had it in the refrigerator and was planning on dehydrating it, but the first 24 hours were a little crazy and I didn't get to it right away. Then I realized I was just crying for no reason and feeling really depressed- so I literally ran to the kitchen and started dehydrating it. We just cut the cord off and the took the membrane off, cut it in thin strips and put it on a cookie sheet on the lowest temp possible in the oven. I remember it smelled really good cooking, like a delicious steak.  Then when it was pretty dehydrated I put chunks in a coffee grinder and ground it all up into powder. I mixed in some spices-  I think garlic, ginger, lemon grass, pepper- there's a lot of things you can add. Lemon grass helps with cramps. Anyway.. I took about 10 capsules and about an hour later I felt like another person. I felt warm and relaxed, and not sad at all. Each time I felt the sadness coming back, I'd take like 10 more and it always made me feel better. At first I needed some every day, and slowly it just got to be less frequent. I ended up with a dozen or so capsules left that are in the freezer. I'll probably just take them all this time. I've heard a lot of different dosage suggestions- but some say just take whatever makes you feel better and that worked for me.

And it really wasn't gross or time consuming or anything.  We have one of those capsule machines- they are pretty easy to use, you can do about 24 capsules in a couple minutes with it.  The only thing I will be doing differently will be to start cooking it right away. I'll probably send my partner to start it shortly after the birth.  And I think I would like to eat some raw this time- I bet there are more nutrients in it that way.  But I don't want to eat it all on the first day because I think I need it spread out to wean myself off the hormones.

[SomethingAnonymous]

If you aren't sure-  If I was you, I'd plan on saving it just in case depression hits- then you can at least do what I did and run to the kitchen and do something with it.

I wonder what the purpose to steaming it first is? The reason I didn't steam it was because I figured less cooking = more nutrients. Is there a benefit to doing it? I had read it's unnecessary, but I don't even remember where.

TCM says that using a coffee grinder puts too much energy into it- its suggested to use a mortar and pestle so I think I'll give that a shot this time.

[intime0]

Has anyone just had it raw?