5.14.2013

Day 134- My Experience with Placenta Encapsulation

Yes... I brought my placenta home from the hospital. And yes... I consumed it multiple times a day in pill form during my first 6 weeks postpartum.




When I first decided to have my placenta encapsulated, I received many different responses- mostly, "gross!" "seriously!?" "each to their own!" "i want to vomit!" My own husband, who is a nurse, thought it was absolutely disgusting. However, he also knows that when I decide on something, it's very hard to talk me out of it. He wisely took the "each to their own" route, as in "Honey, I will support you whatever you decide."

There are many reasons I decided to have my placenta encapsulated. These are taken from the placentabenefits.info site:
Your baby's placenta, contained in capsule form, is believed to:
-contain your own natural hormones
-be perfectly made for you
-balance your system
-replenish depleted iron
-give you more energy
-lessen bleeding postnatally
-been shown to increase milk production
-help you have a happier postpartum period
-hasten return of uterus to pre-pregnancy state

From my best understanding, the placenta takes over production of hormones during your pregnancy. It takes many weeks for your body to resume production of your hormones in balance after giving birth to your baby. Unbalanced hormones, combined with low iron, make you very fatigued and potentially more emotional for several weeks after giving birth. Pretty much every animal, except humans, consume their placentas after giving birth. Why don't we? Because, yes, it is gross. However, encapsulation is a great alternative if you can't stomach the thought of a placenta smoothie or stew.

When I had my first child, I had a bought of postpartum blues that perhaps bordered on postpartum depression. I wasn't so much sad as I was numb. It took me longer than I would have liked to truly feel bonded to Caleb. I also had difficulty dealing with the lack of sleep and became angry or frustrated due to the sleep deprivation. I bled for over 6 weeks and had difficulty recovering physically. Although it is a bit embarrassing to talk about, I knew I wanted a different experience this time around if I could.

While there were many different variables (length and stress of birthing process, 2nd child, knowing what to expect, etc), I do believe that placenta encapsulation made a big difference in my second postpartum experience. I'm pleased to say that whatever the reason, my postpartum experience was totally different this time around. I do believe that the placenta pills helped me stabilize and recover after giving birth to my second child. Here are some of the reasons:
- I was not moody or weepy- this is coming from the woman who can go on a rampage of emotional instability around the time of her period or pregnancy
- I had energy- often my husband would be falling asleep and I would feel unexplainably rested and calm- and I was the one up feeding the baby :)
- My bleeding was mostly gone by 2 weeks and was completely gone by 1 month- like I said last time it lasted over 6 weeks
- My iron was very high when I had a 2 week check-up- though I will say that I don't typically have a problem with low iron
- My milk supply has been great- though I never really had any problems with my first either
- I bonded to my second son very quickly- it took me months with our first
- I recovered physically very quickly- I could walk and clean and cook much faster than last time (perhaps out of necessity?!)





Things to know about placenta encapsulation:
-it costs money if you hire someone- I paid about $200
-you can find a certified person at placentabenefits.info (The person who encapsulated mine is Ariel Vickery- website: http://postpartumpeace.blogspot.com/)
-the pills smell a little funny
-you get the amount of pills based on the size of your placenta- I got about 100 (I have been saving the last few for days when I'm really tired and need a boost)
-you should probably check with your practitioner before having your placenta encapsulated- my midwife didn't really think it would help or hurt- mainly because there is not much research to show that it works
-you need to tell the hospital beforehand so that you can sign a release to remove it (we had to remove it within 1-2 hours of giving birth)
-if there is anything wrong with your placenta, you can't have it encapsulated



Overall, I would definitely recommend placenta encapsulation to anyone having a baby. At best, it will transform your postpartum experience, at worst, it will have no effect, at the least it may have a placebo effect :). I truly hope that more scientific research is done to prove whether this method actually reduces the symptoms of the baby blues or helps mothers recover more quickly after having a baby.

Here are several links to websites that were helpful to me:
http://www.cafemom.com/journals/read/1577334/Placenta_Encapsulation_Instructions_w_Pictures
http://www.passionatehomemaking.com/2011/10/the-benefits-of-placenta-encapsulation-for-postpartum-healing.html
http://resources.thefeministbreeder.com/labor-birth/postpartum-health-healing/whats-the-deal-with-placenta-encapsulation/
http://www.time.com/time/magazine/article/0,9171,1908442,00.html

2 comments:

Stephanie said...

Sorry I said, "Ewww! Gross!" I think you've convinced me :) Go get your training so you can do mine!!

Krista said...

I have been really curious about this process. I think the placenta is pretty gross, especially after you see it outside of you, but I totally believe that there are benefits like you described. I would be really interested to try it this time around. I'll be needing all the extra energy I can get. :)