The art of placenta preparation
a powerful tool every woman should have in her postpartum kit
What is placenta encapsulation?
It is the preparation of your placenta into an easy to ingest form. Most often it is dehydrated and ground into a powder and filled up into pill capsules for you to swallow like any other supplement. Other modalities include tinctures for long term use, healing salves for topical application, or even raw preparation for adding to smoothies or other blended foods.
what is in my placenta, aka why on earth do i want to do this??
Pregnancy, birth, and postpartum take the woman to the depths and limits of her body, mind, and spirit. Early postpartum leaves a mother sort of bottomed out, so to speak, when it comes to her hormones, physical and emotional energy, and capacity for tasks that once seemed simple. The placenta contains endorphins, minerals, trace elements, vitamins, iron, selenium, oxytocin, prostaglandin, prolactin and human placental lactagon, progesterone, serotonin, corticotropin-releasing hormone, thyroid releasing hormone, vitamin B6, stem cells and growth factors, indoleamines, and opioids/placental opioid-enhancing factor.
There are many reasons women encapsulate their placenta, most often it is for assisting in hormonal balance, increased physical energy & mental vitality, quicker healing and recovery, and increased breast milk production.
Regardless if you encapsulate your placenta or not, the placenta should be honored. This is a nourishing and extremely practical way to do it!
placenta encapsulation menu
placenta encapsulation
Raw or Steamed Pills $265
add ons
Placenta Tincture $35
Postpartum Salve $50
Placenta Print $25-39
Cord Keepsake $0-25
Don’t see what you need? Interested in a different modality? Reach out! I’m always excited to learn about other traditions and preparations & integrate them into my offerings for you.
Free initial in person or virtual consultation
frequently asked questions
Do you take payment plans?
Yes! I do require a $50 non refundable deposit at time of booking, and payment plans are accepted. Payment is due in full by your due date, or when baby is born, whichever comes first!
How do i get my placenta to you?
I pick it up from your birthplace or home! During your prenatal planning you will need to prepare a small cooler for your birth bag, and when the placenta is delivered it needs to be refrigerated or put on ice in the cooler within 3 hours of birth. Contact me within 12 hours of your birth and I will pick up your placenta. Once prepared, we’ll agree to a time and place that I can drop off to you.
How many pills will i get?
Each placenta is unique, some smaller or larger than others. Depending on size or modality of encapsulating, yours could yield anywhere from 80-200 pills. A big range! In my practice I’ve seen 100-150 capsules as the "typical” amount.
Do you do anything to my placenta before dehydrating?
Yes! I examine the placenta to look for anomalies and to verify it is eligible for encapsulation. The placenta is rinsed and then either steamed and sliced for the dehydrator, or just sliced and placed into the dehydrator. I do not add any other ingredients to the placenta or to the steamer basket.
Why would i choose to steam or not steam my placenta?
There are 2 methods I use to encapsulate. The Simple Method and The Steamed Method. The Simple Method is…. simple. I simply slice and dehydrate. This will give you a larger amount of pills and the most bioavailability of all those amazing constituents. It can also deliver a nice kick of energy each time you take your pills! This is great for the mother who experienced larger blood loss than is ideal during birth, is quite depleted and low energy, or just would love to enjoy as many benefits as possible of her placenta.
The Steamed Method is for those of us that want or need a gentler introduction to our placenta each day. The only additional step with this method is ….. steam. Yep. I steam your placenta with filtered water before slicing and dehydrating. You will have a slightly smaller yield of pills than if you had chosen The Simple Method. I love the Steamed Method for mothers who are predisposed to postpartum mood disorders or with a current or past diagnosis of depression or anxiety. This is also a great choice for women who are sensitive to medications and supplements.
What about breastfeeding? will my pills negatively affect my supply?
Research suggests that breast milk supply could be temporarily negatively affected if you were to ingest more than 1/4 of your placenta in one sitting. Most clients take around 2-4 pills per day, so there is no concern that taking placenta pills will compromise establishing a strong milk supply.