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Traditional Chinese Medicine practitioners and herbalists have utilized the placenta as a healing remedy for thousands of years. Studies have shown that the placenta is extremely nutrient rich, high in iron, protein, vitamins and minerals, as well as your own natural hormones. Consumption of the placenta has been known to help regulate hormones, balance mood, and increase milk supply. Other women have reported increased energy, increased circulation, reduced bleeding, a greater sense of calm, and a deeper level of sleep. Encapsulation offers mothers an opportunity to use the placenta to speed their recovery after birth and support a healthy postpartum year. Through placenta encapsulation, the placenta is transformed from a life sustaining organ into a safe, holistic remedy.

We ask that you, your partner, or your doula contact us the day you have your baby or during the next set of normal business hours via text. This enables us to plan our roster of upcoming services and accommodate your pickup and delivery swiftly. Pick up will be from your home unless otherwise discussed. Placenta pickup must be coordinated no later than day 3 after birth, if you anticipate any delay on your end we ask that you freeze your placenta rather than refrigerate. See the section below for more information. Text or call 719.502.6409.

It is important that safe handling and storage be maintained while you are in possession of your placenta. The placenta may be placed on ice for up to eight hours after delivery or to transport home. It should then be stored in the refrigerator until pick up. Encapsulation after refrigeration storage is quicker and more efficient however, encapsulation can also be preformed after freezing and defrosting. In this case we will pick the placenta up frozen so that we can ensure safe defrosting techniques.

No matter where you plan to birth, all facilities are used to families choosing to take their placentas home. You should simply notify your care provider, include it in your birth plan if you are writing one, and let your nurses know once you arrive. Facilities vary between all four hospitals and birthing centers on timing of release and these policies are always changing. Most hospitals and facility releases to you immediately and do not store it during your stay, we suggest bringing a good sized cooler to store your placenta on ice until your partner, doula, or a family member can take it to your home and refrigerate. The placenta needs to be well buried in the ice and should not be stored on ice longer than 8-10hours. Please plan to get the placenta to a refrigerator as soon as you can. If for some reason we cannot coordinate the pickup in the first 3 days. go ahead and put your placenta in the freezer and we can encapsulate anytime after. Keep us in the loop via text or phone if you are unsure or have any questions regarding safe handling, storage, or timing.

Encapsulation services, including pick up and delivery, typically take 3-5 days. We plan a day for pickup, a day for encapsulation, and a day for delivery. It may take longer if we already have a placenta in process. We will stay in communication about our anticipated timing once services are initiated.

We have been trained in proper techniques for encapsulation as well as OSHA bloodborne pathogen precautions and safe food handling standards. We utilize OSHA standards for sanitation products and all surfaces and equipment are sanitized before and after use. Appropriate personal protective equipment is used to keep you and the encapsulators safe every step of the way.

Safety is our priority and because we already adhere to the strictest of safety and sanitation procedures, not much has changed in our process. We do ask that if you have had a confirmed case or have had contact with someone that has had a confirmed case of COVID19 to please contact us so that we can discuss options. In addition, at certain times during the pandemic, sanitation products like bleach or equipment like mask have become difficult to acquire. If there are any issues acquiring the necessary supplies to safely encapsulate, we will simply ask you to freeze your placenta until we are able to get the necessary supplies and will encapsulate as soon as possible.

There are a few instances where it is considered unsafe to proceed with encapsulation. • If you smoked cigarettes regularly during pregnancy. Heavy metals will collect in the placenta and could cause harm when re-ingested. • If you or baby had a confirmed infection during labor or shortly after birth. If you spiked a fever during labor, be sure to ask the staff if you had a confirmed or suspected infection and then contact us to discuss. • GBS+ testing prenatally does not contraindicate encapsulation, however if your baby ends up with GBS+ confirmed infection (extremely rare) then we would suggest not encapsulating your placenta.

There are a few instances when it is considered safest to pause in taking your placenta pills. If you have a fever, infection, or other illness it is best to pause consumption until you are feeling well again. If you have been diagnosed with Pre-Eclampsia prenatally or in the postpartum it is safe to encapsulate, however we suggest waiting 2 weeks or so before starting to take your pills as it can prolong the length of symptoms. Most mothers have no problem beginning consumption after their body has regulated. If you believe you are having any negative reaction to the pills, pause for a few days and then begin taking them again, and see how your feel. Every person is different and though negative side affects are extremely rare we encourage you to listen to your body and trust your intuition. Your encapsulators are also always available to answer question if you have any concerns.

Occasionally your provider or facility will want to send your placenta to pathology for testing. This may be because of a suspected infection or other health issue. If you have had an infection it is important to know, because infection is one of the few contraindication to encapsulation. If you have pre-paid for services, simply text or call and will digitally refund your full payment!

Sometimes mother's are not sure how extended family or friends might feel about encapsulation. Have no fear, the products you receive will be professionally and discreetly packaged. They will look just like vitamin capsules or herbal tinctures and be labeled as "Postpartum Supplements" or "Postpartum Tincture." No one needs to know what is inside!

If you still have questions or want to chat about a unique situation or need then simply contact us directly! Call or text Sarah at: 719-502-6409