Placenta Encapsulation, derived from Traditional Chinese Medicine, is the process of steaming the placenta with lemon and ginger, slicing it into thin strips, dehydrating/”mummifying” the strips in a food dehydrator, then grinding them into a powder, that is then put into capsules. Process makes 70-150 pills (size 00 capsules) depending on the size and density of your placenta.
Please try to contact me at least a few weeks before your due date
To reserve a space, please send me an email (sfplacentalady@gmail.com) including the following:
1) Your full name and due date
2) Your cell number and place you are planning on giving birth
3) Partner or a support person’s name and cell number
* If you would like any extras such as an art print, cord-keepsake, photo, or tincture in addition .to the encapsulation, please include that.
After this, I will send you a $100 deposit request, contract to sign, and confirmation email with instructions for the big day.
Placenta tinctures are made by taking a dime-size portion of the maternal side of the placenta, and steeping in 100 proof alcohol for 6 weeks. It is then strained through a coffee filter into a 4 oz. amber dropper bottle. You store it in a cool dark place and it will keep indefinitely. Take 8-10 drops in water each day to balance hormones during PMS and menopause.
The optional complimentary items I offer are a photo, cord-keepsake, and/or blood print. Please be sure to communicate your desire for any of these items over the phone or in your sign up email to me 🙂
Your placenta is composed of beneficial hormones, chemicals, iron, and proteins. These healing substances include:
- Estrogen, Progesterone, Testosterone: Contributes to mammary gland development in preparation for lactation; stabilizes postpartum mood; regulates post-birth uterine cramping; decreases depression; normalizes and stimulates libido.
- Prolactin: Promotes lactation; increases milk supply; enhances the mothering instinct.
- Oxytocin: Decreases pain and increases bonding in mother and infant; counteracts the production of stress hormones such as Cortisol; greatly reduces postpartum bleeding; enhances the breastfeeding let-down reflex.
- Placental Opioid-Enhancing Factor (POEF): Stimulates the production of your body’s natural opioids, including endorphins; reduces pain; increases well-being.
- Thyroid Stimulating Hormone: Regulates the thyroid gland; boosts energy and supports recovery from stressful events.
- Corticotropin Releasing Hormone (CRH): Low levels of CRH are implicated in postpartum depression. Regulation of CRH helps prevent depression.
- Cortisone: Reduces inflammation and swelling; promotes healing.
- Interferon: Triggers the protective defenses of the immune system to fight infection.
- Prostaglandins: Regulates contractions in the uterus after birth; helps the uterus return to its pre-pregnancy size. Anti-inflammatory effects.
- Iron: Replenishes maternal iron stores to combat anemia, a common postpartum condition. Increases energy; decreases fatigue and depression.
- Hemoglobin: Oxygen-carrying molecule which provides a boost in energy.
- Urokinase Inhibiting Factor and Factor XIII: stops bleeding and enhances wound healing.
- Immunoglobulin G (IgG): Antibody molecules which support the immune system.
Human Placental Lactogen (hPL): This hormone has lactogenic and growth-promoting properties; promotes mammary gland growth in preparation for lactation in the mother. It also regulates maternal glucose, protein, and fat levels.
Yes! Placenta encapsulation is a wonderful tool for postpartum care.
”Giving…placenta to a new mother following birth has become standard protocol among a growing number of midwives in the United States. By nourishing the blood and fluids, endocrine glands and organs, Placenta will …reduce or stop postpartum bleeding, speed up recovery, boost energy and relieve postpartum blues.” Homes, Peter. 1993. Jade Remedies, Snow Lotus Press, 352.
Think of it like a liver, but unlike a liver, which only filters out toxins, the placenta also filters in nutrients, oxygen, and various hormones to the fetus during pregnancy. A “super liver” that has all the added unique benefits of personalized hormone restoration.
After the birth, have your support person remind your doctor or Midwife that you would like to save your placenta. If you’re at a hospital, you will need to have your own small cooler. It is also useful to bring your own gallon sized zip lock bags. 2 of them. This is what your partner will hand your doctor or midwife to double bag your placenta. I find this is a more environmentally friendly way than using the hospital giant plastic containers.
It needs to be refrigerated or several cups of ice put into your cooler within 2 hours of the birth.
If you have only a soft pack cooler that is also fine, but you will just want to bring some extra zip locks bags to put the ice in (so the water won’t leak out of the cooler, if some of it melts)
And, I do pick ups, yes. between the hours of 9am and 9pm.
Yes, I’m happy to take clients outside the city 🙂 I am low carbon footprint and travel by public transit, so I just ask that you please be patient with the timing of your pick up, as I do not own a vehicle. Alta Bates Berkley and Kaiser in Oakland are a doable walk for me from the bart station, but if you are not within walking distance of public transit, I would need to have your partner, family member, or doula meet me at your nearest bart, cal train, or bus stop 😉
If in SF, the remaining balance is not due until after I drop your capsules off to you. ( by day 4 postpartum) If outside the city, payment will be due the day I receive your placenta, since I will be mailing your pills to you. I prefer Venmo, cash or check for the remaining balance.
I have a great community here in San Francisco and work closely with fellow Placenta Specialist, Torrey Mansur. She is my backup placenta lady in the event it’s “raining placenta”. Torrey is trained on my trusted method and recipe for optimal safety and preservation of precious hormones.
As a small-scale business, I typically handle no more than six placentas per month, so there is minimal overlap. Each placenta is carefully labeled with your name and your baby’s birth details to prevent any mix-up. I also hold a bloodborne pathogens certification, which emphasizes my commitment to preventing cross-contamination. During the encapsulation process, I use multiple pairs of gloves and thoroughly clean all surfaces and tools. My methods include a rigorous cleaning protocol involving a 10:1 bleach solution for any item that comes into contact with raw blood, either directly or indirectly, and single-use materials for tasks like cleaning the steam pot and lining the dehydrator. When I do an art print, the placenta is laying on a disposable waterproof chuck pad, to avoid getting blood on any surfaces. I am never processing more than one placenta at a time-unless in the case of twin placentas.
Iron deficiency anemia (IDA) during the postpartum period can seriously affect maternal cognitive functions and emotional health. Research, such as the study by John L. Beard and others, found that mothers experiencing IDA had altered cognitive and behavioral performances, which impacted mother-infant interactions negatively. Iron supplementation was shown to improve these conditions markedly (Beard et al., J. Nutr., 2005).
Iron supplementation can be effective in reducing fatigue in postpartum women, even those who are not anemic but have low iron levels. A double-blind study by F. Verdon demonstrated that non-anemic women with unexplained fatigue experienced significant improvement in their energy levels after taking iron supplements, particularly if their serum ferritin concentrations were low or borderline (Verdon et al., BMJ, 2003).
Postpartum iron deficiency remains a significant concern due to its prevalence and impact on new mothers’ health and their ability to care for their newborns. Despite the expectation that iron levels should improve after delivery, Lisa M. Bodnar and colleagues highlight that many women continue to experience iron deficiency, with considerable functional and cognitive implications. Addressing this can lead to better health outcomes and improved maternal functionality (Bodnar et al., Am. J. Obstet. Gynecol., 2005).
list of hormones and these studies were obtained from the following site:
http://www.hypnobirthingutah.com/research-studies-supporting-placenta-encapsulation/
I always encourage women to save their placenta, even if they’re unsure they want to encapsulate it. You can always store it in the freezer until you decide what to do.
If money is an issue please contact me and we can work something out. I offer a sliding scale or trade option and believe every woman should have access to this service if they choose.
Yes. In fact, nourishing your body postpartum with its own “living meat” is especially recommended for those on a vegan or vegetarian diet because it’s so rich in iron and B-vitamins. Also, I always use vegetarian capsules for encapsulation.
Yes, there are a few contraindications:
- If you contracted a uterine or blood infection during labor (Chorioamnionitis)
- If you turned out to be allergic to any drugs you took during labor
- If morphine was accidentally injected into your placenta during an emergency C-section.
In the unfortunate event of one of these, your $ 100 deposit will go towards custom art prints, or you can request 50 percent of your deposit back.
No, not at all. When the placenta reaches a temperature of 131 degrees F for at least 90 minutes this eliminates any potential problem. A uterine *infection* caused by GBS is a different story.
Please note, a GBS infection is very different then being GBS positive.
Research published in 1918 in the American Journal of Obstetrics and Diseases of Women and Children by Lyle G. McNeile found that consuming desiccated placenta positively influences a mother’s milk production. Specifically, the study noted an increase in protein and lactose percentages in milk when mothers consumed 0.6mg of desiccated placenta three times daily during the first eleven days postpartum. The study also observed faster recovery in infants’ postnatal weight decline when mothers ingested placenta. This suggests that placenta consumption quickens recovery and enhances the nutritional quality of breast milk.
Another study conducted in 1954 by Soykova-Pachnerova et al., published in Gynaecologia, explored the impact of consuming dried placenta on milk secretion in new mothers. The research found that a significant majority of the participants, 86.2%, showed positive responses to the treatment, with notable improvements in milk production. These findings showed placenta consumption to be a viable method for addressing hypogalactia (low milk supply), highlighting its benefits without relying on hormonal influences such as progesterone. The study emphasizes that the substances in placenta are distinct from proteins and do not act as biogenic stimulators, making placenta preparation a unique and largely untapped resource for enhancing lactation.
Researchers have identified that ‘baby blues,’ a common postpartum condition experienced by many new mothers, can be linked to significant hormonal shifts after childbirth. During pregnancy, the placenta produces high levels of corticotropin-releasing hormone (CRH), which helps manage stress and maintain cortisol levels, aiding mothers to cope with the physical and emotional stress of pregnancy and delivery. After the placenta is delivered, CRH levels drop sharply, disrupting this balance and potentially leading to feelings of depression as the body adjusts to the sudden decrease in hormone production. This change can temporarily impair the hypothalamus’s ability to regulate stress hormones effectively, resulting in symptoms commonly associated with the ‘baby blues.’ This understanding highlights the biological underpinnings of postpartum mood fluctuations and reassures that these feelings are often a temporary and natural response to the body’s readjustment after birth.
The Broth is what is leftover after I steam your placenta. It’s about 12oz. It’s a nourishing tonic that goes best with a stew or soup that has a beef broth base. 1/2 placenta broth and 1/2 beef broth. You can also sip it with tea. It’s meant as a nourishing tonic and similar benefits as bone broth.
This is 3 small raw dime sized pieces from your placenta frozen and in a zip lock bag.
They are meant to put in 12-24 ounces of smoothie. You won’t taste them in a smoothie.
The idea behind eating a few raw pieces after birth is they are even more potent then the cooked version (pill version). This ad-on is only recommended if you are GBS negative.
No. There is no additional fee for encapsulating both of your placenta(s)