The Placenta Report

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I’m going to give you all fair warning on this post. If you aren’t feeling the placenta love – read no further. I know I have some family and friend readers who might think twice about our relationship after the placenta report. Then again, I know I have some super crunchy mama friends who will be utterly fascinated like me.

And now, the report …
I’m three weeks into my placenta consumption and feeling great! I’m not going to give all the credit to my placenta, but I’m givin’ her alot. Yes, I’ve determined that my placenta is female. The non-placenta credit goes to Dominic and my Mama who have been super supporters of my transition from pregnancy to postpartum – lots of yummy food, hugs, and help with the wee ones.

Here’s how it all went down …
After birthing my placenta a solid 40 minutes after Max was born on the bathroom floor, we moved the bowl and placenta into the bath tub. I got stitched up, settled into bed, and then midwife Kat gave Dominic and I a placenta tour. This not only allowed her to make sure everything was fully intact, but it gave us a chance to check out the amazing organ that nourished Max for so long. Luckily, Christine was there to capture the tour in photographs.

Kat wrapped my placenta up in plastic, took it home, and proceeded to encapsulate it. Encapsulating is a process similar to drying and curing meat, so when it is done, it’s almost like beef jerky. Then, Kat diced, minced, and pulverized my placenta into a dust and poured the dust into tiny pills. She delivered them to me Friday evening (Max was born Thursday morning) so I could start taking them right away. In the beginning I took 25-30 pills each day; now I’m down to 5-10 each day. I was taking so many because Kat special ordered mini pills for me (size 2s instead of the normal size 0 or 00). I stink at taking larger pills – like, I tragically gag and Dominic can’t stop laughing at how pathetic I am. Kat found them through Super Supplements for mamas like me who are interested in encapsulating, but have pill gagging issues.

My jar of pills

I’ll definitely encapsulate with future pregnancies. The benefits can’t be beat and for $150 it is a worthwhile investment in my sanity. I’ve found my mood to be quite normal. Whatever that means :) I’m not very teary – I think I’ve only cried three or four times compared to multiple times each day with my first postpartum experience. I feel overwhelmed, but positive. My milk came in at 36 hours compared to 3 days with Jemma. And, when it came in, it was much calmer and more gradual … not the painful experience I had with Jem where I was bawling in the shower. I think the biggest clincher was my when my Mom told me that she feels I’m doing really well. She sees a difference which makes me think I’m not making up the placenta awesomeness :)

Here’s my first post on placentas for those that missed it. I opted to skip the smoothie and go straight for the pills; more due to timing and respect for my Mom’s Vitamix than anything else :)

And, some additional resources that I’ve enjoyed reading:

 
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Comments

  1. says

    i was really interested in reading this post. gage even walked up behind me and asked what that picture was, and i did my best to explain it in a way that a five year old would understand. although i did leave out the part about how you are currently consuming it. i don't think it's weird or gross at all, i just didn't want to get that indepth with him. i think this is awesome and if i ever were to get pregnant again i would definitely look more into it.

  2. Mindy says

    Thank you for sharing such a personal post! I had not heard much about placenta encapsulation until after I had my son in 2009, and I too am amazed by the whole idea. I suffered through post-partum depression, myself, so I am wondering if your midwife believes that the placenta helps with that? I need to do more research!

  3. says

    I definitely want to do this next time! It's harder to find someone to do encapsulation in these parts. But I do know one woman whose husband did all of the drying, pulverizing, and encapsulation for her. That's love! The OB that was there when my son was born looked at me like I had a third eye and my four head when I asked her if I could see my placenta! Haha, I love to brighten unsuspecting care providers' days like that.

  4. ThatMamaGretchen says

    I've definitely read and heard that placenta encapsulation helps battle many levels of PPD. Since it is iron and hormone rich organ it helps to balance and regulate all those postpartum ups and downs. Definitely read more so you're ready for #2 :) It's a small investment and doesn't taste like anything, so … it I decided it couldn't hurt :)

  5. ThatMamaGretchen says

    I'm so glad to have spurred on Gage's introduction to placentas :) Not every mama would take the time to explain something like that, you're awesome!

  6. says

    I'm trying this with my next little one, too (due in a few weeks!). I had PPD terribly with my last one and heard of encapsulation through a friend. I can't wait to see how different my experience might be afterward. Thanks for posting!

Trackbacks

  1. […] I’ve done it once, and I’m planning to do it again. Maybe even a little more extreme with a tincture and a smoothie. If you think I’m crazy (or even if you don’t), this post promises a realistic explanation of why I’m all about my placenta and its nutritional benefits. […]