~Placenta Power~
When I say placenta encapsulation to anyone they immediately cringe, and roll there eyes at me. Especially my family that already think I am a tad too granola. Double especially my husband who is now going great my wife will have tons of placentas in our freezer, something he is already used to mind you ;) I have decided to take a 3 day placenta encapsulation workshop in March and have it be a service I offer my beautiful mommas. Regardless of the eye rolls, I am going to keep on singing the praises of the placenta pills! By the way I get the cringing, they are not the most glorious thing to look at and my way of thinking has absolutely changed, in the beginning I thought it was revolting. But when you pull them apart and really look at them you actually do see the beauty. My midwives at my second daughters home birth explained it as a tree of life, The placenta could be a root in a fertile soil (womb) inside the mother
earth (mother). In perfect balance, it chooses filters and receives
nutrients from the soil and leads through the stem – the umbilical cord –
for the fruit, the baby. When the fruit is ripe, it falls from
standing, he or she is born! The fruit carries the seeds, and when they are
ready and are placed in fertile soil, they will grow and continue the
cycle! That really moved my mom and I to hear! Enough for me to save the placenta in my freezer to plant under a tree for my Daughter Daphne, I had planned to maybe encapsulate but it seemed too pricey at the time. Now I wish I would have paid whatever the cost to have all these amazing benefits! So here is some really interesting things to know!
History of Placenta Power:
Pharmaceutical uses of placentas go back at least to Hippocrates, and appear in traditional Chinese medicines and European folk remedies. Indigenous people in Brazil reportedly cooked and ate the placenta; for centuries throughout Europe, eating the placenta was thought to encourage milk production. This is not a new idea pals, it was defintaley gone for a minute, but eating placenta is back.
First things first the encapsulation is just that a pill! You a hand a lady a placenta in a baggie and she gives you vitamins. That is all the effort other than taking them you need to make.
Did you know that Placentas have these amazing things in them?
• Prolactin: promotes lactation
• Oxytocin: for pain and bonding; also known as the “love” hormone
• Interferon: stimulates the immune system to protect against infection
• Thyroid Stimulating Hormone: boosts energy and helps recover from stressful events
• Cortisone: combats stress and unlocks stores of energy
• Hemoglobin: replenishes iron deficiency and anemia
• Gammaglobulin: immune booster that helps protect against postpartum infections
• Urokinase Inhibiting Factor & Factor XIII: stops bleeding and enhances wound healing
The placenta contains your own natural hormones and is perfectly made for you, by you. Experts agree that the placenta retains hormones. Reintroducing them to your system is believed to ease postpartum and menopausal hormonal fluctuations.
As well as post postpartum depression, lactation stimulation placenta pills as I like to call them are also great to take for menopause. So women take 1/2 their capsules postpartum and stick other 1/2 in your freezer because those bad boys are gold when you are going into stages of menopause. Far more natural for the body than all those cholesterol raising hormone medications.
Placenta Art:
I know this one sounds funny but,
In addition to the medicinal uses, another way that we can bring back the tradition of honor and gratitude toward birth and the role of the placenta is to make artistically beautiful prints with it. They can be printed with the natural placenta blood on acid-free artists paper. Or you can wash placenta off and use paint which seems a tad more tasteful to me! Some families frame them and display their prints as art or others choose to save them as personal keepsakes.
Whatever you choose to do with your placenta is up to you, I just think that it is fascinating what they mean, and the options to reuse such a powerful thing that has so much significance to you and your baby is so cool!
Can't wait to tell you about my encapsulation class, and thanks for reading my adventures in becoming the best Doula I can be one day. Tread lightly!
My Class and all the fun I had... Placenta Power continued!
So today I completed day 2 of the 2 day placenta encapsulation class! I have to say that going into it I was a tad squeamish, but have risen from it placenta spooked out free! I really don't know why I was on the spooked out side since most of you know I have one sitting in my fridge as we speak ;)! But for a minute there something was freaking me out about handling someone elses, and what it is was going to smell like and you know all that weird stuff. But I guess I can work with blood, because I was no where nearly as scared in the thick of it. I touched it stretched it, cut, and encapsulated! The class was super hands on!
The class was held in 2 wonderful gals home which made me feel super comfortable, it made it more like you were at a pals house learning her witchy tricks v.s a stuffy environment where people took it all too serious. The class was full of super rad ladies either in the field or going into the field of Doulaing and Midwifery, pretty much my favorite kind of people!
Having a teacher that was pretty amazing sort of helped. You ever meet someone that when they start talking you think I wish I could pick this person up and put them in my pocket for knowledge, support, and entertainment ;) Like tiny smart friend style... Well this gal was that kind of person for me, I have not met or been taught by someone that I literally just sat and listened to since my environmental biology class in college. Madeline Shernock was outstanding, she was Super Knowledgeable, Hilarious, and had a real sense of Caring to her! Did I mention she is Jewish as well DOuble BounUs! If you are ever interested in a Doula, someday midwife or someone to take classes from I highly recommend seeking her out! Her info will be at the end with a link!
K enough praise, back to the cool stuff! What my instructor did take serious is cleanliness, and I have to say I think more women should be trained on that. It was a breath of fresh air that although she believes there are actual benefits from consuming placenta she kept the facts real! It was not a blowing smoke up your butt situation, it was these are the facts take what you will from them situation. My favorite kind, I am not a radical and I don't learn well from radicals. I learn best from people that are black and white about things! So here is a few notes I took, the stuff I thought was super cool and good for all women who plan to or have their placentas encapsulated for consumption!
*So first off I learned that there is so many different ways so prepare a placenta, that you can do it raw, or you can make tinctures, and salves. I had no idea, I only knew of the TCM which is the traditional Chinese method of cooking dehydrating and encapsulating. I must make it too more of the classes one day because I am so excited to learn more! And don't worry I will be sharing... :)
*The placenta examination is soo telling, for my second daughters home birth my midwife showed me the whole tree idea, but she did not show me that you can see if the child was stressed in the womb, or if your placenta was calcified, or if the water was broke. I mean I could go on.... And I will one day ;)
*Mother roasting which refers to the almost universal practice of keeping mothers warm immediately after the birth and in the weeks that follow. It is believed to seal the gateways, which have been opened by the birth, and to keep wind and cold from entering a vulnerable new mother’s body.
In cultures all over the world, mothers, and thereby babies, have been kept warm through various means. In Malaysia rocks are heated and placed over the new mother’s shrinking abdomen. In other parts of Southeast Asia, new fathers traditionally light a fire that is kept burning for weeks near (or under) the mother’s bed. In still other parts of the world, sand, oil, and herbs are heated and applied to the mother in various fashions. American women, meanwhile, rarely find themselves near a fire after they have their babies, and, more often than not, are offered a cup of ice water and a cold pack for their bottom! It is always important for new mothers to stay warm, especially during these upcoming chilly and windy months.
*People who encapsulate are not herbalists or doctors! We are ladies that should be considered as Expensive Placenta Chefs hired to prepare your placenta! (I like that one)!
*That alternate ways of getting the Iron for post postpartum care if not encapsulating is with sheep placenta that they sell who knew?, or Floradix.
*That you can repair your placenta if it has hole in it by consuming vitamin C.
*That we encapsulate in clients home, which when I think of it makes sooo much more sense.
*That taking the placenta may not work and if it doesn't discontinue and continue later in life perhaps!
*That most hospitals make you jump thru hoops to take home your own placenta, which I think is lame. I also found out the reason why is because hospitals sell placentas for research and make a grip of money from it! Who knew?
*I learned that cleaning, being clean, cleanliness is the way to encapsulate for a safe product! Which won't be hard for me since I have a Type A almost OCD personality! ;)
There is soooo much more but I am having trouble writing it down right now. If I think of more I will update of course but check out post about Placenta power for some more facts and here is a few cool links and pictures for reference!
Placenta info Reference:
http://m.lvsun.com/news/2013/mar/01/unlv-researchers-author-first-ever-scholarly-repor/
History of Placenta Power:
Pharmaceutical uses of placentas go back at least to Hippocrates, and appear in traditional Chinese medicines and European folk remedies. Indigenous people in Brazil reportedly cooked and ate the placenta; for centuries throughout Europe, eating the placenta was thought to encourage milk production. This is not a new idea pals, it was defintaley gone for a minute, but eating placenta is back.
First things first the encapsulation is just that a pill! You a hand a lady a placenta in a baggie and she gives you vitamins. That is all the effort other than taking them you need to make.
Did you know that Placentas have these amazing things in them?
• Prolactin: promotes lactation
• Oxytocin: for pain and bonding; also known as the “love” hormone
• Interferon: stimulates the immune system to protect against infection
• Thyroid Stimulating Hormone: boosts energy and helps recover from stressful events
• Cortisone: combats stress and unlocks stores of energy
• Hemoglobin: replenishes iron deficiency and anemia
• Gammaglobulin: immune booster that helps protect against postpartum infections
• Urokinase Inhibiting Factor & Factor XIII: stops bleeding and enhances wound healing
- Increase iron levels and replace lost vitamins, minerals and protein postpartum
- Give a quicker recovery from birth
- Assist the uterus to return to size
- Prevent the “baby blues” or eliminate or lessen Postpartum Depression or other postpartum mood disorders
- Be helpful during menopause (If you have any capsules left, you may freeze them indefinitely)
The placenta contains your own natural hormones and is perfectly made for you, by you. Experts agree that the placenta retains hormones. Reintroducing them to your system is believed to ease postpartum and menopausal hormonal fluctuations.
As well as post postpartum depression, lactation stimulation placenta pills as I like to call them are also great to take for menopause. So women take 1/2 their capsules postpartum and stick other 1/2 in your freezer because those bad boys are gold when you are going into stages of menopause. Far more natural for the body than all those cholesterol raising hormone medications.
Placenta Art:
I know this one sounds funny but,
In addition to the medicinal uses, another way that we can bring back the tradition of honor and gratitude toward birth and the role of the placenta is to make artistically beautiful prints with it. They can be printed with the natural placenta blood on acid-free artists paper. Or you can wash placenta off and use paint which seems a tad more tasteful to me! Some families frame them and display their prints as art or others choose to save them as personal keepsakes.
Whatever you choose to do with your placenta is up to you, I just think that it is fascinating what they mean, and the options to reuse such a powerful thing that has so much significance to you and your baby is so cool!
Can't wait to tell you about my encapsulation class, and thanks for reading my adventures in becoming the best Doula I can be one day. Tread lightly!
My Class and all the fun I had... Placenta Power continued!
So today I completed day 2 of the 2 day placenta encapsulation class! I have to say that going into it I was a tad squeamish, but have risen from it placenta spooked out free! I really don't know why I was on the spooked out side since most of you know I have one sitting in my fridge as we speak ;)! But for a minute there something was freaking me out about handling someone elses, and what it is was going to smell like and you know all that weird stuff. But I guess I can work with blood, because I was no where nearly as scared in the thick of it. I touched it stretched it, cut, and encapsulated! The class was super hands on!
The class was held in 2 wonderful gals home which made me feel super comfortable, it made it more like you were at a pals house learning her witchy tricks v.s a stuffy environment where people took it all too serious. The class was full of super rad ladies either in the field or going into the field of Doulaing and Midwifery, pretty much my favorite kind of people!
Having a teacher that was pretty amazing sort of helped. You ever meet someone that when they start talking you think I wish I could pick this person up and put them in my pocket for knowledge, support, and entertainment ;) Like tiny smart friend style... Well this gal was that kind of person for me, I have not met or been taught by someone that I literally just sat and listened to since my environmental biology class in college. Madeline Shernock was outstanding, she was Super Knowledgeable, Hilarious, and had a real sense of Caring to her! Did I mention she is Jewish as well DOuble BounUs! If you are ever interested in a Doula, someday midwife or someone to take classes from I highly recommend seeking her out! Her info will be at the end with a link!
K enough praise, back to the cool stuff! What my instructor did take serious is cleanliness, and I have to say I think more women should be trained on that. It was a breath of fresh air that although she believes there are actual benefits from consuming placenta she kept the facts real! It was not a blowing smoke up your butt situation, it was these are the facts take what you will from them situation. My favorite kind, I am not a radical and I don't learn well from radicals. I learn best from people that are black and white about things! So here is a few notes I took, the stuff I thought was super cool and good for all women who plan to or have their placentas encapsulated for consumption!
*So first off I learned that there is so many different ways so prepare a placenta, that you can do it raw, or you can make tinctures, and salves. I had no idea, I only knew of the TCM which is the traditional Chinese method of cooking dehydrating and encapsulating. I must make it too more of the classes one day because I am so excited to learn more! And don't worry I will be sharing... :)
*The placenta examination is soo telling, for my second daughters home birth my midwife showed me the whole tree idea, but she did not show me that you can see if the child was stressed in the womb, or if your placenta was calcified, or if the water was broke. I mean I could go on.... And I will one day ;)
*Mother roasting which refers to the almost universal practice of keeping mothers warm immediately after the birth and in the weeks that follow. It is believed to seal the gateways, which have been opened by the birth, and to keep wind and cold from entering a vulnerable new mother’s body.
In cultures all over the world, mothers, and thereby babies, have been kept warm through various means. In Malaysia rocks are heated and placed over the new mother’s shrinking abdomen. In other parts of Southeast Asia, new fathers traditionally light a fire that is kept burning for weeks near (or under) the mother’s bed. In still other parts of the world, sand, oil, and herbs are heated and applied to the mother in various fashions. American women, meanwhile, rarely find themselves near a fire after they have their babies, and, more often than not, are offered a cup of ice water and a cold pack for their bottom! It is always important for new mothers to stay warm, especially during these upcoming chilly and windy months.
*People who encapsulate are not herbalists or doctors! We are ladies that should be considered as Expensive Placenta Chefs hired to prepare your placenta! (I like that one)!
*That alternate ways of getting the Iron for post postpartum care if not encapsulating is with sheep placenta that they sell who knew?, or Floradix.
*That you can repair your placenta if it has hole in it by consuming vitamin C.
*That we encapsulate in clients home, which when I think of it makes sooo much more sense.
*That taking the placenta may not work and if it doesn't discontinue and continue later in life perhaps!
*That most hospitals make you jump thru hoops to take home your own placenta, which I think is lame. I also found out the reason why is because hospitals sell placentas for research and make a grip of money from it! Who knew?
*I learned that cleaning, being clean, cleanliness is the way to encapsulate for a safe product! Which won't be hard for me since I have a Type A almost OCD personality! ;)
There is soooo much more but I am having trouble writing it down right now. If I think of more I will update of course but check out post about Placenta power for some more facts and here is a few cool links and pictures for reference!
Placenta info Reference:
http://m.lvsun.com/news/2013/mar/01/unlv-researchers-author-first-ever-scholarly-repor/
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