We are thrilled to announce that Janice is in the midst of her Placenta Encapsulation Specialist training, and will be adding this incredible service to her doula work in January 2017!
The placenta: best friend to your baby
for 9 months, the transient organ you miraculously grew to support
life, the main ingredient in pills you ingest postpartum?!
It might be an odd thought when you
consider placenta encapsulation - even I admit I was grossed out by a
friend years ago who got hers done – shhhhhhh BUT I’ve seen many
dogs and cats birth their babies and eat their placentas and kind of
thought ‘well, they do it’… Ingesting your placenta is now a
growing trend, even celebrities are doing it!
After my
experience postpartum, maybe ingesting my placenta would have helped
my body level out hormone levels, prevent the hives that came up and
make my milk not take 5 days to come in.
Maybe. But would I pay
someone to come into my home, prepare my placenta, dehydrate it,
grind it and put it into capsules for me to take IF it meant I never
had to go through that? YES! A resounding yes. So if you think it is
trendy or healthy or natural, whatever your take on the process,
would you consider it to as a preventative measure for a known health
issue?
There is not a lot of research behind
placenta encapsulation and should be noted that much of the
information online comes entirely from women who have tried it
themselves. Traditionally the pills are taken by the mother shortly
after birth and can be stored to take when your menstrual cycle
returns. Also it can be made into a tincture for help with menopause
symptoms.
Among these possible health benefits
are:
Increased oxytocin levels
helps the uterus return to normal
size
decreased postpartum bleeding
encourages mother/baby bonding
Increased CRH, a stress reducing
hormone
Increased milk production
Increased energy levels
Decreased in post-partum
depression and anxiety
Decreased insomnia or sleep
disorders
Balancing postnatal hormones
Restoration of iron levels in the
blood
There are currently no known negative
side effects to ingesting the placenta. However, some mothers
experience dizziness, headaches, engorgement and even become
hyperactive. These symptoms can easily be remedied by lowering and/or
changing the timing of the dosage given to the mother by her
certified placenta specialist. Each placenta is unique to each mother
and baby and can affect each women differently.
Placenta encapsulation is an
alternative option for a healthy postpartum and it is an amazing and
natural alternative to antidepressant and antianxiety medications.
Whether it is just a fad and has a placebo effect on you and make you
feel like super mom, if it can give you extra energy and a great milk
supply, why not? If you have experienced post-partum depression or
anxiety in the past why not try to prevent it.
When in doubt I’m
sure you will get a good laugh out of your family and friends
reactions to eating your placenta! I bet they will think twice next
time you invite them over for dinner.
xoxo
Janice
We have so many amazing things in store for you all for 2017 and wanted to share just a few things that we have on the go with the team!
