Placenta Encapsulation

The placenta is a remarkable organ. It is an organ, just like your liver, kidneys or heart. But it’s the only organ the human body can grow when needed and remove when its job is done. And then your body can grow a new one when needed again. Your bag of waters, growing out of the margins of the placenta, is your baby’s home for many months, with your placenta providing everything your baby needs to grow and thrive. As Williams Obstetrics puts it, “It may not be pretty to look at, but it's the most beautiful organ there is.”

placenta illustration

So what happens when your body and your baby no longer need their placenta? If you are giving birth in the hospital the fate of your placenta is something you may never think about. The placenta will be examined after the birth and then sent away to be incinerated as medical waste. If you are birthing at home, you will have to decide how to dispose of it yourself. But instead of getting rid of it, it is possible to keep your placenta and do something productive with it if you wish.

Some people bury their placenta deep in the earth, perhaps planting a tree or shrub over it that their child can visit in the future. Some use ink and paper to preserve the image of the placenta’s beautiful treelike structure.

Others use their placenta the way almost all mammals that live and birth on land do: support the mother after the birth by consuming it. Many people believe that ingesting the placenta can help rebuild a mother’s blood supply, help increase her milk production, help her feel better after childbirth and reduce the risk of postpartum depression.

You can take advantage of what your placenta has to offer without having to deal with it raw or use it all up immediately after the birth. It can be dried and prepared in capsules that you can take as a supplement in the days and weeks after the birth of your baby.

Encapsulation may be done in your home or mine. It should be done soon, though. Best results will be obtained if the placenta is prepared within a few days of the birth. You can bring your placenta home from the hospital in a plastic ice cream tub-sized container or doubled, freezer-strength, large ziplock bags. It should be kept refrigerated, but ideally not frozen. If you have a frozen placenta you'd like to use, please contact me to discuss it.

You don’t need to be a doula client to take advantage of Lucina placenta services. Please contact me for more information about preparation methods, printmaking or any other thoughts you have about how to honour or make use of your amazing placenta.

Fees

$200 to prepare in your home (requires two visits) or to pick up the placenta from you and drop off the finished capsules at your home
$175 if someone brings your placenta to me and picks up the finished capsules
$150 for doula clients, regardless of place of preparation

Media

The Toronto Star: What to do with an old placenta

Disclaimer:
I am not a licensed medical professional and I am not able to diagnose, treat or prescribe for any health condition. Services and fees are for the preparation and encapsulation of your placenta, not for the sale of the pills. No specific benefits or effects are promised. It is your responsibility to determine whether using placenta preparations may be of benefit to you.