PLACENTA ENCAPSULATION
By now, most everyone who's pregnant has heard of placenta encapsulation. If you're here, it's pretty likely you've already heard of it, too! Perhaps you have a friend or loved one who encapsulated, and they urged you to look into it. Or maybe you've heard about it through the grapevine and you're a little curious. Either way, we're here to answer all of your questions about encapsulation, the process and the benefits that it may provide you...
Your Placenta Encapsulation Team
Courtney Scott, LM CPM
Hi! I'm Courtney, and I'm here to answer all of your questions about encapsulation. You'll mostly communicate with me via phone and email, since I handle all of the admin and background tasks. I'm a midwife, mother of two and placentas are my favorite!
Marissa Lavroff, PES
Hi! I'm Marissa, and I'm here to support you in postpartum wellness. I'm the one who picks up your placenta from your birth location, processes it and returns it to you in a palatable form. I'm a mother of one (soon to be two) and I'm honored to encapsulate for you!
Is Courtney your midwife or doula?
All families who are birthing with Courtney as their midwife or birth doula monitrice will receive a $50 discount on placenta encapsulation services.
Need more information?
A Little Background...
Documentation of the use of the placenta can be found in various cultures throughout history - with the most resources coming from Traditional Chinese Medicine, where the placenta is considered an herb or medicine. In more recent history, there has been a surge of pregnant people who have begun consuming their placentas after birth in hopes of having a better recovery, staving off postpartum depression and increasing milk supply. The placenta is a blood organ, which means it's incredibly rich in iron and other nutrients, as well as hormones, that collectively provide a positive postpartum transition and experience for most people who consume their placentas after birth. Studies show that iron deficiency contributes to depression, so by replenishing nutrients lost in childbirth with placenta, those who encapsulate can get a leg up in increasing energy and balancing their hormones.
So, does it work?
We have limited "scientific data" to back up claims that placenta consumption has positive benefits, aka double blind studies, clinical trials, etc. However, we do have a substantial amount of survey data that shows that around 95% of people report a positive or very positive experience with encapsulation! And only 1% of those surveyed report a non-positive experience.
What are the TOP benefits people report from consuming their placentas?
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Increased Energy
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Improved Mood
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Better Healing & Recovery
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Greater Milk Supply
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Feeling More Balanced
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Overall More Positive Postpartum Experience
What do placenta encapsulation services entail?
The role of the placenta encapsulation specialist is to prepare your placenta into a more easily consumable form. The most common way that people consume their placentas these days is in pill form, although there are many ways to prepare and consume a placenta. You can read more about the various preparation methods below...
The service we provide includes pickup of your placenta from your birth location, preparation of your placenta in your preferred method, and delivery of your prepared placenta products back to you as soon as they are ready. Marissa goes on-call for you until your baby and placenta are born. As soon as the birth has occurred, someone at your birth will notify Marissa and she will pick up your placenta ASAP to begin processing.
Step 1:
Choose one encapsulation preparation method...
Placenta Capsules.....................$275
Whole placenta smoothies...$250
Loose placenta powder...........$225
Step 2:
Choose as many optional add-on placenta services as you like...
Placenta smoothie cubes (one to two week supply)..........................$30
Placenta tincture, 4oz.................$30
Placenta salve, 4oz.......................$30
Placenta print..................................free
Umbilical cord keepsake............free
Custom Watercolor Print.........$20
(see examples below)
Postpartum Add-Ons:
Choose as many optional add-on postpartum services as you like...
Postpartum Belly Binding.........$75
Vaginal Steam Herbs...................$20
Learn more about each of the services offered.
Placenta Services...
Placenta Encapsulation (Capsules/Pills): This method of preparing the placenta involves dehydrating the placenta until all of the moisture is removed. The placenta is then ground into a powder and encapsulated into vegetarian capsules for easy consumption.
Whole Placenta Smoothies: This is a great option for those who only want to have placenta smoothies. Your placenta is prepared raw into individually wrapped, frozen placenta cubes to add to smoothies. Anytime you need a raw placenta boost, blend your smoothie with a placenta cube! The number of frozen cubes depends on the size of your placenta. *This method does not involve capsules.*
Loose Placenta Powder: Not a fan of swallowing pills? Loose placenta powder is great for adding to smoothies and food!
Add-On Placenta Services...
Placenta Smoothies, 12 Cubes: This add-on service provides you with individually wrapped, frozen placenta cubes for 6-12 days worth of smoothies (one to two smoothies per day).
Placenta Tincture, 4oz: The placenta tincture is another way to reap the physical benefits from the placenta besides capsule form. Tinctures are mainly meant for energy, transition, stress, and hormone stabilization. They are great for returning menstrual cycles, menopause, and even the puberty of your daughter(s). Relatives on the maternal line of the birthing mom can also benefit from the tincture as it has an almost indefinite shelf life if stored properly. The tincture is made from a thumbnail size piece of raw placenta and high-grade alcohol, steeped for 6 weeks postpartum and then strained. It is stored in a 4oz dropper bottle.
Placenta Salve, 4oz: The placenta salve has many uses. It is used to heal the Cesarean section incision after the wound is closed and to reduce scarring, itching and discomfort. The salve can also be used as soon as 3 days postpartum for mom and baby to soothe hemorrhoids, perineal tears, diaper rash, eczema, sun burns, skin irritations, sore nipples, as an intensive moisturizer and for general healing & skin care. The placenta salve is a blend of organic coconut oil, almond oil, beeswax, olive oil infused with calendula, olive oil infused with comfrey, olive oil infused with plantain and lavender essential oil.
Placenta Prints, Umbilical Cord Keepsake: Placenta prints and cord keepsakes are a great way to commemorate the beauty of the placenta and to honor the special role it played in your baby's growth and development. These add-on services are free with any other placenta services. Placenta prints are made paint-free on watercolor paper. The umbilical cord is preserved as a heart-shaped keepsake.
Custom Watercolor Placenta Print: This is a customized printing of your placenta in watercolor. These prints are great to frame and display in your baby's nursery or treasured as a keepsake from the pregnancy. Please note, watercolor prints will vary in their appearance - each print is a unique piece of art. The watercolor print is made on a 11 x 14 acid-free art paper and created in such a way that the paint does not come into direct contact with the placenta, keeping your placenta sanitary and safe for consumption/encapsulation. You may choose up to three colors on the pallet below for your print. You can also see some examples of watercolor prints below.
Add-On Postpartum Services...
Traditional Bandage Belly Binding:
When Marissa returns your placenta capsules, she will do your first belly binding. During this time, a support person should be available to receive one-on-one instruction on how to do future bindings for the rest for the two week duration. The mother will be given a total of 2 bandages, bandage tape and verbal/demonstrated belly binding instructions. Written instructions will be given upon request. Traditional Bandage Binding is done with large elastic bandages that are wrapped back and forth around the woman's waistline and secured with medical tape. The bandages are lightweight and breathable enough to be worn under clothes and while sleeping at night, but also have enough elastic to achieve the desired fit. This binding is a gentle binding - it is not super tight like a girdle or corset. Extra tight bindings prevent your muscles from functioning properly during their healing time. The gentle Traditional Bandage Binding supports your muscles in both healing AND functioning properly. The benefits of belly binding include the following: helps your uterus return to its pre-pregnancy size, helps your abdominal muscles heal together correctly, helps your organs relocate themselves in your abdomen, decreases postpartum bleeding and reduces hemorrhaging, provides support and posture assistance during breastfeeding, prevents cold (imbalance) from entering the woman's body, gives the woman a sense of "togetherness," security and comfort. You can read more about postpartum belly binding here.
Postpartum Vaginal Steam Plan & Herbs:
Includes postpartum vaginal steam herbal blend (enough to steam once per day for two weeks), postpartum vaginal steam plan, vaginal steam setup guidance & instruction. Vaginal steaming after birth helps your perineum heal, reduces hemorrhoids, reduces the overall length of postpartum bleeding and decreases the risk of vaginal infection post-birth. You can read more about vaginal steaming here.
Marlo S.
"I had an incredible new mom experience - with a great milk supply, high energy level and generally just felt happy. I was worried from what some of my friends had told me would be the hardest months of my life - but I enjoyed every minute and I know these pills helped."
Krystal P
"It was definitely worth the cost! If I have another baby I would definitely do it again. My pills helped my postpartum bleeding, overall healing, and energy! I always knew when it was time to take my next dose, and after I took it I would feel better within an hour or so!"