I decided this pregnancy that I would encapsulate the placenta… In the world of Natural birth and parenting it is becoming more and more a common thing to do and even in the mainstream world it is getting to be known…. it is rich in Iron and protein and other vitamins and minerals, and full of hormones such as Oxytocin and Estrogen… all that make it a great way to help the Uterus go back to normal, boost milk supply, prevent anaemia and regulate hormones after birth which helps fight off post-partum depression. From those who have done it I have not heard a bad comment, only praise…
I looked at websites once in a while and thought about the process somewhat but I didn’t act on anything until about two weeks ago when I woke up and realized that I needed capsules… So I enquired around and found out that I could only buy large quantities so I hesitated on ordering… then one of the local health food stores called me soon after asking if I wanted to buy some leftovers from someone else’s order… it was perfect…
When I went to pick them up, the owner of the store enquired about what I was going to be doing them and was intrigued when I told her… she asked about the process, and when it came to drying, she asked about how I was going to do that. I told her that I would most likely be using the oven since I don’t have a dehydrator and then she offered to lend me her Excalibur dehydrator… I said yes right away… especially since I have been wanting to buy one for a long time now and it is a great way to try it out first…
So, when Wilhelmina was born I called the store and my mom picked it up for me…
So the Process started…
Here is the Placenta in all of its glory…
After I trimmed the membrane and cord I cut it up and put it in the blender…
then spread it out on the drying sheet and dehydrated it for about 6 hours until it was brittle… (I forgot to take pics) but this is what it looked like after coming out…
Wilhelmina was born with a true knot in her cord, so I thought it would be a good keepsake to make a heart with her cord using the knot as the middle…
The dried placenta then went into the food processor to grind up as much as it could…
then onto the mortar and pestle to do the rest….
Then it was time to encapsulate…
In all I got 129 capsules from it…
Last night I took two and soon after I passed a large blood clot and my after pains started to subside… though it could be coincidence, because of the presence of oxytocin in placenta, I feel that it was directly related…
I took two this morning and I have felt a large boot of energy today also… I have never felt like this so soon after birth before…
The process itself was very easy and I am so glad that I did it…
I don’t think it a coincidence either. Placenta encapsulation is something I really want to do after my births. How long did the whole process take?
I did it over two days… yesterday, I prepared, dehydrated, crushed it in the food processor and started to encapsulate and today finished crushing what the food processor could not by hand and finished encapsulating…
The longest thing to do was the encapsulating because I did it one by one… however you can buy a kit that makes that a lot easier and it is really not expensive…
wow! the knot in the cord made into a keepsake heart?!?!!? absolutely fabulous. i read Emma on Facebook doing this same thing and am in love with the idea! amazing amazing amazing. keep on sharing, melissa! i send newly pregnant friends to your blog whenever i can. none of them have ever heard of many of the things you do: baby wearing, EC’ing, etc… so glad you’re getting the word out on what’s natural. we seem to be far away from listening to our intuition these days… glad you are here to remind us! 🙂
I love the wee little nose and fist sticking up out of the sling! So beautiful. I’m really glad you’re trying placental encapsulations, looking forward to your observations and comments about your experiance with it.
The cord shaped into the heart is way cool.
Though some people might look on this as a rather unpleasant practice, I actually support it. It’s what typically happens in the natural world, after all (though most animals don’t get the chance to dry out and powder the placenta :p), and it’s well-known for giving creatures additional strength and nutrients after the taxing process of giving birth. Kudos to you for doing it!
First time here. Love the heart in the umbilical cord, love the picture of your placenta. I powdered and ate much of my placenta too. I should have done capsules. An acupuncturist dried and powdered it and added it to yummy powdered herbs like licorice and I liked the *idea* and the first few spoonfuls but after awhile each bite carried too much mental imagery and thus…the gag reflex.
Also, congratulations on your little girl!
Wow. Instead of being totally grossed out, I am totally awestruck! I would love to do this, and I think when I have a baby I’ll do the same. 🙂 You rock!
Hi there, I just saw this and saw that you are in Montreal…I am off to reading your blog now because I live in Montreal too and am having my first baby in May.
..But I was wondering if you would want to do encapsulation for me or know someone who would? I hope to hear back, thanks!!
Cool! I did this after Brodie and ended up with about 500. Not sure if I just had a huge placenta or what! lol!
Hi…i live in mtl as well and I am looking for someone to encapsulate for me. Im due with twins in the next 4 wks. I have two placentas and I’m sure i wont have time to take care of this. Can any one help? If so, please email me at d_geisha@hotmail.com.
I was wondering how my partner and i should transport the placenta? Does it need to be kept on ice after being birthed? Do the hospitals prepare a take home placenta bag? Any advice is appreciated.
I am planning to buy a dehydrator of my own at one point and I think I am seriously considering on providing the service as it seems many people would love to have it done. Perhaps, I will be looking into that more when I come back from my trip.
Diana, talk to the hospital before the birth, most hospitals see it as “hazardous waste” so they may be hesitant. Usually they want to look at the placenta in the lab, make sure that they don
Ive passed on tons of info about placenta encapsulating to expecting friends of mine (all due in the next 6 months)…im sure a few will be interested. It would be great if i could recommend it as a service…i would have put this on my baby registry if it was possible. I have a doctors appt next wk and will ask my doc what my options are. thank you for getting back to me.
your daughter is so precious. Her little smaile melts my heart.
have a good trip:-) cant wait for your posts.
I think i’m going to do this when i have another baby, i was going to keep my placenta after my last baby and either make smoothies or cook it in the slow cooker but when the time came i wasn’t really thinking about the placenta, i think next time i’ll write it in my birth plan.
🙂
what temp do you bake it in the oven at?
and for how long?
Sorry, I didn’t use an oven, I used a dehydrator at a high setting. But I have heard/read that you can use an oven at a very low temp and it takes quite a bit of time. You need to dry it until it becomes hard and brittle.
Hi there,
I’m wondering if this can still be done if the lotus method is used. I think it could take 3 to 10 days for the placenta and cord to naturally fall off of baby. Could one still bake the placenta after all of this time and then encapsulate?
If not, how much time can the placenta be left out (not attached to baby)before drying begins? And is drying done in the oven/dehydrator or does it air dry first and then get heated?
Thanks for the post, this is a wonderful idea.
I have heard of people using a small cooler with icepacks etc to hold the placenta cold and fresh for a few days until the cord falls off, however, I don’t think that it can/should be held off for too long if you plan on encapsulatiung because it can and will spoil after a few days. However, of you can keep the placenta cold then you can always wait a day or two and cut the cord when it completly dried out and shriveled. It may not be a complete lotus birth but it may be a good comprimise.
I also wouldn’t leave the placenta out for too long either. You could either start the drying right away or refridgerate/freeze until you are ready. I did the drying in a dehydrator, I don’t think that air drying would work well for a placenta.
I have mad insane respect for you lady.
@ paxye:
I am due in the beginning of may 2011 and was interested in encapsulating. Have you thought about doing this as a service? How much do you charge?
I’m from malaysia, i was planning to do this for my wife as she is giving birth next month, but in my country no people really pratice it. Even my parent this the idea is crazy, but thank you so so much as your side have lot of infor. i have few question,
1.after we wash te placenta clean and cut the coil off, i put in to a blander right? how fine do i need to bland it? would it become water like?
2.Beside using a dehydrator, is there any other way to dry it in case if i cant get a dehydrator?
3.I dont quite understand the last process, how do u make into powder form?
It would be much help and i would really thank you so so much. kindly send me as much infor as posible. once again your side is really great
Hi Keith,
1: It does not become water like but more of a meaty paste. You can spread it on the dehydrator sheet with holes and it will not seep through.
2: You can use an oven at the lowest setting with the door slightly open. Spread it on a pan and start the process by using a non-stick sheet and then when it starts getting dry you can take it off the sheet and put it directly on the pan. You do not want to bake it, but just get all of the moisture out.
3. The last part is when it is completely dry it will be in brittle sheets… you can use a food processor, blender or a mortar and pestal to crush and powder those sheets so that you can then put it in the capsules. I have heard that some people just rip off small pieces of the brittle sheets and swallow them like that instead of powdering it.
I hope that answers some of your questions.
@ Keith Ng: Hi, I am also from Malaysia and come across this website. Saw your post, based on your comments date i presume that your wifey already delivered safely, have you tried to encapsulate her placenta?
yes my wife have delivered safety, it a big healthy baby girl, i haven’t try it yet as my wife deliver at my home town sabah, and we dont have all the equiment, so i have frozen it as per time been, but i have been trying with oven with other food, so that i wouldn’t make mistake on the real one ^^
parenting is fun, see baby cry, feed them milk, etc etc and they grow up so fast every month is different
will post again once i have done it and i have succesfully done it or not
Hi there, could you please tell me more about the dehydrating phase? I mean, did you just put it on a baking paper and left it there to dry or did you put the all thing in a cupboard, in the oven? Not sure I have understood it well enough ^^
Last question: do you how long after the birth we can do that and how to store it until being able to actually encapsulate it?
Many thanks in advance if you can help!