Frequently Asked Questions Regarding All-Things-Placenta
HOW ARE THE PILLS PREPARED?
Turning the raw material of your placenta into a supplement you can take by mouth involves steaming, dehydrating, and grinding it, then putting the resulting powder into empty capsules. What is handed back to you after processing looks like a bottle of vitamin pills. When I process your placenta, I dry the cord into a beautiful keepsake for you. To learn more about the benefits of this practice, read about it here.
DO YOU ADD HERBS TO THE CAPSULES?
No, the only thing in your capsules will be the placenta. If you want to use herbs, I recommend they be taken separately, and probably not as capsules. Teas and tinctures are usually a far more effective delivery method for herbal medicine.
HOW DO YOU ENSURE SAFETY IN THE PREPARATION PROCESS?
I carefully sanitize all equipment after each use and apply universal precautions when handling the placenta, for your health and mine. I only ever encapsulate one placenta at a time, so you never have to worry about cross-contamination or receiving someone else’s placenta pills.
WHAT IF DRUGS ARE USED IN LABOR?
This is a largely unresearched area of placentophagy (consumption of the placenta). It is known that some drugs do cross the placenta (if they affect the baby they must cross the placenta), while other substances are filtered out by the mother’s blood/ kidneys/ urine.
There is no specific evidence that having exposure to anesthesia or antibiotics during labor negatively impacts the choice to consume the placenta after birth— but again, there have not been many studies about this.
As with all of the decisions made throughout the childbearing experience, you must also make a personal choice about this. Many feel that the benefits that placenta consumption offers outweigh potential drawbacks, but only you will be living with the decision.
HOW LONG HAVE YOU BEEN ENCAPSULATING PLACENTAS?
I have been providing this service since 2009 and have always had satisfied customers.
WHAT IS AN ART PRINT?
The appearance of a placenta is often likened to that of a tree; the veins running through it are reminiscent of roots, with the cord rising up from it like a trunk. An art print can convey this impression of the placenta as a tree of life, and is made by holding your placenta against watercolor paper to capture an image of it, using blood as the “ink” and the placenta like a giant rubber stamp. There is no way to tell how it will come out, but it produces a beautiful image to forever remind you of the life it nourished. No two are ever alike. Please let me know if you’d like this added to your service. The extra cost is $10, and it’s only available as an addition to the basic service.
HOW MANY CAPSULES WILL MY PLACENTA MAKE?
That depends on the size of your placenta, which depends on the size of your baby. Most placentas weigh about 20% of that of the baby, and yield between 3-5 week’s worth of capsules, when taken according to directions.
HOW FAR AHEAD OF TIME DO I NEED TO ARRANGE THIS SERVICE WITH YOU?
You can call or text once your baby is born to see if I am available, or contact me in advance to make prior arrangements. Establishing a connection early will help to ensure I’ll be available to help with your placenta at the time of delivery.
HOW DO I STORE THE PLACENTA BEFORE GIVING IT TO YOU FOR ENCAPSULATION?
Keep the placenta under refrigerated conditions. If it won’t be possible for me to receive your placenta right away (within 48 hours), keep frozen.
I’M PLANNING A HOSPITAL BIRTH. HOW DO I REQUEST MY PLACENTA BE SAVED FOR ME?
If you are birthing in a hospital, you will need to let the staff know that you are keeping your placenta, otherwise it will be disposed of. You do not have to share what you plan to do with it. It belongs to you, and it’s your right to keep it.
The exception to this is if your physician sends the placenta to the laboratory to be studied for pathology. This happens sometimes when certain problems arise at the time of birth that require further investigation. I’ve never known anyone to get their placenta back once this has happened.
When requesting to save your placenta, you will likely be told it cannot be kept in your room after birth. Prepare for this by bringing a small cooler with you to the hospital, so it can be kept on ice in your car until it is handed off to me. The staff will place it in a Tupperware-type of container for you, and the hospital can supply ice.
HOW MUCH DOES PLACENTA ENCAPSULATION COST?
I charge $275 for the basic service, plus $10 for an art print, if you choose to have that done.
DO YOU OFFER PICK-UP AND DELIVERY?
If you are also a midwifery client, this is included in the service because I will be seeing you anyway. In general I don’t charge for pick-up or delivery within Anchorage. For locations outside of Anchorage, I do charge additional fees ($25 each way) to pick up the placenta and/or drop off finished capsules. If there is a family member or friend who can coordinate the hand-off with me in Anchorage, that is always preferable. (This is a great answer to give to people who say “let me know if there’s anything I can do to help.” Well, actually….)
BESIDES ENCAPSULATING IT, WHAT ELSE CAN I DO WITH MY PLACENTA?
It can be buried with something special planted over it, like a tree or lilac bush, to commemorate the beautiful purpose it served in nourishing new life. You can also donate it to local authorities for use in training Search and Rescue dogs, or you can choose to dispose of it.
Some people cut the raw placenta into pieces and freeze it to add to smoothies, though this does not help to convey the same warming benefits found in other preparation methods. Many traditions warn against postpartum women ingesting cold, raw foods.
You can expect a huge surge of energy if you consume the placenta all at once. Many people who have eaten it that way report that it felt overwhelming. Taking capsules over time can produce a more steady supply of energy, and the act of doing so can even serve as an ongoing reminder of all the healing work the body is busy doing during the weeks following baby’s birth.
WHERE CAN I LEARN MORE?
It is difficult to find good, scientific information about the risks and benefits of placentophagy. Many mothers describe an instinctual knowing that they want to ingest their placentas and follow that urge.
Here are a few links you can explore for more information:
1. Placenta as Lactagagon
Soykova-Pachnerova E, et. al.(1954). Gynaecologia 138(6):617-627:
https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/14366423/
2. Effects of placentophagy on serum prolactin and progesterone concentrations in rats after parturition or superovulation.
Blank MS, Friesen HG.: J Reprod Fertil. 1980 Nov;60(2):273-8:
https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/7431335/
3. Placenta for Pain Relief:Placenta ingestion by rats enhances y- and n-opioid antinociception, but suppresses A-opioid antinociception
Jean M. DiPirro*, Mark B. Kristal:
https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/15212988/
Thank you to Jessica Ruediger for her contribution of these resources.