I am so sad to see these magical pills go. They have been a source of comfort since coming home from the hospital. It may be a case of mind over matter, regardless encapsulating my placenta was one of the best decisions I made post pregnancy!
The custom of consuming the placenta, often done as placental encapsulation, is centuries old, practiced most often in Chinese medicine and has been gaining popularity in the United States the past decade. Placental encapsulation can be prepared by steam, dehydration, or ground, and then placed into pill capsules to be consumed. Traditionally, this is taken by the mother and is believed to impart numerous health benefits.
There are few scientific studies conducted on placental encapsulation and the benefits of the practice have not been conclusively supported. In doing my research I found mainly anecdotes from women versus any hard research. However, the fact that our body produces this organ that nurtures our baby in the womb is all the research I needed, and chose to proceed with my placental encapsulation after birth.
Among these possible benefits are:
Increased release of the hormone oxytocin, which helps the uterus return to normal size and encourages bonding with the infant
Increase in CRH, a stress-reducing hormone
Decrease in post-partum depression levels
Restoration of iron levels in the blood
Increase in milk production
After doing my research I found a service in Brooklyn that would take the placenta post birth and encapsulate for you. I was so happy to have found Brooklyn Placenta Services, the staff was so nice, supportive, responsive, and helpful. Everything you need as a new mom going through this process the first time.
My pills were hand delivered to me at the hospital; my placenta had yielded about 110 pills. I started taking them about 5 days postpartum and I noticed a difference immediately. My hormones were out of control when we got home from the hospital, I would break into tears spontaneously, sometimes because I was so tired, sometimes out of joy, sometimes because I was realizing how difficult motherhood was, but often times I didn’t know the hell why I was crying. Once I started to take the pills by mood evened out and the peaks between the highs and lows leveled off. I also got bursts of energy which helped me in the mornings and afternoon when sleep denervation seemed to be the worst. Some other personal benefits I noticed:
I have yet to be sick since giving birth
Energy increases
I have not had issues with milk supply
Clear skin
I would recommend placenta encapsulation to any mom hands down. It was one of the best decisions I made and will be doing it again the next time around. For now, I must say goodbye to these magic pills.