We’re hired by families across the Triangle just like yours to encapsulate their placenta following birth. Often times, birthing people have questions about our process, and about placenta encapsulation, in general. 

Today we’re discussing our top three most commonly talked about topics with a fun game of “Two Truths and a Lie”. Except (Spoiler Alert!) we’ll make this easy for you and tell you which is which as we go along!

Truth #1: Transporting your placenta home, and keeping it safe for encapsulation is easy.

SO EASY. When you decide to encapsulate your placenta, we’ll provide you with a discreet transport kit and a set of detailed instructions for safe storage until we’re ready to begin. Clients, your doula team will bring a  transportation kit to your 36-week prenatal meeting, or we’ll mail it to you! See? So. Easy. 

Just place the kit in your birth bag, and bring it with you to your hospital or birth center on the Big Day! 

Once your baby (and placenta!) is born, your nurse or doula can help you package your placenta within the transport kit and get it ready for the journey to your house. That’s right… Your house!

We give you peace of mind and uphold a strict standard of safety by only encapsulating in your own home. Your placenta, your kitchen, your “germs” (and germ family!). 

Truth #2: You’ll have a very clean kitchen (and a boost of confidence) when we’re all done. 

Speaking of your home, you might be wondering… but, what about clean up? You just had a baby, after all and cleaning your kitchen shouldn’t be on your list of worries. 

Before we begin processing your placenta for encapsulation, your placenta specialist will happily wash and put away dishes, before we carefully sanitize your countertops and sink, as an area we’ll use as a workspace. 

And when we’re all done? We’ll clean it all up again! In addition to your capsules (and detailed suggested intake instructions), you’ll be left with a sparkling clean kitchen! 

Plus (if you’re home and feeling up for a visit), your placenta specialist is also an experienced doula who’s happy to spend time chatting with you, listening and answering questions about your recovery and your newborn, and normalizing those big feelings that happen in the first few days!

Okay, here’s the lie: Placenta Encapsulation is a Magic Pill for preventing postpartum depression. 

While it’s often talked about as a “cure” for postpartum depression, we want to be super clear about this part.

Placenta Encapsulation is not a cure-all for a perinatal mood disorder.

It’s certainly one (really great) part of an overall healthy postpartum recovery experience. But, it should never replace a medication recommended by your physician, nor should it be thought of as an absolute, singular preventative for a perinatal mood disorder.

There aren’t currently any peer-reviewed data or double-blind studies on the benefits of placenta encapsulation (it’s hard to create a solid study on a substance which changes from pregnancy to pregnancy, and differs from person to person!). However, there is a lot of positive feedback, especially from parents who didn’t encapsulate with previous pregnancies and who did with a subsequent child. They report feeling overall just “better” or having more energy. They report that it helps establish an abundant milk supply and that their mood feels more stable. 

Combining the anecdotal evidence of these benefits with a well-supported postpartum recovery period (say, with a postpartum doula’s guidance, or with your friends and family’s help on standby) and it’s easier to understand why so many people who choose placenta encapsulation feel like maybe there is a little magic to it afterall. 

If you’re considering placenta encapsulation, we’d love to hear from you! Contact us anytime to schedule a consult and we can discuss any and all of the benefits and questions you might have.