Has anyone had placenta capsules made?

[hellosailor]

And if so did you feel they were beneficial? X

[Strawbs]

I have just been reading up on this very thing! Did anyone PM you about it? thanks,x

[Grotty]

What is a placenta capsule?

[Saffron]

Some people believe the placenta provides health benefits etc for the mother after giving birth, so you can have it made into capsules if you don't fancy chowing down on it raw and pulsing (cooking would kill off the nutrients) while you're wiping the birth sweat from your forehead and having your nipple shredding by a newborn suckerfish as DH blubs down the phone to your in-laws and you wonder if it's too late to ask for the pethidine.

My friend K put hers in the freezer at home. Didn't fancy it on the day. Thought about it ~1 year later, and took it out to defrost. Changed her mind after it melted, so she stuck it back in the freezer! Still there to this day for all I know. Never know when you might fancy some placenta for a midnight snack? Should have had it made into capsules...

[EmilyPie]

Saffron that's hilarious!

[Piaf]

What EmilyPie said!

[canela]

my sister calmly tucked into hers with a knife and fork, whilst being watched by in-laws not knowing which way to look!

[scareyt]

My sister's vegan friend wanted to eat hers, but couldn't bring herself to deal with it raw. So my sister fried it up for her with some onions. I felt slightly queasy eating anything in her house for a long time afterwards!

[wellington]

I haven't had capsules made but did have a smoothie after my second little one was born. Personally, I felt it was very beneficial and felt far better emotionally and physically than after my first and third were born.

[Honoroaky]

I did!! It was definitely beneficial for me - much more energy and milk and loads more emotionally stable! The lady that did mine is a local doula - Jesusa Ricoy: http://placentanetwork.com/specialist/jesusa-ricoy-olariaga/

She was brilliant (got my capsules about 48 hours after giving birth) and I would definitely recommend her.

[Strawbs]

thanks for the rec, I have sent her an email. xx

[Saffron]

Does anyone know if eating the placenta would be contraindicated if you've had synthetic oxytocin to reduce postpartum haemorrhage and hasten placental delivery? (Or any other hormone-induced delivery?)

The body's own natural oxytocin binds to oxytocin receptors in the placenta, as does synthetic oxytocin. However, synthetic oxytocin interacts a little differently with the receptors, and is known to have side effects not associated with the natural release of the body's own oxytocin. These side effects are rare but can actually be the opposite of those associated with the action of natural oxytocin.

Whereas natural oxytocin is associated with bonding and the initiation of breastfeeding, side effects of synthetic oxytocin can include feeling disconnected and difficulty establishing early feeds, as well as precipitating postpartum depression.

So if you've had a bad reaction to hormone-induced or hormone-managed labour, maybe it's best to avoid eating the placenta in order not to ingest another 'dose' of the synthetic hormones? Not sure. Just food for thought - no pun intended!

[GinaG3]

I've always been interested in this too. I've looked in to the costs and a fair bit of research but am left with a feeling of not being able to trust someone not to poison me. Its a big thing for me to allow someone 'unqualified' to make up a batch of capsules in their kitchen, where your unaware of the cleanliness etc. We are a long way off there being a service that is covered by rules, regulation and training. Then again, maybe I'm just a control freak? My partner thinks I'm mad for even considering but I have health issues that I believe it would help, that outweighs the squeamishness of it for me.

My mum kept her placenta in the freezer for about a year after the birth of my brother in 2008, then one day she planted it in the garden in the spot her was born and planted a tree in the same spot. I'll never forget any of it, from the birth, to the placenta filled freezer, to digging the hole. All felt very strange as a 10 year old!

[devsdev]

Presuming you didn't mean 2008 GinaG3?!

There's something on that website about a prohibition notice being issued against the preparation of raw placenta products (http://placentanetwork.com/dbc-vs-ipen-environmental-health-office-prohibition-notice/).

General question - would making capsules be possible after a c-section? Presumably not since the placenta will have to be cut open, but thought I'd ask.

[hellosailor]

Yes it's possible after a c-section, I had a c section and my placenta encapsulated earlier this year.

You just have to ask them to keep the placenta. Kings and the midwives there are very clued up about it as its becoming more common, so when I asked 'can you please retain my placenta' when I got to theatre, thinking they might look at me as if I was mad, they were very blas? about it, 'ah yes of course, for encapsulation? have you got your tupperware and freezer blocks?!?'

The placenta specialist then comes to the hospital within hours (or your home presumably if you have a home birth) and takes it way for encapsulation, before returning the pills to you within a day or two. Not for everyone but I think it made a big difference to me this time round and am very glad I did it. Have various friends who have done it too or are going to do it, funnily enough not necessarily the ones I'd have guessed, mostly the more conventional ones in fact! xx

[GinaG3]

Haha, definitely not 2008, no. It was 1998. Was typing fast to get out on the school run, either that or memories of frozen placenta flooded my thoughts.

Love that Kings were like that hellosailor! If there's a next time for me and I can afford to do it I'm totally considering it.

[Yuuna]

Eating your placenta, in whatever form, is anthropophagy (cannibalism) as it, or was, until it was birthed, a human body part. I felt I had to write that. Any supposed benefits are anecdotal at best or simply 'placebo effects'. Certain Chinese medicines contain dried placenta.

I did not eat my first three placentas. I shall not be attempting to do so with my fourth. I find the practice bizarre and somewhat...cannibalistic? However in Japan, 'placenta capsules' are apparently popular - maybe that's where the trend came from? Even though it's my country I just don't understand it... It supported your baby's development in your womb and so you eat it? In some countries that would be sacrilege, they see it as a person and conduct funeral rites. I suppose people would think that 'primative' unlike eating placenta...mmm, YUMMY.

Wakaranai...

[Saffron]

The more specific term is 'placentophagy', and it is observed in most placental mammals. Indeed animal models have demonstrated that ingesting the placenta by the mother leads to changes associated with maternal pain reduction, and this may also be true of the birth fluids which are exuded prior to the birth itself.

From the available scientific literature, it seems the jury is still out as to whether or not similar benefits can be measured in humans. Kristal et al (2012) have a very comprehensive article on placentophagy, covering both biological and anthropological aspects. http://www.tandfonline.com/doi/abs/10.1080/03670244.2012.661325#.UnoPaaNFDIU

I will try to post some excerpts later, or PM if you don't have access. I have a copy of the PDF for personal use.

[Yuuna]

Yes, there are animals that eat their placenta - that doesn't mean we should. Some mammals eat their babies if they feel there is more than they can handle (I am told). Should we do the same? At some point in history all humans are said to have engaged in anthropophagy, placenta or otherwise.

I simply find the practice unnessary. It has become a trend in the West it seems. There is no cultural basis for it here. People are setting up businesses to cater for this 'new market'. No research is going to convince me that eating placenta is 'healthy'. I would be wary of such studies and question who paid for it...

At the end of the day, it is your body and your placenta; do with it as you wish. I simply caution people against buying into marketing techniques.

[Undiscovered]

I was interested in this but was told that if I let the cord pulse after birth that you can't do much with it after (was also told you couldn't donate it either). May have been misinformed though....

[Grotty]

So what are the benefits supposed to be?

[Strawbs]

From what I have read the benefits are meant to be things like - increase milk supply, help balance hormones hence therefore stave off anxiety and or pnd, give increased energy - things like that. I became an extremely anxious person and had very little milk after the birth of my son so I was hoping it would help with things like this.

Undiscovered - that is really interesting, I left the cord attached for a few mins after my son was born and plan to do it again this time, I wonder if that is true hence then taking the capsule option away (I would always choose to leave the cord attached longer than have it taken sooner to encapsulate).

x

[hellosailor]

Yes you can still donate the cord blood if you have your placenta encapsulated, I did both.

[lauramcdora]

Hi Ladies, I actaully work with placentas so thought I'd clear up a few things...

Consuming your placenta post birth will most likely support you tremendously post birth. Your placetna is not just any old piece of meat it contains, hormones - oxytocin, prolactin which both facilitate breastfeeding. Cortisone which helps reduce inflamation, protiens such as inteferon which help boost the immune system to fight infection. Growth factors that regulate a variety of cellualr processes ie. speed up healing, huge amounts of minerals, mainly sodioum, potassium and phosphorus and of course iron, which we loose in varying amounts post partum, loads of vitamins, inclusing VIt A, D E and K and stacks of b6 and b12 which helps mental function and heatlhy immune fuction. And loads of other things too it is definatly not a placebo - Yunna

We / I haven't set ourselves up as a business chasing a market, it's through hard work and increased awareness through the media and women talking to each other that placetna encapsultion has become more known. I encapsulated my sons placenta 6 and a half years ago because it just made sence to me I thought at the time why aren't more women doing this. It was when I started working as a doula, most IPEN placetna specialists are either doulas or midwives who naturally care passionatly about new mothers health. If it were about the money I would do something else, it would be alot easier.

If you feel wierded out about someone taking your precious organ to an unkown location you can have an encapsulation done in your own home.

You can have an encapsultion done if you've had all the drugs going, in fact from my experience it is those mothers who have had the most intervention benefit more because the placenta supports healing emotionally and physically.

Devsdev They do not cut your placenta your placetna open if you have a caesaean.

Strwabs and Undiscovered - We don't use the blood we only need the flesh of the placetna for an encapsultion, so you can delay cord clamp for as long as you like, you don't need to choose.

Yunna - Cannabilism, yawn that old chestnut. It is only ever your own organ your consuming and you didn't have to kill your neighbour.

Saffron - cooking doea not kill off the nutrients, there is plenty of nutrition left it a cooked placenta, we follw a trad chinese med recipe that actualy strengthens the chi of the placetna it has also been proved to increase the

available iron. There is an issue at the mo with raw placetna products ie. smoothies and raw capsules. There's going to be ahearing in about a weeks time We can still make smoothies for now, I personally don't make raw capsules and for TCM capsules it's not an issue.

There's some good links here and here to scientific research so you can make up your own minds

http://placentanetwork.com/research-and-articles/

http://placentabenefits.info/articles.asp

and a link to a recent anthapological study about how mostly american mums felt taking their capsules

http://placentanetwork.com/wp-content/uploads/2012/09/placentophagy-article.pdf

and here's a link to me, I've been doing it for nearly four years now and love it even if it is a bit wierd.

pm me if your intested in getting it done and I'll give you 10percent off my regular price

http://placentanetwork.com/specialist/laura-jones/

xx

[Top Girls]

Before everyone comment on the placenta I've just found an interesting article against a woman on the Evening Standard she was so broken that she has email herself a few notes and how scary Trusting your gusts instinct the foolproof plan article in one part that says in short she doesn't know that she won't be elected. Will pick only the modern one.

Thanks I have always enjoy reading such an articles like that can shock you or full you with sadness or happiness to anyone

But thank you guys good job I thought was very good.

Most people we miss our friends we miss our normal life we miss everything how things were 8 years ago.

Never mind the EDF has always being an interested page were you not always find the truth.