Encapsulating my placenta, having a placenta tincture, and why I’d do it again

I was laughing the other day about how I don’t think I’m particularly crunchy (I eat processed foods sometimes, don’t always buy organic, and own bleach) and yet, I’ve done some unusual things when it comes to birth and postpartum. Perhaps I am crunchy after all 😉

P has been going through a bit of a sleep regression + teething, so we’ve had some more night wakings. As a result, I’ve been adding a few drops of my placenta tincture to my morning coffee/tea. Ha, I realize that that sentence probably seems crazy to some people.

{teething + waking up in the night calls for getting some fresh air the next morning!}

I decided to write about my experience with having my placenta made into capsules and a tincture. So, here we go:

The Why | I chose an out of hospital, birth center birth for my baby and loved it. I highly, highly recommend. I also hired a doula and signed up for birth classes (Hypnobabies). Because of that I was introduced to the idea of encapsulating, which honestly, I had planned to do anyway. I had done some reading, spoken to other mothers, and decided to go for it. There aren’t scientific studies to back up the benefits of encapsulation, but that wasn’t a deciding factor for me. Mammals often eat their placentas and consuming them has been part of cultures for a long time. I’m all for decreasing anxiety in any way, so I knew I had nothing to lose. Of course, encapsulation is an added cost, and I think people get frustrated around that issue because then it becomes about access. But, when you birth out of hospital your birth is usually cheaper.

How did I do it | Lucky for me, my doulas and birth educators (Anne and Aileen of ByWater Birth) offered encapsulation from start to finish, so I didn’t have to do a thing except have my baby. We signed up for it when we purchased our birth class and paid for our doula services. One less thing to think of. Because my midwives were used to this, they didn’t bat an eye when I explained it would be part of my birth plan. I also chose delayed cord cutting for Priscilla’s birth and would also recommend that. After we left the birth center with our baby, Anne took my placenta and began the encapsulation process. A few days later it was ready.

{My amazing birth center, Roots!}

What was my experience | At first, I took a few capsules a day and then worked my way down to one per day. I don’t recall exactly how long it lasted, but I had a healthy sized placenta, so I was able to get quite a few capsules out of it. My experience with it was fantastic. I definitely felt like it took the edge of the mild, normal new mama anxiety I had.

The worst time of day for me was the beginning of the evening (5-7pm). I would get anxious and worried about the night ahead of me (P was not a newborn who slept well). The pills helped greatly, and on really rough mornings I’d add drops of tincture to my coffee, too. I still have my tincture and have been using it for teething, rough nights, and moody moments. Some women even save their tinctures for menopause!

I would absolutely do this again and am grateful for my doulas who made the process easy, and of course my midwives who supported my desire to have my placenta encapsulated.

{being mama and loving it!}