Placenta encapsulation. You're thinking, ewww, right?
If you have had postpartum depression (PPD) or any of the many postpartum mood disorders (PPMD), you may be less inclined to say "ewww" and more inclined to say, "Tell me more, but I really don't want to eat my placenta, that's gross."
To that I say, you still don't have to eat it! There are discreet ways to ingest your placenta, the best way being to encapsulate it. Placenta encapsulation is a way of preparing the placenta by slightly cooking, then drying, then grinding the placenta and placing it into empty capsules. Its relatively easy, just a little time consuming, and can give you a fantastic postpartum experience.
Huh? A fantastic postpartum experience? YES. Hear me out. I am a science nut at heart, and have my master's degree in the biological sciences. I was skeptical at first too. However, I have always believed that the placenta is special and worthy of respect. After all, it is the "translator" between the baby and mother, and some even call it the "first mother." Here is what I have learned about the placenta, why mammals ingest it, and why humans should seriously reconsider its biological role in the postpartum mother:
For most mothers, including myself, the time after a baby is born is full of ups and downs, steep learning curves, adjusting to no sleep and having little time to take care of yourself. Available energy is at a premium, and what little you have is spent on taking care of your precious baby. It can be overwhelming. And it doesn't have to be that way. Humans are one of the few mammals who do not do this....so why do other mammals do it? They do it because the receive a boost in hormones, it helps to stop uterine bleeding and speed up it's healing, it replaces iron lost during the birthing process an ensures an excellent amount of milk available to the baby. In the wild, these are all essential for survival. Perhaps we should take a few notes.
Women all across the country (and the world really) report the same results with ingesting the placenta: increased energy, good milk supply, and simply feeling really well and positive during their postpartum period. I know, I know. I can be skeptical of anecdotal evidence too. I like the cold, hard scientific research. Unfortunately there are only a few studies out there on humans, and a fair number on other mammals. Why? Well, there simply isn't a lot of money to be made on medicine that can't be manufactured by a pharmaceutical company; this medicine can only be manufactured by...gasp....us! That's my theory at least, and a whole other discussion altogether. Let's not digress....
I'll spare you the long, drawn out details of the studies and give you the elevator speech here on why it is believed that placenta can decrease the baby blues and many other of the PPMDs, increase energy, and increase milk supply:
1) Baby Blues/PPMDs:
It is thought that placentophagy decreases the baby blues because the placenta contains a substantial amount of a hormone called corticotropin-releasing hormone (CRH). When you aren't pregnant, the hypothalamus releases this hormone. During pregnancy however, the hypothalamus essentially slacks off and the placenta takes over. After birth, it can take several weeks and even months for the hypothalamus to start working at its normal capacity again. CRH's primary role is to reduce stress. So the more CRH you have, the better you can deal with stress. CRH has been shown to be drastically reduced in postpartum women, triggering depressive symptoms as mild as the baby blues and as severe as postpartum psychosis. Since the placenta contains a large amount of this hormone, it makes total sense why one would want to ingest it and thereby stabilize the amount of CRH in her body.
2) Increased energy:
The placenta also contains a large amount of iron. Low iron has been shown to be linked with feelings of fatigue and greater instances of depression. When a woman is anemic after birth, she can experience depression, stress and poor cognitive function. Even in non-anemic women, iron can help with fatigue, which in turn could lead to to depression. In short, all women can benefit from some sort of iron supplementation after birth. Hmmm...the wheels are turning....couldn't we all benefit from the perfect amount of iron provided in our placentas?
3) Increased milk supply:
In Traditional Chinese Medicine (TCM), the placenta is taken to increase energy and milk supply. The Chinese have been doing this for 1000s of years. Placenta contains several hormones related to increasing milk supply, but the two most important that you should know about are prolactin and oxytocin. Prolactin stimulates the production of milk, oxytocin has been shown to stimulate the release of milk. Oxytocin also stimulates the contracting of the uterus back to its normal size. You may be thinking...well, I breastfed all of my babies just fine. You are right. These hormones are also stimulated by the newborn in a positive feedback mechanism. The more the nursling nurses, the more the hormones are released in the mother, milk is available, etc. etc. However, one study of 210 women (who had problems with milk supply in the past) showed that 86% of them had increased levels of milk after ingesting their placentas. Pretty impressive. And many women have testified to their milk coming in sooner (as soon as 24 hrs) after ingesting their placenta. Pretty cool, huh?
So there is my elevator speech. But, I still have more questions, don't you? The next few questions were mine that I had when researching this for myself. All I can say is that these are my momma answers, not scientific, and based on my own motherly knowledge I've gained over the years by meticulously studying the food that enters my children's mouths (my children are non-celiac gluten sensitive).
1) Does slightly cooking/steaming and encapsulating the placenta chemically change the hormones and their mechanism for working?
My motherly answer is no. Placenta is like any other meat. It needs to be stored and prepared in the same way other meats are. I don't know about you, but when I buy my meat at the store, I always buy hormone free. Same with milk. I may not always buy organic, but I feel really good about purchasing hormone free products. WHY? Many mothers have told me, in particular with little girls, that they... ahem, "develop" way earlier than what would be considered normal. Girls have complained about their chests hurting. I know, I know, its anecdotal information. But here's the truth; hormones survive the cooking process. And I'd much rather ingest the hormones in my placenta rather than in someone else's cow.
2) Is anything destroyed in the digestion process?
It's pretty much the same answer as above. Yes, they can survive the digestion process. It may not be all of it, but it is a pretty good amount that survives. Think of the pill you may have taken to prevent pregnancy. Its a hormone in a pill that you take my mouth and its digested. Hormones that survive make their way to their intended targets to do their job. I would think that placenta pills would have the same course of action.
3) In nature, animals devoured their placentas whole immediately after birth, not capsule by capsule. What gives?
Every mother has their own different needs. The same goes for placentophagy. Some choose to take a slow dose by capsule. Some choose to ingest over a few days in smoothie form or all at once that same day. The choice is up to you, how you felt about the pregnancy, your personal circumstances, and needs. I recently took an online module on placentophagy by
Empowered Momma and she knows a mother whose older child died while she was pregnant. At her baby's birth, she took half of her placenta in a smoothie and had the other half made into capsules. She concocted her own dosage regimen and it worked for her. You have the choice on what you need to take. With capsules, you may need take as many as 9 or 10 a day or as little as 2. You can experiment with dosing while knowing that you won't be causing yourself any side effects. Neat.
4)Why not take synthetic hormones?
Synthetic hormones are made from plants. Well, now that sounds great, huh? I'd rather eat a salad than be a cannibal, right? Well...synthetic hormones can work. I should know, I took them after I had my first son. However, they can have some rather extreme side effects (suicide), and take weeks to take effect. Not only that, synthetic hormones are not known to be as effective as your own (well, duh). But think of it this way: your own hormones work as a lock and key. The hormone fits into the lock and it opens. All is well and safe. However, a drug is like a hair pin used to pick the lock open. Its gotta be jiggled a little bit. It takes longer to work. It sometimes get stuck, it hangs around for a little while and becomes a nuisance. It can also damage the lock... This is why synthetic hormones can cause an array of side effects from very mild to severe.
Am I at least making you think a little bit? I know after I read everything and put it together I had myself thinking, "This could work!". Its worth a shot, don't you think? And it isn't like it is unsafe to take, as long as it is properly prepared by a loved one or a trained professional. In fact, doing it yourself can be easy. The easiest being the smoothie method, although it does take a loving relative or yourself to cut the pieces up and freeze them. After that though, you just pop 'em in your favorite smoothie recipe and presto! You can't even taste it and you get a boost of energy too. Encapsulation involves a bit more work and supplies. I know if I ever get pregnant again, I'll definitely do it....I hate PPD with a vengence and don't care to ever relive that again!!!
Good luck in finding what is right for you. Have a happy postpartum/babymoon!
ABOUT ME:
- JENNY
- I am a mother to two fabulous boys born naturally and married to the most amazing man ever. My passion is birth and watching it unfold in its natural state. I am a doula in training and co-organizer for the Louisiana Natural Birth Meetup Group, a fantastic resource for mothers.
Please call or write for a consult and rate. I would love to meet with you too!
337-591-5781