Placenta Encapsulation

What is Placenta Encapsulation? 

Traditional Chinese Medicine practitioners and herbalists have utilized placenta as a healing remedy for thousands of years. I encourage anyone interested in placenta medicine to do your research and find out if it is right for you. I offer birth parents an opportunity to use the placenta as part of the birth ritual and aid in postpartum recovery after delivery. Through placenta encapsulation, the placenta is transformed from a life sustaining organ into a holistic medicine. Some birth parents choose to consume their placenta to help prevent “baby blues," increase breast milk production, accelerate healing time after birth, increase energy levels and provide an over-all feeling of wellness. 

As a placenta encapsulator, Morgane Richardson utilizes her training as a Midwife’s Assistant through The Farm in Summertown, TN, where she was trained in Universal Precautions and blood borne illness, pathology and precaution.

 

Basic Placenta Package $350

  • Prenatal consultation and logistics planning

  • Placenta preparation and encapsulation

  • Approximately 80-125 placenta pills

  • Umbilical keepsake

  • Guidance on pill usage

  • 4oz placenta tincture

Families are responsible for coordinating the transportation of the placenta with their birth team (friend, family member, doula, etc). If it is not possible or you would prefer that I do the pick-up/drop off, I charge an additional $50 for transportation.

Note: I offer discounts for my doula clients and for placenta clients who can arrange the drop off and/or pick up of the placenta. 

Additional Items 

  • Placenta prints, on heavy stock paper, 2-4 prints (+ $15)

  • Placenta Salve (+$20)

Service Descriptions

Traditional Method
This form of placenta preparation is Inspired by Traditional Chinese Medicine and follows the preparation of lightly steaming the placenta before dehydration. Jalapeño pepper, lemon and ginger are added to the steaming pot to aid digestion, and promote warming for the mother/birth parent. The placenta is then thinly sliced, dehydrated, and ground into a fine powder. The powder is then placed into capsules.  

Traditional method Benefits:

• A warming and sustained energy that has been used for centuries.
• In Chinese Medicine, raw foods are considered “cooling” and not suitable for tonifying purposes of nourishing blood and restoring energy for a postpartum mother.
• Cooking may actually release essential nutrients and make the beneficial properties of the placenta more available.
• Steaming first should destroy any viruses or pathogens that might be present, making it safer for the mother consuming her placenta.

Placenta Tincture
A small piece of placenta is placed within grain alcohol to create a tincture. This tincture can be used when the placenta pills are finished to offer a similar support to the birth parent. The tincture is meant to be used for hormonal balance once your capsules are gone. As it is made with alcohol, it will last indefinitely. Unlike the placenta pills, the tincture can be used by anyone in the birth parent's bloodline (Grandma, Sisters, Other Children) as long as the birth parent is free of any STD's. 

Placenta Art Prints 
Similar to watercolor prints. They are beautiful keepsakes of “The Tree of Life” that sustained your baby during pregnancy. All prints are safely archived on acid-free paper. Available upon request. 

Umbilical Keepsakes 
Each keepsake is a small piece of the umbilical cord dehydrated into either a spiral or heart shape.

Placenta Salve
Your own placenta powder is infused into a high quality salve base, with or without your choice of essential oils. The Salve base is made of organic shea butter, organic macadamia nut oil, organic coconut oil, organic locally farmed beeswax, and vitamin E. Placenta salve can be used for: Cesarean and other and surgical scars (wait until wounds have closed); Perineal tears (wait until stitches dissolve); Diaper rash; As a general healing and skin-care salve

FAQ'S ABOUT PLACENTAS

The placenta is a filter, so does it store the toxins it filters, and the mother ends up ingesting them too when she takes the capsules?
The placenta is a part of an advanced filtering system. Nutrients from the mother get passed to the baby via the placenta, which tries to filter out anything harmful to the baby before letting it get through. The baby passes waste back to the mother through the placenta, which the mother's body can then remove, just as her body removes all the other waste products in her system. The placenta is not a filter that traps everything that can't get through, like an air filter. Those waste products and other things that the baby can't use are generally sent back out to the mother for removal. So, no, the placenta is not filled with toxins by the time the baby is born. That being said, there are some things that do get held by the placenta, such as heavy metals and some medications. So if a mother smokes, the heavy metals in the cigarette smoke will build up in the placenta over time, making it questionable if it is safe to be ingested. 

Can I encapsulate my own placenta?
Yes! Women and midwives have prepared their own placentas for centuries! While you definitely can prepare your own placenta, hiring a placenta alchemist will help the process before and after your labor be more easeful, joyful, and efficient. I bring to the table years of research and experience in the proper process for preparation, the types of methods that are best for each woman depending on her wants and needs, and I have tried and tested systems in place that create for an efficient and smooth preparation. When you are expecting your little one there are countless considerations you and your family are making all at once. Hiring a caring professional to prepare your placenta will ease your load, and leave you with capsules and tinctures you will use for many years.

Do you have to come to my home or can you prepare somewhere else?
We can prepare your placenta in our space or in your home, depending on your preference and our availability. 

What supplies do you use and how they are stored and sanitized?
The supplies we use during the encapsulation process are all stainless steel. All equipment is washed with hot soapy water and sanitized with a 1/10 bleach solution between every client. The preparation area is fully cleaned and sanitized with bleach solution prior to and after processing of the placenta. All equipment is thoroughly washed and sanitized prior to storage and again before use.

What do I need to provide for the processing of my placenta?
We provide all the materials necessary for preparation of the placenta. All you need to provide is your placenta.

How should the placenta be handled or treated from the time of birth until the time of processing and preparation? 
If you are having a hospital birth, ask your nurse to double bag the placenta in a biohazard bag or ziplock. We recommend bringing two of your own zip lock bags and/or a plastic food storage container. Do not rely on the hospital to provide a container. The placenta should be put on ice and refrigerated as soon after birth as possible. Bring a cooler to the hospital to transport the placenta to your home. Arrange to have a friend or family member transport the placenta home after delivery. The placenta must be properly refrigerated or frozen until preparation. If the placenta will be prepared within 72 hours after delivery, then it may remain in the refrigerator. If however the placenta will not be processed until after 72 hour after delivery, then it should be placed in the back of the freezer where the temperature is most consistent. 

If you are having a homebirth, ask your midwife to double bag your placenta and refrigerate it. Storage is the same as mentioned above.

As your placenta service provider we will help with pre-birth logistics and make sure you have all the resources you need for an easeful transportation of your placenta. 

How long will the process take?
The process usually takes about 24 hours total, split over 2 days. We have a 48-72 hour turn around for placenta pills, from placenta pick up to pill drop off. 

How do I obtain my placenta following the birth?
If you are having a homebirth, your midwife will usually double bag your placenta and ask if you want it refrigerated, frozen or thrown out.  Follow the guidelines mentioned above for handling and storage guidelines. It is helpful to talk with your care provider about your wishes for the placenta before you go into labor.

If you are having a hospital birth, be sure to speak with your primary care provider ahead of time. Find out what your hospital’s policy is for the release of placenta.  Tell your primary care provider you plan to take your placenta home after birth. This should be noted in your chart and mentioned in your birth plan. You may also need to sign a release/waiver to take home your placenta. 

In New York State, hospitals are allowed to release healthy placentas according to the New York State Department of Health. See their statement from February 2010 below:

"NYS regulated hospitals and medical facilities may, at the request of a patient or patient's representative, return a healthy placenta for disposition by the patient without violating any NYS public health law or regulation.

NYS does have regulations (10 NYCRR section 405.24(d)), requiring hospitals to implement waste management programs in compliance with the Public Health Law Article 13, Title XIII for regulated medical waste. Regulated medical waste is defined in the Environmental Conservation Law section 27-1502(2)(b) as waste generated in the diagnosis, treatment or immunization of human beings and includes "human pathological wastes, including tissues, organs, body parts and body fluids that are removed during surgery." However, waste material is material which is being discarded. If a placenta is not discarded but rather used for medical/religious/cultural purposes, then it is not classified as waste. There is no provision in statute or regulation expressly prohibiting the return of a healthy body part to a living patient."    

Are there any legal considerations? 
In New York State, hospitals are allowed to release healthy placentas according to the New York State Department of Health. See their statement from February 2010 below:

"NYS regulated hospitals and medical facilities may, at the request of a patient or patient's representative, return a healthy placenta for disposition by the patient without violating any NYS public health law or regulation. 

NYS does have regulations (10 NYCRR section 405.24(d)), requiring hospitals to implement waste management programs in compliance with the Public Health Law Article 13, Title XIII for regulated medical waste. Regulated medical waste is defined in the Environmental Conservation Law section 27-1502(2)(b) as waste generated in the diagnosis, treatment or immunization of human beings and includes "human pathological wastes, including tissues, organs, body parts and body fluids that are removed during surgery." However, waste material is material which is being discarded. If a placenta is not discarded but rather used for medical/religious/cultural purposes, then it is not classified as waste. There is no provision in statute or regulation expressly prohibiting the return of a healthy body part to a living patient."   

Placenta services have not been evaluated by the FDA, and the services offered here are not clinical, pharmaceutical, or intended to diagnose or treat any condition. Clients should be advised that they take full responsibility for their own health and for choosing to use placenta services.