Placenta as Medicine?!

Historically, our creation stories tell of the Earth Mother birthing the world…her amniotic fluid creating the oceans, and her Placenta becoming the “Tree of Life”. Throughout the ages, cultures all over the world have honored the power of the Placenta through various traditions, ranging from sacred Placental burials to medicinal Placenta preservation. Placentophagy is the practice of consuming one’s Placenta, and may sound barbaric, but is a practice steeped in ancient history throughout the world. Traditional Chinese medicine, for example, has always considered the Placenta to be a very powerful medicinal supplement, as it is life giving and stores the vital essence of the baby. During the past 100 years, with the rise of Western Medicine, Placentophagy has become a forgotten practice. Only with the recent resurgence of “natural birthing” are we starting to get back to our roots of doing what is best for our bodies and babies naturally!

The Natural Medicine of Your Placenta

The Placenta – the root of our origin – is a miraculous organ! The Placenta is responsible for the production and regulation of iron, hormones, proteins, and other compounds during pregnancy. It is the power-house of your entire pregnancy…producing and regulating hormones that each have specific jobs to ensure the survival of your baby. Without a healthy Placenta, pregnancy cannot be sustained. Even after the pregnancy is over and the baby has been delivered, the Placenta remains rich in these nutrients and can offer many benefits for the recovering Mother.

The Placenta produces high-levels of CRH(a stress fighting hormone), Oxytocin(the “love hormone”), and Progesterone (a mood stabilizer); all of which can help the postpartum Mother achieve hormonal balance and prevent “baby blues” and postpartum depression. This was actually the reason I decided to try Placenta Encapsulation with my 3^rd baby…to try to prevent the PPD that I had suffered after each of my previous 2 babies. The medication I had been given to treat the postpartum depression ended up causing seizures and I was desperate to find something safe and natural to help me with my emotional wellbeing. I was pleased to find that it worked amazingly well!

Since the Placenta is rich in iron and contains the hormone, Hemoglobin, which replenishes iron and stimulates iron production in the blood, it makes an excellent, all-natural postpartum iron supplement and can help prevent anemia! It can also play a role in preventing “baby blues” and help give tired new Moms a much-needed energy boost! I used to look forward to my morning Placenta Pills helping me feel more awake and energized for the day!

The Placenta produces several hormones that stimulate mammary gland function and a healthy milk supply! This was something I did not know when I tried Placenta Encapsulation, but ended up being a wonderful surprise! With my first 2 babies I struggled with milk supply and never achieved breastfeeding success. With my 3 ^rd baby, and the help of my Placenta medicine, I successfully nursed for 2 ½ years!

The Placenta also contains some helpful hormones and compounds that slow postpartum bleeding, aid in wound healing & recovery, and even help relieve pain! When I chose to try Placenta Encapsulation, I had no idea that it could help in these ways. My first 2 deliveries were via cesarean; 1 after laboring for hours, the other a planned c-section, but both a slow, painful recovery. With my 3 ^rd, I started taking my Placenta Capsules 3 days after giving birth and was amazed at how much less pain I was in and how quickly I was up walking around comfortably. The following weeks amazed me with the ease of my recovery!

The Placenta as Medicine…Does it Work?!

A 2013 study compiled the self-reported benefits mothers experienced with placental consumption, and the results speak for themselves! The most cited benefit was an “improved mood”! In the study, mothers were consistently reporting this, even calling their Placenta pills their “Happy Pills”, and reporting that even their spouse and small children could tell when they skipped a dose. The 2^nd most cited benefit was “increased energy & decreased fatigue”, and other cited benefits include: alleviated postpartum bleeding, improved & accelerated healing & recovery, reduced pain, increased uterine involution (uterus returning to pre-pregnancy size faster), prevention or treatment of anemia, improved lactation, increased strength & vitality, replenishment & regulation of hormones, improved quality of sleep, and increased libido. In this study, 69% of the mothers reported no negative effects from placenta consumption.

The benefits of taking my Placenta Supplements were life changing! My emotional and physical postpartum recovery after having my first 2 babies, without the support of Placenta Medicine, was very difficult. I struggled emotionally with Postpartum Depression and physically with slow, painful recoveries. However, I didn’t know any better and just assumed this was the price you paid for having a baby. But then, with my 3^rd, another planned c-section, I decided to try Placenta Encapsulation and my postpartum recovery was completely different. Like night and day! After experiencing the powerful healing benefits of Placenta Medicine, I decided to become Certified in Placenta Encapsulation so that I could help new Moms have the best postpartum recovery possible!

 One of our most recent Clients had this to say about their experience with Placenta Encapsulation:

“…placenta encapsulation was one of the best decisions I made. I’m so happy I did this! It has resulted in me having the best experience possible in my first pregnancy. I know 100% for certain that the placenta capsules helped regulate my emotional imbalance and hormones, especially during those first few weeks and it also aided in increasing my milk supply, which was plentiful. I’m still reaping the benefits four months later…I’m also so glad I got the tincture, so I can use it later on in life!”

Providing outstanding Placenta Services to Austin & all of Central Texas!