Why I ate my placenta: Placenta encapsulation

I really don't remember when I first heard of placenta encapsulation but not gonna lie, at first I thought it was super weird. My thought process was something like, "huh, people actually do this??" followed by "gross".  Fast forward to Emersyn's pregnancy and having read and heard more about it and its benefits, it made sense. One thing I had also always heard about was how bad postpartum depression and baby blues can be and since I tend to be emotional enough all on my own, it was one thing I was worried about.

So I figured if taking placenta pills could help at all, why not? 

Placenta encapsulation

Taken from my placenta encapsulation specialist's website, "the placenta’s hormonal make‐up is completely unique to the mother. No prescription, vitamin or herbal supplement can do what one placenta pill can. During pregnancy the placenta takes over hormone production for the body. By the end of the pregnancy the placenta is creating more than three times the amount of pre‐pregnancy hormone production. After the birth it takes some time, usually 6 to 8 weeks but sometimes up to a year, for the body to properly take over the productions of hormones again. By ingesting the placenta you are, in theory, replacing the hormones and nutrients lost during the birth and helping the body to be balanced while recovering from pregnancy and birth. Each woman’s placenta is unique to her hormonal make‐up.

Benefits

• Decrease in baby blues, postpartum depression and other postpartum illnesses
• Increase and enrich breast milk
• Increase in energy
• Decrease in postpartum bleeding
• Decrease iron deficiency
• Decrease insomnia or sleep disorders
• Aids in quick postpartum healing
• Increases mother baby bond"

**Taken from Postpartum Peace**

The Process

My midwife suggested a placenta encapsulation specialist that some of her other clients have used so we went with her, Ariel Vickery of Postpartum Peace. 

Upon letting the hospital know we were keeping the placenta, they kept it refrigerated for us until we went home. About 48 hours after birth, Ariel came to our house and began the two part process of dehydrating and then encapsulating my placenta. The next day she came back and finished up and I had the pills all ready to begin taking. (For more info, visit her site).

The Results

Going into this, I was skeptical if these pills would actually do anything but I knew I might as well try. I figured, if nothing else, maybe they'll have a placebo effect ha.

It quickly became evident that for me, the pills worked wonders! I'm not exaggerating a bit when I say that I'm now a believer ha. My whole emotional outlook on life changed when I started taking them and I really felt like myself again rather than all weepy. Sometimes still a very tired self, but myself, none the less. There were days where I had forgotten to take them and only realized when my husband noticed. It was very evident in my mood and attitude when I did vs didn't.

It's extra hard being a momma in those first first week/months with no sleep, changing hormones, etc ... especially if you have a baby that doesn't like to nap like I did ... and taking my placenta pills helped greatly to ease back into normal life and have the physical, mental and hormonal balance I needed. Add that up with all the other benefits such as enriched breast milk and quicker Postpardum healing, it's something I am so glad I did! We'll definitely continue it for future pregnancies.

What do you think about placenta encapsulation? 

PS Thanks to Ariel who made the whole process very easy! She was so helpful, professional and nice and comes highly recommended if you're in the Kansas City area!