Guest Post: Placental Encapsulation by Sandy Durtschi

Placental Encapsulation

I had my placenta encapsulated when I had my second baby Hazel.  And yes it is exactly as it sounds, I had my placenta dried and made into pills.  Here is my back story and what lead me to make this choice. 

After I had my first baby Olivia I had postpartum depression (PPD).  I have suffered from depression before I got married and had kids but I didn't realize that this factor actually increased my chances significantly to getting PPD.  After my 6 week check-up my OB/GYN prescribed an antidepressant Lexapro.  It was the same antidepressant I used when I had depression before.  At that time I was really sad, mad, upset and ashamed about taking an antidepressant especially because I was nursing.  I am a huge supporter of natural and alternative medicine but since I have been down this depression road before I was aware of the signs and knew how bad it could get and at some point an antidepressant was the best choice for me and my emotional/mental health.

I was on it for 4-5 months and it really helped me get to a better place and then I weaned myself off.  As a side note:  Never go off an antidepressant cold turkey.  The withdrawals symptoms are terrible.  Fast forward to my second pregnancy with Hazel I was trying to be prepared and was assuming that I would again suffer from PPD.  At that time I was living in Boise, Idaho and I had plans to deliver at a birth center with a midwife and that is when they introduced me to placental encapsulation after I inquired about PPD. 

My husband was super skeptical about me ingesting my own placenta and because it is really weird. I did my research mostly from this website  http://placentabenefits.info/articles.asp and I did more research because I am nerdy like that.  I learned that in other cultures that the placental is actually honored as a sacred organ and have some cultures even have special ceremonies after a birth.  Personally I was very moved by the testimonies of others but my main motivation was I didn't want to take an antidepressant and I worried about it crossing over through my breast milk and the effects it had on me and my baby.

I found a local specialist and she met with me before the birth and we discussed my options and why I chose to do this and my past postpartum experience.  I describe my postpartum experience as after-birth euphoria because after I had my first baby I didn't sleep much those first two weeks and all I wanted to do was hold and cuddle with my baby and I just felt so happy and content.  Basically I didn't take very good care of myself in terms of resting and I was pushing myself too hard.  The specialist told me that was probably a huge factor in my PPD. 

Fast forward to the day I went into labor.  My husband brought our cooler for the placenta and we headed to the birth center with our doula.  In a nutshell Hazel was breech and birth centers aren't allowed to deliver breech babies in Idaho so we headed to the hospital so I could have a c-section. The hospital where I delivered at was super easy to work with but all hospitals have different procedures so you definitely want to do your research so your placenta doesn't get disposed of or have chemicals put on it.  My husband just filled out an organ release form and we were good to go.  The nurses packaged it up and Mike put it in our cooler on ice and took it home and put in in the freezer since I was in the hospital for 3 days.  Depending on your arrangements your specialist can start the process the day the placenta is brought home.

My specialist came to my home and did everything there.  Her process was super sanitary and my placenta never left the home.  She even made a cute little heart with Hazel's umbilical cord.  I paid her a deposit the first time I met with her and the rest after she completed the encapsulation and I remember the costs being very affordable.

I never had PPD with Hazel.  The days I took the pills I really had a super surge of energy and felt amazing.  I can't imagine how fast my recovery would have been if I took them immediately after the birth until they were gone.  Even my husband noticed and wanted to take them.  I think most people take them until they are gone but for my personal situation I only took them when I needed it.  Hazel is almost three and I still have leftover pills and I still take them when I feel stressed and it does help.

I know it sounds weird in this day and age and in our Western culture but I highly recommend placental encapsulation to my pregnant friends just not for PPD but for a faster recovery postpartum.  I had an amazing experience and I know that my specialist was willing to work around her clients budgets.  In the long run it was so much cheaper than an antidepressant, it was safer and healthier for me and my baby and I experience more benefits than just avoiding PPD.