One of the major differences between this pregnancy and my last pregnancy is the terrible mood swings I've been experiencing this time around. The littlest thing will set me off from being in a great, happy mood and the next moment I will be so irritated and angry or sobbing and weepy. Then a couple hours later I will be back to normal and look back and think how silly the whole episode was and how that wasn't even "me."
I had been thinking about placenta encapsulation since learning I was pregnant but now that I am so emotional and haven't even had the baby yet I made the decision that it is something I should do for myself. What is placenta encapsulation? I thought you'd never ask. Ashley's Green Life does a great job in explaining both the benefits and the process but here's a quick recap:
Consuming a placenta following birth has been found to:
- help prevent postpartum depression
- increase energy
- help the uterus return to its pre-pregnancy state quicker
- helps shorted postpartum bleeding time
- increase breast milk production
- and it's high in iron and other B vitamins
Placenta consumption has long been practiced in Traditional Chinese Medicine and was first recorded for medicinal use in 741 A.D. and has been used through the centuries to treat infertility, postpartum weakness, hormone imbalance, insufficient lactation, congenital deficiencies, and recovery from chronic illness. According to Jodi Selander, found of PBi, in the article, "The Care and Keeping of Placentas": "The placenta, grown in her (there mother's) womb and symbiotically integrated into her system, can replenish and revitalize her, giving her the energy and resources she needs for the most important endurance challenge of her life: motherhood."
I originally began seriously thinking about the process because of the expectation of increased milk production when taking the pills. Since I didn't have the easiest breastfeeding experience with Mila (and I thought it would be second nature to me) I want to do everything possible to make it happen with Nellie. I didn't suffer from postpartum depression, and only had mild baby blues, with Mila so that wasn't one of my driving concerns. As you can see above, the health benefits to mama are numerous so why not take the risk?
Sometimes people refer to this as "eating my placenta," which makes it sound a lot more disgusting that it actually is. While you CAN cook your placenta and eat it like steak (barf), that's not how most (normal) people do it. The most common way (I totally made that up but it's at least the least appalling) is to dehydrate the placenta, grind it up and place it in pill form to be taken like vitamins. When, you ask, do I plan on having the time to do this?? Well, this is quite a common practice nowadays (California has turned me into a hippy!) and there are actual companies that you can hire to come into your home (Robert would kill me) or take your placenta to their facility to encapsulate for you; and they make it a pretty easy process too! We just text our girl on the way to the hospital so she is prepared and then there's a contact person to text her immediately after birth (this sounds like a great job for my dad!). She will come to the hospital within four hours to pick up my placenta and take it to her facility (her home?), completes the process and then brings the pills back to me at the hospital or my home 24-48 hours later. Easy peasy, right?!
Some people may think I am crazy for doing this (I see you, Robert!) but I don't see what the risk is and think it's a great thing for my family. Who wouldn't want a better attitude, more milk production and increased energy?? I figure with two kids under three I will take all the help I can get!
