Connect with us!
Birth Doulas of Pittsburgh | Providing trained, supportive birth doulas for childbirth in the Pittsburgh, PA area
  • Home
  • About
    • Who We Are
    • What We Do
    • Birth Doulas >
      • Bethany Brown, Director
      • Amanda White
      • Becky Enick
      • Caitlin Kish
      • Carrie Jones
      • Christen Houck
      • Colleen Ulke
      • Debi Sciranka
      • Hannah Grover
      • Heather Waters
      • Jacqueline Collier
      • Jessica Thomas
      • Jill Delaney
      • Melissa Drexler
      • Shannon Winnowski
    • Postpartum Doulas >
      • Heather Bradley
      • Jill Delaney
    • Currently Inactive Doulas >
      • Emilie Hoffman Delestienne
      • Jenny Collier
      • Kat Kitchen
      • Katie Hyre
    • FAQs
  • Open House
  • Testimonials
  • Forms
    • Registration Form
    • Client Evaluation
  • Resources
    • 10 Signs of Labor
    • Babywearing
    • Breastfeeding Resources
    • Childbirth Classes
    • Chiropractors
    • Doula Training
    • Family Resources
    • Mother's Milk Bank of Pittsburgh Project
    • Mother's Resources
    • Pets & Kids
    • Photographers
    • Placenta Encapsulation
    • Prenatal Yoga Classes
    • Recommended Reading
    • Studies
    • VBAC
  • Contact

Placenta Encapsulation Services

Picture
Various cultures throughout history revered the placenta and have used it in ways ranging from ceremonial to medicinal. For thousands of years, practitioners of Traditional Chinese Medicine have prescribed placenta to support maternal recovery from birth. More recently, placenta consumption has become popular among mothers in the United States. Rather than discarding the placenta as "medical waste", mothers are able to have their own/baby's placenta 'encapsulated'.  

Placenta encapsulation is the process of cleaning, dehydrating, and pulverizing the dried placenta into a powder to be placed into pill capsules. The mother can then ingest the capsules during her postpartum period. If there are remaining pills after the postpartum period, they can be stored in a sealed, dark-colored container for later use, such as during the menstruation cycle or for menopause.
 
The reported health benefits include an increase in the mother's breastmilk supply, balancing of hormones, enhanced energy levels, and better mood. What we know from the scientific evidence is that the placenta is rich in nutrients and hormones. In turn, it is plausible that the placental nutrients may help restore the fatigued body from giving birth, and that the placental hormones may help to balance fluctuating hormones, encourage milk supply, and prevent or decrease the effects of postpartum depression.
 
-Heath Papinchak

© Birth Doulas of Pittsburgh 2015