First Time Mom Shares Placenta Experience

Melissa hired me back in 2014 as her birth doula. When she added placenta encapsulation to the services I could provide her I was excited and honored to be able to support her this way. Today, almost 1.5 years later, Melissa shares with you guys what her experience with placenta encapsulation was like:

"I learned about [placenta encapsulation] from the doulas I was researching, since many of the doulas in San Diego also provide this service. I first thought that it was something I was totally not going to be interested in. I think I came to the decision that it was worthy trying after reading a bit from people who'd opted for encapsulation - maybe these were reviews of the doulas I was considering hiring, or in some Ina May-related resource? By the time it was brought up in my labor class (Birthing from Within), I was already on board and didn't need the teachers' recommendation that it was a useful thing to do.

I wanted to try it, and ultimately had a positive experience and will probably try to do it again. Also [I was surprised] that it was done so quickly! Tiffany took our placenta home the night of Tobin's birth and returned with a bottle of pills the next day. I know the actual process doesn't take too long to complete but it seemed surprising that it was such a high priority for her :) I know timing is of the essence in this case, and it still surprised and flattered me that she did this for me.

It's hard to say definitively what I gained from taking the placenta pills, because I have nothing to compare it to - but I went in expecting to be a little less exhausted and hormonally overwhelmed than I might otherwise have been, and I did find that I had more energy than I (or anyone else) expected in that first week or two. Finished a couple of nursery projects, made a birthday cake for the newbie, had more waking hours than I would have thought possible given the amount of sleep I had.

You have nothing to lose by giving it a try, and what you stand to gain (more energy, conserved strength) is so valuable in those first weeks that it's worth anything to try and attain.

I wouldn't change anything."

Thank you Melissa for sharing your placenta encapsulation story with My San Diego Placenta!