Placenta Encapsulation- Why I Did It and My Experience

There were several jokes from Jacob about my Eastern influences in postpartum recovery. I ordered a cheap kimono robe off Amazon that I wore in the hospital whenever a visitor showed up and I wasn’t fully dressed. Also, I purchased a belly binder a week before baby came because I heard good things from the majority of people who tried them. 

One additional thing I did that’s kind of new to the United States was try placenta encapsulation. If you haven’t heard of it, essentially in many Asian cultures the placenta is served to the new mom to eat shortly after birth in one form or another in hopes to aid in recovery and replenish nutrients. Some cultures eat it raw, but that’s one thing I knew I couldn’t stomach quite literally.

I researched it quite a bit and even have had several friends mention it on Facebook or in person in the past year or two and talk about how their third child was a faster recovery than their first two, or how no postpartum depression hit them this time around like it had after other children’s deliveries. My doctor told me she’d heard about it but really didn’t have research on it and to please let her know how it worked for me if I decided to try it. I have a family member that was hospitalized several times due to some postpartum issues that are very rare. It’s not my story to tell, so I won’t, but let’s just say I had reason enough to worry about recovery and how my mental health would be after based on genetics alone. As I researched the potential benefits versus my genetic risks, I decided it was probably worth a try for me.

I learned there are many DIY forms you can find online, but once again, no thank you. A quick Google search later and I found a girl who lived miles from my hospital who comes and picks up the placenta in a cooler after delivery, dehydrates and encapsulates it within 24 hours and hands you your pills before you leave the hospital. It was a little bit pricey, most charge $100-$200 to do it, but I really weighed it out and decided it was worth it.

The results? I’d recommend this to anyone! Here are some great things I saw:

My Experience with Placenta Encapsulation

1. Bleeding stopped pretty quickly for me. We’re talking heavy for a few days only and then light spotting to none within a week after delivery.

2. A+ mental health status! I had the baby blues hit three weeks after on a day the little man wouldn’t stop crying due to stomach pains. I had one night a few days later it hit again where I talked about breastfeeding to Jacob and broke down crying telling him that’s my whole life now and all I have to talk about. Other than that, nothing. I felt great, I’ve been happy, and no sign of depression or any further blues. That alone made these so worth it to me, I’ve felt super happy!

3. I’m bouncing back pretty quickly weight and size wise. Who knows if I was blessed with good genes but for someone in their 30’s I was thrilled to have several people ask me if I’d really been pregnant two weeks ago- thank you pills and belly binding for shrinking me quickly! I have a ways to go, but I’m so happy with the quick recovery thus far.

4. Energy- I expected to be rocking gallons of milk to sleep in a zombie comatose state at the grocery store due to sleep deprivation, but I’ve only felt really tired on the days I’ve missed taking a pill.

5. My milk came in fast- for someone with some circulation issues I was so nervous we’d have to stop due to problems my body was having. Bless the day the milk came in and nursing was smoother and easier. It happened before we left the hospital- the same day I took several pills for the first time. I’ve had a good supply since and have already stored away quite a bit in the freezer all set for returning to work.

6. Oxytocin I can feel. I can’t tell you the giddy joy I’ve had with this baby from pretty much the start. I feel like I got a new boyfriend and I’m on cloud nine constantly. Maybe the pills, maybe not, but I do feel far more attached the days I take them. I’ve felt calm and happy and that’s pretty amazing for a first time mom!

This has been my first and only child so sadly I don’t have another to compare to, but I think either it really worked or I have insanely good luck and only the good genetics showed!
So my friends, for someone with a family history of postpartum issues and knowing I’m someone who needed so much help to get pregnant, I can honestly report my body has worked as it should, my hormones didn’t instantly go out of whack like I feared, I could feel the pills working quickly, and I could tell a difference the days I missed taking them the first few weeks. Overall I’ve felt amazing and I can’t help but feel like these magic pills are to thank. I will gladly spend the money again if I’m ever so lucky to have another pregnancy and child!

Have any other readers tried it? What was your experience?