Peace of Mommy Encapsulation
What is Placenta Encapsulation?
The process of a new mother consuming her placenta postpartum is called Placentophagy. This is done either by eating the placenta raw, cooked, in capsule form or drinking placenta broth. This is not an issue for vegetarian mothers because nothing was harmed to bring about the organ meat for consumption. With the exception of a few species, all mammals eat their placenta after giving birth because of the nutritional benefits that consuming a placenta can offer after birth. The custom of consuming the placenta is centuries old and is a tradition that has been becoming more popular in the United States.
How is it done?
We begin the process by first steaming the placenta with ginger, cayenne pepper, and lemon juice. The placenta is then dehydrated, grinded into fine powder, and encapsulated into pills for consumption. The placenta encapsulation process is typically initiated within 24 hours after birth.
What is the placenta?
The placenta is a temporary organ created by the body during pregnancy. it is the only disposable organ. The placenta is in charge of delivering nutrients and oxygen to the developing baby and it is full of vitamins, nutrients, and hormones.
Nutrients found in the Placenta:
Gonadotrophin - predecessor to estrogen, progesterone and testosterone
Prolactin - promotes lactation
Oxytocin - helps uterus shrink back to its normal size, for pain relief and baby bonding. This hormone is also produced during breastfeeding to promote healthy bonding between mother and baby.
Interferon - stimulates the immune system to protect against infection.
Thyroid stimulating Hormone - boosts energy and aids in recovery of stressful events.
Cortisol - releases energy stores and helps with stress.
Prostaglandins - anti-inflammatory.
Hemoglobin - replenishes iron deficiencies and anemia
Gamma-globulin - boosts immune system and protects against postpartum infection.
Urokinase Inhibiting Factor & Factor X111 -stops bleeding and enhances healing of wounds.
Growth factors - in the form of cytokines & hormones, stimulate cellular growth. They have anti-inflammatory properties, aid blood circulation, wound tissue healing and has an analgesic effect.
Placenta Stem Cells - provides new cells for regeneration of tissue, using growth factors they enhance their ability to multiply much faster.
Vitamins and minerals
Iron - essential for absorption of oxygen in the cells needed for repair.
Vitamin B6 - promotes the production of red blood cells, aids in normal functioning of the brain. Helps in the making of antibodies, keeping the immune system strong.
Vitamins A, D, E, K
Vitamins C, B complex
Studies
Iron
The placenta is rich in iron. When you give birth you lose so much blood and your body has to take on the task of replenishing all the blood that was lost. Having low iron often results in lower hormone levels, fatigue, lack of concentration and depressive symptoms. Studies have shown that giving iron supplements to women with postpartum depression has helped. Why don’t I take Iron supplements instead of using the placenta? The type of manufacture iron In supplements is processed differently by the body than the natural iron content found in the blood of a fresh placenta. It’s better to consume the natural iron that the mother’s body has created. Instead of running the risk of the taking too much pharmaceutical iron supplement.
http://jn.nutrition.org/content/133/12/4139.full
Lactation
In a study where women were given placenta to consume, 86% reported increased milk production within 4 days. Mothers who have experienced Toxemia or preeclampsia during pregnancy may find that their milk is slow to come in. Consuming placenta directly after birth has shown in many cases to help this. “All patients were given desiccated placenta prepared as previously described (C.A. II, 2492) in doses of 10 grains in a capsule 3 times a day. Only those mothers were chosen for the study whose parturition was normal and only the weights of those infants were recorded whose soul source of nourishment was mothers milk. The growth of 177 infants was studied. The rate of growth is increased by the ingestion of placenta by the mother… the maternal ingestion of dried placenta tissue so stimulates the tissues of the infants feeding on the milk produced during this time, that unit weight is able to add on greater increments of matter, from day to day, than can unit weight of infants feeding on milk from mothers not ingesting this substance.” Hammett, Frederick. S. 1918. The Journal of Biological Chemistry, 36. American Society of Biological Chemists, Rockefeller Institute for Medical Research, original press: Harvard University.
Postpartum Depression
When we are under stress, a part of the brain called the hypothalamus secretes corticotropinreleasing hormone, or CRH. Its secretion triggers a cascade of hormones that ultimately increases the amount of another hormone called cortisol in the blood. Cortisol raises blood sugar levels and maintains normal blood pressure, which helps us perform well under stress. During the last trimester of pregnancy, the placenta secretes a lot of CRH. The rise is so dramatic that CRH levels in the maternal bloodstream increase. George Chrousos, the endocrinologist who led the NIH study, "we think it helps women go through the stress of pregnancy, labor, and delivery." But what happens after birth, when the placenta is gone? Chrousos and his colleagues monitored CRH levels in 17, women from the last trimester to a year after they gave birth. All the women had low levels of CRH as low as seen in some forms of depression in the six weeks following birth. The seven women with the lowest levels felt depressed. Chrousos suspects that CRH levels are temporarily low in new mothers because CRH from the placenta disrupts the feedback system that regulates normal production of the hormone. During pregnancy, when CRH levels are high in the bloodstream, the hypothalamus releases less CRH. After birth, however, when this supplementary source of CRH is gone, it takes a while for the hypothalamus to get the signal that it needs to start making more CRH. The placenta helps speed up the production of this hormone.
Pain Relief
Research has shown that ingesting placenta increases the effectiveness of opioids. Themother would need to take much less pain medication to reach the same desired pain management. The women would experience less pharmacological side effects and better maternal responsiveness. This benefit of consuming placenta can be especially helpful for csection mothers, mothers with episiotomy or severe tears and postpartum for prolapsed uterus or cervix.“The most general benefit of placentophagy, according to recent research, is that placenta and amniotic fluid contain a molecule (POEF, Placental OpioidEnhancing Factor) that modifies the activity of endogenous opioids in such a way that produces an enhancement of the natural reduction in pain that occurs shortly after and during delivery.”Mark B. Kristal, "Enhancement of OpioidMediated Analgesia: A Solution to the Enigma of Placentophagia", Neuroscience & Biobehavioral Reviews 15: 425–435
