I get a lot of questions about the process of placenta encapsulation, and I understand why. Placenta encapsulation is one of those things that most people prefer not to hear too much about. There isn’t a lot of information out there about what the process of placenta encapsulation looks like from start to finish. If you are considering encapsulating your placenta or have already booked a placenta specialist for your due date and want to learn more about the process, this blog post is for you!
I encapsulate placentas in my own home. I choose to encapsulate placentas in my home for several reasons. Firstly, placenta encapsulation is a long process. Placentas generally take between 12-24 hours to dehydrate completely (though sometimes even longer!), and when I work from my own home, I am able to check in on the placenta regularly. Additionally, I choose to encapsulate placentas at home because I have complete control over my workspace. I can ensure that my workspace and work materials have been meticulously cleaned and sanitized properly. There are no distractions when I work with placentas in my own home, and I am not responsible for keeping my workspace safe from my clients’ children and pets. There is no one coming in and out of my workspace when I encapsulate at home, which significantly lowers the risk for any cross-contamination. For these reasons, I encapsulate solely in my own home, although there are placenta specialists who choose to work in their clients’ homes as well.
Below, I will break down the placenta encapsulation process from start to finish.
Step 1: Collect the Placenta
Clients give me a heads up when they are in labor, and usually have a friend or a family member contact me when they are ready for their placenta to be collected. I have picked up placentas from home births, hospitals, and birth centers. I bring a cooler filled with ice to transport the placenta in. Hospitals and birth centers typically provide a container for the placenta to be transported in, but I always bring along extra gallon-sized Ziploc bags, just in case.
Step 2: Deep Clean of Workspace and Materials
I encapsulate placentas in my kitchen. I cook and consume meals in my kitchen every day, so the sanitization and cleanliness of my kitchen is of utmost importance to me. I use a bleach solution to wipe down all of the surfaces in my kitchen, even though the placenta never directly comes into contact with my countertop or personal kitchen items. I also use a bleach solution to sanitize my work materials, including my cutting boards, knives, steamer, and dehydrator.
Step 3: Preparation of Placenta
Once my kitchen is clean and my materials have been laid out, I prepare the placenta for encapsulation. I cut away and discard the chorion and amnion and remove the umbilical cord and set it aside for later use. I remove any calcium deposits and blood clots and wash the placenta thoroughly with cold water to remove excess blood. It is at this point that I will create a print of the placenta if my client has requested one.
Step 4: Steaming
If the client requests that the placenta is steamed before dehydration, I steam the placenta over warming herbs such as ginger, clove, or turmeric. If a client prefers that the placenta be prepared raw, I skip this step.
Next, I thinly slice the placenta. It is much easier to dehydrate a placenta that has been sliced rather than attempting to dehydrate an entire placenta.
Step 5: Dehydration
The placenta is then arranged in the dehydrator. I take care to arrange the umbilical cord into a shape, such as a heart or the first letter of baby's name, if possible. Depending on the size and thickness of the placenta, the dehydration process generally takes between 12-24 hours. I check in on the placenta regularly to ensure that all the pieces are dehydrated completely before the next step.
Step 6: More Cleaning!
While the placenta is dehydrating, I complete another deep clean of my workspace, discard any waste, and sanitize the materials needed for the next steps, including my Magic Bullet and capsule-filling machine. Then, for good measure, I wipe everything down again!
Step 7: Pulverization
I use a Magic Bullet to pulverize the completely dehydrated placenta pieces. The placenta is reduced to a fine powder and is ready to be converted into capsules.
Step 8: Filling the Capsules
I use a capsule filling machine to fill the capsule machines. An average sized placenta generally yields around 100 capsules, but larger placentas can yield even more. The biggest placenta that I ever encapsulated produced around 200 pills, while the smallest produced 100 pills on the dot. At the end of this process, I place the placenta pills in an amber jar (to protect the capsules from sunlight) and print out instructions for consumption.
Step 9: You Guessed It... More Cleaning!
Before I put my materials away, I ensure that everything I have touched has been washed and sanitized thoroughly. Every inch of my kitchen is inspected and wiped down for the umpteenth time. By the end of the placenta encapsulation process, my body aches with the effort of endless scrubbing!
Step 10: Delivery
I deliver the placenta pills to my clients within 72 hours, but I am often able to complete the encapsulation process faster. I always make sure to stick around long enough to answer any and every question that my client may have their placenta pills. The health and well-being of my client is my top priority as a placenta specialist.
Do you have additional questions about placenta encapsulation? Please reach out to me! I would love to answer your questions and help you determine whether placenta encapsulation is the right fit for you. I can be reached through our website's contact form, or at mary@madamdoula.com.
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