Placenta Encapsulation: A Growing Trend

The following is a guest post from our friend Krystal Bartz of Nine Months & Beyond Doula.  Krystal is a placenta encapsulation specialist as well as a birth and postpartum doula living in Lethbridge, AB.


Normally when you think about pregnancy, labor and birth the last thing that comes to your mind is keeping your placenta, let alone taking it home. Some women, after they delivery, might get lucky and their doctor might show them the placenta before it gets taken away by one of the nurses. The placenta is an amazing organ, created by you for your baby, only needed during pregnancy. It is your baby’s life line and it literally connects you to your baby through the umbilical cord.

A ‘new’ trend that is becoming more and more popular is placenta encapsulation. No, it is not eating your placenta raw, as you lay in your hospital bed. Nor is it grinding up your placenta like ground beef and making placenta lasagna that you can serve to your in-laws the first time they come over to visit you and your newest little addition. It is a process that views your placenta as sacred and as a helpful tool to postpartum recovery; hopefully a tool viewed as normal in the near future.

Depending on who you choose to be your encapsulation specialist, she might be an independent specialist who has learned the encapsulation process on her own through extensive research or she might be trained through a course, such as the Placenta Benefits.info online training. I have chosen to be trained through PBi, and have enjoyed the ability to converse with specialists who have been in the business awhile and who have given me a few inside tips and tricks into making the encapsulation process go as smooth as possible.

Being trained through PBi, means there are a few guidelines that I follow, that all PBi specialist follow as a standard. I, as the specialist, do not transport the placenta. This is done by the client, who takes the placenta to her home. I am then called to schedule an appointment for me to start the encapsulation process, in the client’s home. The general idea of how the placenta is prepared is that it is steamed, dehydrated and then ground into a power which is then put into capsules. I, personally, only use vegetarian capsules, but there is berry flavored and even gelatin capsules available if the client so chooses.  All of the techniques use by PBi specialist have been based from techniques used in Traditional Chinese Medicine and the placenta is prepared for a mothers own postpartum use and recovery, not for any other use. 

To start the encapsulation process, the client calls before she is in labor, to discuss any questions or concerns there might be about the encapsulation process. Like any other service I offer, there is a nonrefundable deposit required, after which, the client is then ‘booked’ into my calendar and her information programmed into my cell phone.  I use all of my own supplies for the encapsulation process, and only need the use of the client’s kitchen for the process. The encapsulation process is done over a two day time period, with the dehydration done throughout the nighttime.

There are also specific benefits that the mother will get from having her placenta encapsulation and then her taking the capsules. Benefits such as:

• contains your own natural hormones
• perfectly made for you
• balance your system
• replenish your depleted iron stores
• give you more energy
• lessens postnatal bleeding
• shown to increase milk production
• help you have a happier postpartum period
• hasten return of uterus to pre-pregnancy state
• can be helpful during menopause

When you choose to encapsulate your placenta through Nine Months & Beyond Doula you will be choosing to have professional and quality service that is done on your time line and allows you flexibility in your lives as new parents. Our placenta encapsulation services include:

• 80 – 120 placenta capsules; depending on the size of the placenta
• Cobalt blue jar to store capsules in
• Dosage guideline and instructions
• Cord keepsake
• One visit about a week after to help adjust dosage if need and to discuss any questions
• One phone calls at about 6 and then at 12 weeks postpartum  for another wellness check up

As an affiliate doula service promotion between Nine Months & Beyond Doula and From Womb to Cradle Doula Services, I am offering all doula clients, working with any doula through From Womb to Cradle, a special discounted rate, that includes traveling to your location and the encapsulation process.  Contact me today to find out how placenta encapsulation can help you in your postpartum recovery.

---

Krystal Bartz

Birth Doula, Postpartum Doula, Placenta Encapsulation Specialist

Nine Months & Beyond Doula

403.360.5357

contact@ninemonthsdoula.com

www.ninemonthsdoula.com

Winter 2011/2012 Special!

Kaitlin is offering a special rate for mothers due this winter!  For only $300 you can receive complete doula services including prenatal visits, childbirth preparation, labor support, birth photography and birth story, plus postpartum assistance!  This is a limited-time offer, so call Kaitlin today at (403) 581-1825 or send her an email!

**Valid only with Kaitlin and within Medicine Hat city limits.  First come, first served.

How Do I Cope: Dealing with a loss during pregnancy

by Sherel Burrows

The loss of a loved one is always difficult but when a new life is being created the loss is even more poignant as grief is laced with mixed feelings of missed celebration and shared excitement that cannot be. There is much mystery in both the creation of life and in the conclusion of life; with one there is joy and celebration and with the other there is pain and sorrow. As babies are welcomed into this world so, too, we deal with the bitterness of loss of loved ones as their time on this earth comes to a close.

When Sarah was 21 weeks pregnant she learned that her mother had been diagnosed with a terminal lung cancer. For Sarah there were conflicting emotions as she dealt with the illness of her mother and her feelings about the birth of her baby that her mother might never see fulfilled. As with most pregnant women Sarah’s emotions were already in turmoil due to surging hormones and grief was a constant part of her life as she dealt with the rollercoaster of emotions that flooded her as her mother grew weaker. It was a struggle for Sarah to take care of herself and her expectant child as fear and grief overrode all her thoughts. When Sarah was 38 weeks pregnant she attended the funeral of her mother.

There are many women that experience grief and loss during the time that they are carrying a child in their womb. Loss can come from death of a beloved friend or family member, a pet or from separation or divorce. Expectant mothers deal with loss in many ways and for some it can become dangerous if their grief plummets them into depression affecting their appetite and preventing the nourishment of their body and that of their growing child.

In Barbara Harper’s “Gentle Birth Choices” the author notes the connection between mind and body and remarks how the emotions that a personal feels can affect the cells of the body. It is suggested that the pregnant women release her emotions as she feels them and does not try to cage them up inside as this can be detrimental to her health and thus the health of a growing fetus (Ch. 7).

Many experts in grief counselling promote the need for the body to feel and release emotions as those who mourn move through the stages of grief. Mothers who grieve during their pregnancy do not give birth to children who are upset and hard to deal with; however, expectant mothers who are unable to express their emotions and release their feelings of grief, may have difficulty separating the birth of their child from feelings of sorrow and loss. These feelings may prevent maternal bonding and can lead to other problems, such as postpartum depression.

Traditionally, in many cultures death was an accepted part of life. Children were birthed at home and family members died at home with their loved ones gathered around them. Within our culture the role of the hospital has created a place for birthing, where illnesses are treated and cured, and death occurs. There is no longer an understanding of the sacredness of birth and death as it is rare that death occurs naturally and peacefully. With death occurring in the hospital there is a lot of fear that surrounds the end of life along with fear of the unknown.

Whether supporting those who grieve or suffering from your own grief and pain, the best help can come by allowing the expression of grief through tears or anger and by mourning with those that mourn. Nothing we can say or do can take away another’s pain; however, having an empathetic ear and a listening heart can do more healing than any hushing or consoling. Holding a person and letting them cry can help a person to release their pain and move on to a place of acceptance and peace. Death is the miracle at the end of life where those who came into this life through the miracle of birth depart to a new life that waits on the other side. Grief must occur for us as we continue through life and we need to recognize the effects that pent up stress can create in a pregnant women experiencing grief with an unborn child. Our role is to grieve and then to accept and move on until it is our time to move on from this world and reunite with loved ones on the other side.

Reference: Harper, B. (1994) Gentle birth choices: A guide to making informed choices about birthing centers, birth attendants, water birth, home birth and hospital birth; Healing Arts Press, 1st Ed.; Ch. 7.

Resources: http://www.groww.org/

http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC1595777/

The loss of a loved one is always difficult but when a new life is being created the loss is even more poignant as grief is laced with mixed feelings of missed celebration and shared excitement that cannot be. There is much mystery in both the creation of life and in the conclusion of life; with one there is joy and celebration and with the other there is pain and sorrow. As babies are welcomed into this world so, too, we deal with the bitterness of loss of loved ones as their time on this earth comes to a close.

When Sarah was 21 weeks pregnant she learned that her mother had been diagnosed with a terminal lung cancer. For Sarah there were conflicting emotions as she dealt with the illness of her mother and her feelings about the birth of her baby that her mother might never see fulfilled. As with most pregnant women Sarah’s emotions were already in turmoil due to surging hormones and grief was a constant part of her life as she dealt with the rollercoaster of emotions that flooded her as her mother grew weaker. It was a struggle for Sarah to take care of herself and her expectant child as fear and grief overrode all her thoughts. When Sarah was 38 weeks pregnant she attended the funeral of her mother.

There are many women that experience grief and loss during the time that they are carrying a child in their womb. Loss can come from death of a beloved friend or family member, a pet or from separation or divorce. Expectant mothers deal with loss in many ways and for some it can become dangerous if their grief plummets them into depression affecting their appetite and preventing the nourishment of their body and that of their growing child.

In Barbara Harper’s “Gentle Birth Choices” the author notes the connection between mind and body and remarks how the emotions that a personal feels can affect the cells of the body. It is suggested that the pregnant women release her emotions as she feels them and does not try to cage them up inside as this can be detrimental to her health and thus the health of a growing fetus (Ch. 7).

Many experts in grief counselling promote the need for the body to feel and release emotions as those who mourn move through the stages of grief. Mothers who grieve during their pregnancy do not give birth to children who are upset and hard to deal with; however, expectant mothers who are unable to express their emotions and release their feelings of grief, may have difficulty separating the birth of their child from feelings of sorrow and loss. These feelings may prevent maternal bonding and can lead to other problems, such as postpartum depression.

Traditionally, in many cultures death was an accepted part of life. Children were birthed at home and family members died at home with their loved ones gathered around them. Within our culture the role of the hospital has created a place for birthing, where illnesses are treated and cured, and death occurs. There is no longer an understanding of the sacredness of birth and death as it is rare that death occurs naturally and peacefully. With death occurring in the hospital there is a lot of fear that surrounds the end of life along with fear of the unknown.

Whether supporting those who grieve or suffering from your own grief and pain, the best help can come by allowing the expression of grief through tears or anger and by mourning with those that mourn. Nothing we can say or do can take away another’s pain; however, having an empathetic ear and a listening heart can do more healing than any hushing or consoling. Holding a person and letting them cry can help a person to release their pain and move on to a place of acceptance and peace. Death is the miracle at the end of life where those who came into this life through the miracle of birth depart to a new life that waits on the other side. Grief must occur for us as we continue through life and we need to recognize the effects that pent up stress can create in a pregnant women experiencing grief with an unborn child. Our role is to grieve and then to accept and move on until it is our time to move on from this world and reunite with loved ones on the other side.

Reference: Harper, B. (1994) Gentle birth choices: A guide to making informed choices about birthing centers, birth attendants, water birth, home birth and hospital birth; Healing Arts Press, 1st Ed.; Ch. 7.

Resources: http://www.groww.org/

http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC1595777/

Edema: Swelling of the Extremities During Pregnancy

Cankles... One of those "lovely" words mamas use to describe swelling in their legs (or other extremities) that may occur during pregnancy, most noticeably in the third trimester.  What is the reason for the swelling and what can you do to find some relief? 

Swelling (Edema) may be due to:

• Pressure of the growing uterus on the rectum
• Extra blood flow during pregnancy
• Growing uterus puts pressure on pelvic veins, slowing down circulation
• Excessive water retention

Some comfort measures:

• Stay cool
• Apply cool compresses to affected areas
• Elevate feet
• Wear support stockings
• Exercise
• Eat properly, avoid sodium and salty foods

**Keep in mind that severe swelling can also be a symptom of preeclampsia, a life-threatening condition.**

When to seek medical attention:

• Severe or persistent headache or any visual disturbance (such as double vision or seeing spots)
• Severe pain in the middle of your belly or on the right side of your belly under your ribs
• Unusual bruising or bleeding
• Excessive swelling or weight gain, swelling of the face

An Interview with Kaitlin Young, Birth Doula

We sat down with the newest doula in our practice for a brief interview so that you, our clients and friends, could learn more about her and why we feel she is such an amazing part of our team!

Tell us a little about your life aside from being a doula.

I am a stay-at-home mother of an awesome little boy and am also engaged and set to be married next year! I enjoy going to the gym and for walks and taking Zephran to the park as well. My son was born 5 weeks early with a cleft in his soft palate so he wasn't able to breastfeed directly so I pump for him, that used to take up a lot of my time before but now I don't have to pump as much!

Why did you decide to become a doula?

I decided to become a Doula after the birth of my son and realizing I couldn't have had a natural birth without the help of my Doula. They helped me learn A LOT about birth and parenting as well as to be informed on my decisions and what was in my best interest as well as my babies best interest. I realized the importance of being an informed mom to be as well as the importance of good labour support.

What do you think is the most important part of your job? 

I think the most important part of my job is to always be available and supportive, not everyone will want to do things the way I have but every woman still deserves the support and birth SHE wants. I feel another important part of my job is to help woman and families prepare for labour and parenthood and give them all the information they want and need!

How do you see your role as a doula?

I see my role as a rock metaphorically speaking. I am there to stay strong and grounded when sometimes mom and others cannot. I am there to help keep my clients grounded, to help them stay calm and centered and to aid them with coping with labour. I am also there to speak up for them when they cannot do so themselves and to offer them any information they require

What do you think the partner's role should be during labour?

I think a partners' role should also be supportive, we as doulas are there to help the partners help their labouring moms, I also think that we are there to help partners speak up for their wives/SO. We as doulas can teach partners certain massage techniques to use as well as have them help us get Mom into different positions. Some partners want to be very hands on while others don't feel as comfortable doing so!

What are the main skills and abilities you bring to a birth?

I can offer many skills and abilities to a labouring mom and her family. Firstly I am there for undivided and unconditional support. I can also offer many different massage techniques to help with contractions as well as different positions to help with speeding up labour as well. Not only do I offer physical support but also emotional support. There will be times that the mom does not think she can do it and I will be there for reassurance. I am able to stay calm and organized in chaotic situations. Also, after birth I am there to help establish breastfeeding between mom and baby. I feel that I can help many different moms in their journey through pregnancy, labour and early motherhood!

Breastfeeding Mothers ~ La Leche League Canada

Breast isn't "best," it is the way babies are born to be fed.  Nursing is more than feeding, it is nurturing.

Video courtesy La Leche League Canada