What if you knew that your own body could produce the antidote to postpartum blues/depression, and at the same time could decrease fatigue, aid healing, and boost milk supply? What if that something was the placenta you grew for your baby?
If the idea is new to you, the idea of consuming your placenta might sound disgusting, or maybe like a ridiculous new fad that will soon disappear, but it is neither. It’s actually a rare mammal that doesn’t eat its placenta, and this miraculous organ has been used in Traditional Chinese Medicine for thousands of years. Traditionally, placenta is consumed in a variety of forms in many countries throughout the world.
The placenta contains high levels of protein and iron, as well as vitamin B6. It also contains hormones, including oxytocin, known to decrease stress and increase feeling of love and relaxation. This unique combination of hormones and nutrients helps restore the natural balance in a new mother’s rapidly shifting state. While studies on the practice in the U.S. are still in their very earliest phases, anecdotal evidence from mothers and practitioners alike is overwhelmingly positive. What we know for sure is that postpartum depression is real and anything that could potentially stave it off with zero negative side effects should be considered.
The encapsulation process is a relatively easy one, and many families choose to do it for themselves. A lot of families also hire a placenta encapsulation professional to take care of the process for them, because new families are typically tired and busy with their baby, or simply because they don’t like the idea of handling a placenta. Either way, the finished product will be one that presents with zero gross-out factor, even for those who are squeamish. Normal pill capsules are filled with your dehydrated and pulverized placenta, and they look like any other bottle of vitamins or supplements you would buy at the health food store. With nothing to lose, and a lot of potential benefits, it’s a practice worth trying.
