Crys the Doula

Placenta Processing!

I will expand on this in the near future, but here’s some info to get you going…

There are a multitude of benefits in consuming your placenta. The most common reasons most women choose to do this are to help stabilize hormones and help address postpartum mental health. The typical way to do this is by having the placenta processed into capsules.

There are two basic methods:

Raw and Traditional Chinese Medicine (TCM)

In the raw process, “raw” refers to the state of the placenta when it is put into the dehydrator. The way I personally carry out the process is outlined below.

1. pick up the placenta very shortly after birth OR arrange for it to be refrigerated
2. minimally handle the placenta to remove blood clots
3. if heavy meconium is present, a more thorough cleaning is done
4. photograph both maternal and fetal sides of placenta
5. remove umbilical cord
6. remove membranes that formed the sac
7. leave the chorion that is directly attached to the fetal side, but separate and remove the amnion there
8. thinly slice the placenta
9. place on dehydrator trays
10. check on placenta 24 hours later… leave on longer if necessary
11. grind the placenta into powder
12. fill capsules and package for delivery!

The TCM method is a little more involved. It works with the energetic properties of the body in accordance with the ancient philosophies of Chinese Medicine. It is understood that heat is lost during birth and so warmth is added to balance the body. If the full energetic healing is desired, no sharp tools are used at all. A variation can be done that honors the energy but does use sharp tools. Here is an example of how I would do a TCM processing.

1. pick up the placenta very shortly after birth OR arrange for it to be refrigerated
2. photograph both maternal and fetal sides of placenta
3. thoroughly rinse the placenta with water removing as much blood as possible, working the tissue so it drains via the umbilical cord
4. steam the placenta over a pepper, a ginger root, and some lemongrass
5. gently pull the meat of the placenta loose and place on the dehydrator
6. check the dehydrator every few hours until the placenta is fully dehydrated
7. grind the placenta with a mortar and pestle until in powder form
8. fill capsules and package for delivery!

Because TCM requires more work, it costs a little more. Most people choose the raw method. Having the process done in your home in stead of mine also increases my fee.

There are many other ways to get the placenta benefits which I will add soon!