Celeb Quotes About the Placenta

Though some celebs are now getting on board with placenta encapsulation, not everybody is down with it. New comments by Evan Rachel Wood spurred a slideshow of comments. Find out which celebs are down with the idea and who dissed it. It's fairly entertaining...

http://blogs.babycenter.com/celebrities/forget-placenta-evan-rachel-wood-04242013-plans-to-eat/

Scientists Discover Placenta Holds Clues for Autism Risk

1 in 50 children are now diagnosed with autism, which is a staggering number. Imagine the placenta being able to hold key clues, allowing parents to obtain quicker interventions for their children to have the best outcomes. This is exactly what scientists have discovered.

Scientist have compared placentas from families who already have a child with autism to families where no known risk factors are present. In the placentas for babies already considered at risk, scientists have discovered certain folds in the placenta called "trophoblast inclusions." They believe the presence of a certain number of these inclusions can predict autism risk, not necessarily diagnosis, with 97% accuracy.

Source: http://www.cbsnews.com/8301-204_162-57581384/scientists-find-clues-to-autism-risk-in-placentas/

Say What?

Selling Placentas = Big Money

Did you know the hospital can sell your placenta if you decide to let them dispose of it? Did you know they don't even have to inform you?

http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-566936/EXCLUSIVE-How-NHS-sold-PLACENTA-luxury-cosmetics-firm-instead-using-medical-research.html

How do you feel about the hospital profiting off of you without your consent? Should there be regulations for this?

Benefits of Vernix

This is an interesting article about why vernix is important and what the benefits are... http://birthbliss.wordpress.com/2010/09/01/benefits-of-vernix-its-amazing-stuff/.

I hadn't really thought much about vernix before except to wipe it off, but aren't our bodies so cool?

21 Reasons to Say NO to Pitocin Straight From the Manufacturer

http://www.sicklycat.com/2012/05/24/21-reasons-to-say-no-to-pitocin-according-to-manufacturer/

This is a well written and extremely important article based on the package insert of Pitocin. It's important to be informed, especially regarding what the manufacturer recommends.

Did you have a Pitocin induced birth? Did you feel you were properly informed of the risks?

How much should I Pay to Have My Placenta Encapsulated?

There can be a wide range of fees when it comes to finding someone to encapsulate your placenta. Is someone who charges $80 as professional as someone who charges $400? Here's my take:

I charge $200 for my services. It's just a basic flat rate that makes it easy. For that price, I do everything and leave no extra work. From that fee though I have to pay for supplies, gas, and childcare, so the actual profit I make on each placenta is not $200.

I think $200 is a fair price for both myself and my clients. We have such a large birthing community in the Phoenix area that we actually experience the wide range of differing fees within our city. There are some places where the cost of living is higher and $400 may be a fair price. In Phoenix, it is not. We have some specialists in Phoenix that charge $350. In the Phoenix market, you can find a quality specialist for less than that. Of course, I'm a bit partial to myself because I know I'm skilled and properly trained, I know I have the experience, and I take it seriously, so my recommendation would be not to pay more than $200 in Phoenix.

There are some cities with only one or two specialists. They can charge whatever they want, but maybe their market dictates they can only charge around $80. This does not make them less professional. In the Phoenix area, however, it does. We even have some women who claim to encapsulate who will do it for free because they're learning. My rule of thumb if encapsulating your placenta is really important to you, don't go with anyone who charges less than $150. There's no way to do it for much less than that and still make a little bit of a respectable profit for your time. If you're going to go through the excitement of having your placenta turned into capsules that you want to benefit from, then it's important to go with someone who is professional and does quality work.

There are also specialists in the Phoenix area who will do differing fees based on whether you choose to bring your placenta to their home or they have to go to your home. Many of them will drop the price significantly if you allow them to encapsulate your placenta in their home. I discourage this. It may be tempting, but I do find that most of my clients prefer to have it done in their own homes. I also get the question in almost every inquiry I receive, "How will I know I'm getting back my own placenta?" You shouldn't have to worry about this! It's important that we bring some standardization to the encapsulation process and it really should be done in the client's home.

So, while the fees can vary greatly, I believe a price around $200 is a good jumping off point, especially in the Phoenix area and that's why I set my price accordingly.

Can the Placenta Transmit Cancer?

It has been discovered that there are indeed circumstances where a mother's cancer cells cross the placental barrier and are transmitted to the baby.

It is an extremely rare occurrence with only 17 probable cases having been reported worldwide.

Researchers are not yet sure how the cancer cells are able to bypass detection from the baby's immune system. There is a theory that as the cells are transmitted via the placenta, a mutation occurs causing the baby's immune system to not view the cells as invaders or foreign and therefore the immune system does not launch an attack.

http://www.guardian.co.uk/science/2009/oct/12/cancer-passed-from-mother-foetus

Breast Milk Jewelry!

I'm was so psyched to hear about this! I first heard of breast milk jewelry four years ago when I was breastfeeding my daughter and I was so intrigued by it as a way to commemorate the special time I had with her that was so fleeting. I searched high and low for someone making the jewelry and no one was yet, so I was not able to preserve the memory in that way.

Now someone is finally offering the jewelry and it's not outrageously expensive! It's a mom who has figured out the process and she guarantees her work. I know some people may find this a really strange concept, but I thought it was awesome (of course, I tend to go for the strange and unique, but if you're researching placenta encapsulation maybe you do too). What a neat way to remember the specialness of breastfeeding and the bond that it created.

http://www.bust.com/breast-milk-jewelry-a-new-craze-for-mothers.html

If you're interested in trying to make it yourself as I kind of am, here's a tutorial from a woman in Australia. It's pretty thorough, but I haven't gotten to try it myself. http://boobshalffull.wordpress.com/2011/12/15/milk-and-casting-resin-tutorial/

Boy or Girl?

What's your guess? We're going to be surprised. I have six weeks or so left, but I will announce it once he or she gets here.

With that said, there will be about 2-3 weeks where I will not be encapsulating placentas (and the weeks are tentative depending on when little Raspberry wants to come). I've been getting so many requests for May and June that I will get back to it as quickly as I can, but the last week or two of May and the first week or two of June, I will be unavailable. I'm sorry for any inconvenience and I can provide referrals if you'd like.

Placenta Recipes Week: Mother Butter

3 1/2 oz butter
1 tsp placenta powder
4 oz jar
essential oil of your choosing (optional)

Melt the butter and simmer it while you skim off the top foam. Add the placenta powder and stir. The mixture needs to set in the oven or on the stove at 120-140 degrees F for five hours. Pour the mixture into a jar and let cool at room temperature. This mixture can be stored in the refrigerator after it has cooled for up to four weeks.

Placenta Recipes Week: Nursing Oil

You can make a nursing oil to be used from the placenta emulsifier. Instructions on how to make that can be found here: http://phoenixplacentaencapsulation.blogspot.com/2013/04/placenta-recipes-week-placenta-emulsion.html.

2/3 oz placenta emulsion
1/3 cup apricot seed oil
1 drop geranium essential oil

Mix ingredients together. Rub on breasts and lymphatic ducts once daily, but avoid the nipples.

Tia Mowry Tries Some of Her Sister's Placenta Tincture

Maybe it's true twins do share everything. This was a cute episode and I was happy to find a picture of it. Go Tia!

A Twilight Placenta Promise

Las Vegas Sun Features Article on Placenta Encapsulation

The Las Vegas Sun recently published an article on placenta encapsulation. You can read the article here: http://www.lasvegassun.com/news/2013/mar/01/more-mothers-turning-placenta-pills-overcome-postp/#ixzz2MKowTygt.

University of Nevada Las Vegas Appears on Nevada's Public Radio

The University of Nevada Las Vegas heads up a research team that has been studying the effects of placenta ingestion on new mothers. They were recently featured on Nevada's Public Radio program. You can listen to the entire 30 minute interview for their latest findings.

http://www.knpr.org/son/archive/detail2.cfm?SegmentID=9812&ProgramID=2726

Recently Published Study in The Journal of Ecology on Human Plaentophagy

The Journal of Ecology recently published a study done by University of Nevada Las Vegas entitled Human Maternal Placentophagy that explored the occurrences and motivations behind new mothers ingesting their placentas. You can download and read the full study here: http://www.tandfonline.com/doi/abs/10.1080/03670244.2012.719356.

Cesarean Vs. VBAC Chart: Know The True Information

Would You Eat Your Placenta Like A Steak Dinner?

Can't say that I would, but in an effort to visually normalize the thought of eating the placenta, I'm posting this picture. Sorry for those who of you it is a little much for.

Would You Use Placenta Cream From Someone Else's Placenta?

Cosmetic companies have been putting placenta into their products for years, though usually it comes from an animal. Would you use animal placenta? Makes using your own placenta sound a little more normal, doesn't it? I got a kick out of this picture.

Placenta Recipes Week: Placenta Emulsion

1/3 oz emulsifier
1 oz distilled water
1/2 tsp placenta powder

Dissolve the emulsifier into the distilled water at 120 degrees F. As soon as the solution turns into a paste, add the placenta powder. Simmer and stir swiftly until powder has also been dissolved. Remove from heat and cool at room temperature while beating with a whisk. This can be used in a variety of other recipes, more of which to come later.

Happy Easter!