Cincinnati & Dayton Placenta Encapsulation FAQ

Cincinnati and Dayton Placenta Encapsulation

Regardless of whether you are having a home birth or a hospital birth, you should let them know ahead of time of your intentions.

If you are having a hospital birth, you will want to bring this up at the hospital again with your birth team, potentially a couple of times.  Each hospital has different policies and you will most likely have to sign paperwork to take your placenta.   Some hospitals will allow you doula to take the placenta with them immediately after the birth, others will only allow you to take it after you have been discharged and we will need to set up another time in the coming days.

Each placenta and every women is different.   While the average placenta will allow for about 160 capsules, we have seen placentas provide as little as 100 and some over 200.  

We will provide instructions with your pills, but on average, you will see a suggested dosage of approximately:

• 2-3 capsules up to 3 times per day for the first 1-2 weeks
• 1-2 capsules up to 2 times per day for the next couple of weeks
• 1 pill up to 1 time a day until completed.

You need to store your capsules in a cool, dry, dark place like a cabinet or pantry.   All pills are placed into amber colored jars to prevent as much light from coming through as possible.  

We will not encapsulate your placenta if you have smoked during pregnancy, have any sexually transmitted diseases, hepatitis or HIV/Aids.   If you have Strep B during pregnancy, we can talk about methods to disinefct the placenta, with the choice ultimately being yours.

If you developer a fever during childbirth, we may be unable to encapsulate your placenta due to risk of infection.  We can work with your doctor or midwife to rule infection out to determine if safety.

Research Your Options

As with anything, you should do your own research to determine if placenta encapsulation is right for you.

Research suggests there is limited risk of ingestion by the postpartum person. Occasionally people have experienced jitteriness or dizziness after taking the pills and proper care needs to be taken prior to encapsulation to store the placenta properly to ensure safety. If you observe any negative effects, you should discontinue and consult your provider about whether continuing is the right choice for you.

Safety is important!

You can trust that your placenta is in good hands. You'll know there is zero risk of cross-contamination. Tamara is certified in safe food handling protocols and in bloodborne pathogen prevention protocols. You can rest easy, knowing that your capsules contain only your pure placenta.

See how Tamara preps her kitchen and prepares a placenta

The cost of placenta encapsulationn averages around $200-$350 dollars across Cincinnati and Dayon based on research we did as of June 2022.

We strive to keep my prices as low as we can; most recently we have elected to not raise prices, but to add a travel fee for families that have drop off/pick up locations more than 30 miles away from Tamara's home.

We also offer discounted pricing on placenta encapsulation to families who are using our birth doula services.

For our current placenta encapsulatoin pricing, check out my information page. 

Placenta Encapsulation refers to the processing of your raw placenta in order to receive capsules which the mama can take after birth for postpartum support.   

Your placenta can be processed by a certified placenta encapsulator, Tamara received her certification from Childbirth International in 2020.

To learn more about the placenta encapsulation process, check out our informational page.

The placenta is an amazing organ and has many uses post birth. 

The placenta can be encapsulated into pills for mama to take during postpartum and can also be used for salves (great for diaper rashes) and tinctures which can be great for extended, long term use.

Planceta encapsulation offers many benefits including helping with giving mama important vitamins and minerals after birth as well as helping with reducing the crash of hormones that typically follows after birth.  

You can learn more here with a more in-depth list we have put together about the benefits of placenta encapsulation. We have also put together information about the benefits of placenta consumption.  

Yes, you can still have your placenta encapsulated if you test positive for GBS.  

For those who have tested positive for GBS, Stork Helpers would use the Traditional Chinese Method (TCM) to prepare the placenta.   This method involves steaming the planceta to 220° Farenheit for a minimum of 30 minutes followed by dehydrating the placenta for a minimum of 12 hours.  Any potential bacteria or virus is killed during the process as they cannot survive at temperatures higher than 131° Farenheit.  

Yes, placenta encapsulation is still safe if you have had a waterbirth.

However, it is important that the placenta is delivered onto a clean surface and NOT into the birthing tub.  

The temperature and condition of the water makes it the perfect breeding ground for bacteria to thrive.  

Most likely you will want to move from the tub shortly after birth for skin to skin contact or your birth team will encourage you to step out of the tub so they can properly gauge any potential blood loss.  

If you are planning a waterbirth and would like to do placenta encapsulation, talk to your birth team ahead of time so they can help make arrangements with you. 

Yes, it is still safe to encapsulate your placenta if there is some meconium on your placenta.

The bacteria in meconium is from your own body, but we will thoroughly wash the placenta and then stream the planceta to 220° Farenheit for a minimum of 30 minutes followed by dehydrating the placenta for a minimum of 12 hours.  Any potential bacteria or virus is killed during the process as they cannot survive at temperatures higher than 131° Farenheit.  

If you used the raw method for your placenta encapsulation, your pills should be consumed within 12 weeks. 

If you used the Traditional Chinese Medicine method, you pills should be good for up to 6 months. 

In both cases you should be storing the pills in a cool, dark place.  

Yes, if you have HIV, Hepatitis A, Hepatitis B, or Hepatitis C, we cannot encpasulate your placenta.  

Absolutely!  Since your placenta is all natural, it should not interfere wih any other medications you have to take. 

If you any concerns, you should consult with your OBGYN or midwife for more information.  

Yes, it is safe to have your placenta encapsulated if you have been induced or have an epidural.