"Two years ago I was expecting my fifth child and was already suffering from prepartum depression and anxiety.  This made me very nervous since I had struggled with different levels of anxiety and depression after each of my first four births.  Two years earlier I had become a certified placenta encapsulation specialist because I had seen the positive results friends and doula clients were having and as I studied I believed more and more in the process. 

​ After my daughter was born I was very excited to get my pills and give them a try.  My encapsulation partner at the time, completed my encapsulation in my kitchen, and it was exciting to watch her work with my beautiful placenta.  I am thrilled to report that not only did I not have any depression or anxiety during my postpartum time I didn't even have baby blues.  I also found that my recovery was much faster than it had been with the others and that I had an abundance of energy.  I have always been anemic after my births and I was not after this birth and encapsulation.  I still have my tincture in the freezer to use down the road.  My only regret is not having the knowledge about placenta encapsulation soon enough to have done it with the first four placentas.  ​" -Anna Morgan, Placenta Arts Specialist, Birth Doula

 If you have looked into placenta encapsulation you may have noticed that there are differences in encapsulation preferences, such as location, encapsulator, and method, which can be very confusing. Therefore, I would like to present the options so you, the parent, can make an informed decision that is best for you.

Location options:
Your home or your encapsulator’s workspace, whether that be her personal home or a professional placenta kitchen. There are no laws in Tennessee regulating the location an independent encapsulator chooses in which to process. OSHA Bloodborne Pathogen Training for Placenta Encapsulators teaches how to properly clean and sanitize the workspace before beginning and after completion of the encapsulation process and how to adhere to universal precautions for safety and sanitation. For this reason, it is important for you to know the reputation of your encapsulator.

Encapsulating in the encapsulator’s workspace:
Pros: Your placenta is picked up within 24 hours, usually sooner, from your place of birth. Your only job is to be sure it is placed on ice or in a refrigerator within two hours of birth. Most encapsulation specialists are happy to take and send you photos of the process as they work and immediately after the process is completed at your request. Once the encapsulation is complete, it is returned to you. You do not have to make any plans or make sure your home and kitchen are clean and sanitized which per OSHA standards requires the use of chemical sanitation products.

Cons: Your placenta is out of your care. The concern some people have is that you cannot be certain that you are getting pills made from your placenta and that you cannot know for sure how your placenta was cared for when it was not in your care from start to finish.

Encapsulation in your own Home:
Pros: Your placenta is never our of your care or the care of a family member or friend. You have someone you know overseeing the process from start to finish. You can have your own pictures taken of the process and have the ability to visit with and get to know your encapsulation specialist while she works. This is also a great opportunity to learn more about encapsulation, the process, and it’s benefits. If you have a home birth or are home quickly following the birth you can see the process yourself if you choose.

Cons: You are responsible for arranging for someone to get your placenta to your home and keep it on ice or in the refrigerator until arrangements are made to meet the encapsulator at your home to begin the process. There should always be someone present when the encapsulator is in your home. Your kitchen must be thoroughly cleaned before the encapsulator arrives so she is able to properly sanitize and work with the most safety to you and your family, as well as to herself. You would be responsible to assure the dehydrator is never shut off during the encapsulation process as that can cause the placenta to be unfit to consume. Pets in the home must be considered and usually contained so there is no risk of contamination. The sounds and smells of the encapsulation are pleasant to some but disagreeable to others. Some consider these cons to be more inconvenient than negatives.