Placenta Encapsulation Timeline
We receive many requests in the area for placenta encapsulation and we have several common questions from clients. They are usually as follows: What do I take to the hospital? What do I do with my placenta after is it born? How do I let you know I’ve had my baby? When do you come to my house to start the encapsulation process?
Here’s a timeline of our services that might be helpful for folks.
As soon as your contract is signed and your invoice is paid, one of our Postpartum Placenta Specialists (PPS) will reach out to you to give you their contact information. They will also set up a time to bring you a transport kit. The transport kit is what you will take with you to the hospital when you are labor. When your PPS brings the transport kit to your home they will review directions with you as to how to package the placenta after your baby is born.
Typically your PPS will reach out to you around 36 weeks and at 39 weeks of pregnancy to see how you are doing and to answer any questions you might still have about the process.
When you go to the hospital to have your baby make sure you take the transport kit with you. If you have time, let your PPS know that you are in labor.
After your baby is born the placenta will be born soon after. Remind your nurse that you are saving your placenta. After your care provider has had a change to inspect the placenta you will need to package it up according to the instructions included with your transport kit. Often, your doula or one of your nurses is happy to package it for you. It will then need to be taken home and placed in your refrigerator within 12 hours of the birth.
Let your PPS know that your baby is here and that your placenta is home in your refrigerator. You can then coordinate with them as to when the best time might be for them to come to your home to start processing your placenta. Some clients would like to have this process started as soon as possible while some clients choose to wait until they are home from the hospital or birth center.
Your PPS will arrive at your home at the scheduled day and time. They will bring all equipment with them. You will need to have your sink and surrounding areas clear of food and dishes.
Your PPS will be in your home 2-3 hours the first day of processing. They will clean and sanitize your sink and the surrounding areas and then set up all of their equipment. Then they will take your placenta out of the refrigerator and place it inside a steamer basket in your sink. This is where they will rinse and drain the placenta of as much blood as possible. Then they will steam the placenta on your stovetop for 10-12 minutes. After the steaming process they will then slice the placenta and place it in the dehydrator. This will run overnight and into the next day. You will not need to do anything with the dehydrator during this time. Once the placenta is in the dehydrator your PPS will begin the cleanup process for Day 1. They will take any trash to your trash bin and let you know they are all done for Day 1.
Your PPS will return to your home the next day about 18-24 hours after the dehydrator first started running.
They will get everything set up in the kitchen to begin Day 2 of the process. Your PPS will be in your home about 2 hours. The Day 2 process includes cleaning and sanitizing the sink and surrounding areas, getting supplies and equipment set up, and taking the dehydrated placenta and turning it into powder. That powder is then placed in vegan capsules before being placed in a glass jar. Once all the powder is encapsulated your PPS will then go over consumption guidelines with you and answer any of your questions.
After you have had a chance to go over everything your PPS will then clean up and sanitize the sink and surrounding areas. They will then take out the trash from the process and bid you farewell.
Three days after the Day 2 process is when your PPS will check in on you to see how everything is going with taking the capsules. This a great time to ask any further questions.
Your PPS will contact you again in about 2 weeks for an additional check-in. Of course, you can reach out to your PPS at any time.
Here is an added bonus to using a Doulas of Raleigh Postpartum Placenta Specialist: all of our Postpartum Placenta Specialists are also Postpartum and Infant Care Doulas. This means they have a wealth of knowledge about postpartum recovery, newborn care, infant feeding, and a lot of knowledge about new baby products. They welcome questions and are happy to give suggestions related to any of these areas. Take advantage of this added bonus of having your PPS right there in your own home!
The above timeline should help clarify all the details surrounding our placenta encapsulation service. If you live within one hour of Raleigh, please reach out to us to set up this valuable service!