What I Decided to Do with My Placenta...and Why

So....Placentas. With Wilson, I didn't look at it or even really give it a second thought. But, as my due date approached for Waylon's birth, I had heard a lot about Placental Encapsulation and given that I KNEW what the first few months with a newborn were going to be like (i.e. awfully terrible), I decided to look into it. I have to be honest: from the beginning, it grossed me out - even thinking about it as an organ made me want to heave. But, I first considered it for its stated impact on Postpartum Depression. I had PPD with my first son; the transition to motherhood coupled with a difficult tempered baby was not an easy one. It was only moderate PPD which resolved with support and counseling, but having had it before and now having 2 boys under the age of 2, made me rethink some of my options. 

So I first checked out the research. There are not a lot of good empirical studies, but there are some. They indicate that consuming the placenta postpartum increases lactation production, pain relief, speeds up recovery, increases bonding, boosts energy, stimulates the immune system and replenishes iron. Um, great! Those would be all the things that make the "fourth trimester" awful - you are fatigued, feeling like you should be more bonded with your baby, stressed out, struggling with breastfeeding, feeling crappy and probably anemic. Although the studies are few in quantity, it is important to remember that clinical trials can cost millions of dollars; and what company (particularly pharmaceutical companies who usually fund trials) would be interested in funding a study like this - where patients make their own medicine and you can't profit from it? 

So, the lack of research is not surprising; but the preliminary studies are promising. So I decided to take a case study approach: I then asked other women who had done it if they would do it again. It was a resounding YES. Some swore by it and some stated that maybe it was a placebo effect, but either way, they said it was a lifesaver AND that it did all the things that the research said it would. 

I looked at the history of placental encapsulation and found that it had its roots in Chinese medicine, with its utility first published in 1578: not exactly what you would call a fad as I initially thought it was. It was used sporadically in Europe during the 1700s and then brought back into use in the 1980s by an American midwife. 

So, some good research, good word of mouth and a history. Even so, I kept thinking....but ew. EW. I know most animals always consume their placenta after birth, but I don't feel the need to copy my dogs in their efforts of licking their butts or eating some rather disgusting things. So the ick factor really still pervaded despite it being a natural phenomenon.

As it got closer to Waylon's D-Day, I realized that even though I was hoping for a positive, perfect outcome, what if? What if it wasn't? What if many, numerous crappy things happened as they did when I had Wilson? I remember being anxious, depressed, wanting to kill my partner, questioning my decision to have children, hating the universe and crying ALOT. It was not what I had pictured in any way, shape or form.

So, I researched some companies, but finally went with Birth Partners, who I have used for my doulas (both first and second births); and they are pretty much the best out there for lots of reasons. You sign a contract, get a form from your doctor maintaining that you do not have any diseases and await the birth. When we had Waylon, my midwife set aside his placenta and cord and Mike took it home to our fridge. More ick factor. I looked at it once. It was huge, gross and even though I loved it for keeping my baby alive, I couldn't imagine ingesting it. Dawn from Birth Partners came on day 3 postpartum and prepared the placenta, dehydrated it for 8 hours, then came back the next day to grind it and put it in capsules. When she first got there, she asked me if I wanted some raw placenta for shakes. I made her repeat that several times before I said, "Oh God, No!" with an audible retching sound. Before that, she gave me the "umbilical keepsake" and a placental print. Now, I'm pretty granola, but I promptly threw out the keepsake (dried bow of umbilical cord) with another retch and although a placental print (pressing the placenta onto a piece of paper so you can see the outline) sounds equally gross, it was kind of pretty - they look like a tree, which is a great metaphor for creating life. By the way, that's not my placenta in the picture, but that is what they look like. I have no desire to share pictures of my own beefy appendage.

So, I got 250 capsules out of my placenta and was instructed to 1) take 1 or 2 a day as needed, and 2) do not take it when you have an active infection (it increases immune system dramatically and can make your fever higher than needed, apparently). So on day 5, I took my first dose.

So here is what I noticed immediately.

• My mood was excellent - at all times. When I felt a little down or anxious, I took a second one and felt better within hours. Within the first week, I experienced breastfeeding problems, a shredded (not exaggerating) nipple and in a few weeks, an antibiotic-resistant strain of mastitis that took 3 weeks to resolve. I never felt depressed, nor hopeless. My doctors even commented on it, given the situation it would have been normal for me to feel down. But, my mood was incredibly stable.
• I did not have to take any pain pills once I was home despite having a second degree tear. The healing was MUCH faster and I barely did any intervention. Even when I had the shredded nipple (actually it looked like I took a cheese grater to it - breastfeeding is awesome), I only took a small amount of ibuprofen a few times a day. Once I had the mastitis and could not take the capsules, I saw a big difference with my pain tolerance. Even after the mastitis resolved, I still had pain, but when I took the capsules in the morning, I never needed any pain meds.
• My skin was great - people commented on how quickly I was recovering.
• I lost all of the baby weight in 1 week, then another 20 pounds in the first 2 months. To be clear, I lost all of my baby weight quickly with Wilson too, so that may not be an effect, but I continue to lose weight this time, so I'm not complaining.
• I was not as fatigued with Wilson's newborn period, nor even when I was pregnant. I was taking care of Waylon through the night by myself (Mike was on Wilson duty) and I felt fine even after getting very interrupted sleep throughout the day.
• I could definitely feel the bonding influence - I would find myself feeling such love and wanting to just baby-gaze after taking one. The hormones were definitely palpable and helpful in all ways. I did not argue with Mike (an hourly occurrence with Wilson's birth) and was able to be present for Wilson, my impatient and fiery toddler as well.
• My lactation production was, ahem, boosted. With Wilson, after pumping 2 hours around the clock for a week, I finally got up to about 25 ounces a day. This time, out of the gate (as soon as my milk came in), I was pumping 60 ounces in ADDITION to Waylon breastfeeding. My mastitis was not a result of the over-production, but we did end up lowering it a little to make things easier (with Sudafed). I now make 50 ounces a day, which provides all of the milk for Waylon and my toddler, plus I have over 1200 ounces in the freezer. 

 So is my experience a good case study? I could see a difference from the days I took them and did not. However, one could argue that given this was my second birth, I could have had an easier time anyway. And that could be. However, I would argue that having a newborn with a difficult toddler would make it WORSE than the postpartum period with my first child. Either way, my experience is just one to add to the numerous others that have experienced positive effects.

I wanted to share this because I wanted my story to be out there for moms considering it themselves. I am incredibly grateful for the input for the moms who convinced me to do it. And, I continue to still (at 3 months postpartum) use at least one a day to continue feeling great. I have not had any symptoms of depression or any other difficulty (besides the breast issues caused by the unfortunate antibiotic-resistant mastitis - which I would even argue should have ended me up in the hospital, but I was able to fight it off). My verdict: Yes, it's gross, Yes, it seems strange, Yes, it was undoubtedly worth it.