It's a "normal" practice in the placenta encapsulation world for your doula (who may or may not be trained and certified in placenta encapsulation) to support you through birth, pack up your placenta and take it home with them. This blog is going to talk about why I in no way and in no circumstance will take your organ home with me.
Placenta encapsulation has come under fire for various reason in the past year and I've seen myself shying away from the service. I love that I have the ability to support my clients in a safe way through this process but I have found that the culture in Kansas City leans heavily on what's called "in encapsulator home processing." This means that the encapsulator takes your placenta, brings it home with them and processes it within a few days after birth, makes it into pills and delivers it back to you.
I do not believe that this safe. I do not believe that this is ethical.
It is 100% your perogative who you hire for this service but PLEASE make sure your encapsulator is using "In client home processing" ONLY. Heres why:
1. I want you to know WITHOUT A DOUBT that the placenta pills that you are ingesting are YOUR placenta. There should be absolutely no doubt whatsoever that you are ingesting what is rightfully yours. There is no possible way to be 100% sure of this unless "in client home encapsulation" is protocol. Theres no way to know that your encapsulator didn't get flustered and switch your placenta with someone else's accidentally. Theres no way to know that your encapsulator didn't "top you off" with the pills from someone else's placenta (YES it happens and yes you should feel outrage).
2. When my clients bring their placenta to their home, they know with (again!) 100% certainty where their placenta has been, who has handled it thus far, how long its been out of the fridge etc. When an encapsulator takes your placenta out of your or your loved ones sight, you CANNOT guarantee that. You don't know if they had to run to the grocery store and leave your placenta in the car or pick up their kids from soccer. You simply don't know and if a placenta is not properly cooled and cared for, it can "go bad" much like a piece of meat. Spoiled meat? No thanks.
3. It puts me and my family at risk. Simply put, I don't know what is in your blood and the placenta is a human organ. I don't mess around with human organs. I take full precautions to protect myself and my three children in every instance and placenta encapsulation is a huge one. My family doesn't need to open the fridge for a snack and see a pile of placenta coolers. You don't have to worry about my child mistaking your placenta for a family dinner (and neither do I!) Blood borne pathogens are real and I will not put my family at risk. No encapsulator should be taking that risk.
4. Your house, your germs. You don't know how clean my house is. I could take fancy pictures of my work space in my home but you have no idea if thats photoshoot ready or every day ready. Placentas need to be processed in a safe and sanitary place and although I could absolutely set that up in my own home, you can't be 100% certain that I am or that my cat isn't getting a little too close to your placenta, if you catch my drift. In your home, I'm there for a short period of time and I can focus on creating the most sanitary, clean situation possible. Bleach, proper coverings, soap and another bleach bath are all part of my process to keep each family safe. I won't put your family at risk either. I want you to know that my equipment is properly cared for after each client.
Please don't take the risk with "in encapsulators home" processing. There is a safe way to process placentas. In client home processing with the use of bleach, proper coverings, steaming of the placenta to kill germs and finishing the process with a dehydration at no lower than 160 degrees Fahrenheit. My KC Doula provides this service in a safe way, contact us today!
