Caroline Patterson, CD(DONA)
Birth Doula
Placenta Encapsulation
Placenta Medicine/Encapsulation Services
Initial Consultation
We can speak over the phone or through email to go over any questions you may have about placenta encapsulation services.
Pick-up & Drop off
You, your partner, or a family member will notify me once you're in labor so that I can prepare to pick up your placenta after the birth. I will personally and safely pick up your placenta and take it back home and encapsulate it according to Traditional Chinese Medicine practices. When the capsules are finished, I deliver them personally to your home. The entire process takes 2-3 days.
Tincture
If desired I can provide a tincture that will last indefinitely. Many people choose to save this for later on in life to help with menopause, or to give to their daughters as menstrual support when the time comes. (This is an added on cost of $30)
Salve
2oz Placenta salve made with organic coconut oil and shea butter. This can be used for healing c-section scars or skin issues for yourself or your baby. (This is an added on cost of $30)
My Process
Along with the practicalities of sanitization I adhere to while working with your placenta (ie: using sanitized tools, wearing gloves and a mask, completely sanitizing the entire work space before and after, etc), I also hold myself to personal values of treating your Placenta with honor and respect. Working with it is a ceremony in itself. After my work space is sanitized, I cleanse the space and myself further by smudging with sage or palo santo before grounding myself at my altar. I keep my mind in a meditative state the whole time and have some sort of medicine-music playing. Along with the placenta comes blood--sacred blood that kept your baby alive and thriving in your womb. I collect it in a glass bowl and give it as an offering outside to the Earth. The sac that kept your baby safe doesn't get encapsulated, so I return that back (along with the umbilical cord) and suggest that it is buried at home or in a pot with something planted over it.
Importance of Honoring Your Placenta
The placenta is the organ that your body grew in order to sustain the life of your baby. In modern times, we've forgotten the importance of honoring this amazing organ and sadly it is often times reduced to hospital waste. It's important to look to cultures all around the world and awaken the memories of our own ancestors when deciding what to do with our placentas. In many traditions it is buried in a place that the growing child can always go back to, anchoring them to their home. Whether you decide to encapsulate your placenta for nourishment, or give it back to the Earth as an offering of gratitude for the new life that was given, I hope that we as a society can change our view of this sacred life-sustaining organ.