Look. We love delivery as much as anyone - especially while adjusting to life with a new baby! But when it comes to your one and only placenta, we have to draw the line.
Imagine this... You've just given birth. You have planned to have your placenta encapsulated to take advantage of the many potential benefits you've heard your friends and favorite celebrities brag about. So you pop over to the Google machine and find a few local encapsulators.
"OH GREAT!" YOU MAY THINK TO YOURSELF. "HERE'S SOMEONE WHO WILL PICK IT UP FROM THE HOSPITAL AND RETURN A FEW DAYS LATER WITH MY PILLS!"
But then your baby's birth day arrives. Your partner sends a text to the encapsulator, she (or someone she sends) shows up downstairs and you have a family member run your placenta to her. And off she goes... To her home? To her designated work space? To pick up her kids on the way home?? You start hoping she's headed straight home and that she is keeping your placenta safe, but you're not sure.
ONCE YOUR PLACENTA LEAVES YOUR POSSESSION, THERE ARE A FEW THINGS YOU CAN NO LONGER BE CERTAIN OF.
You can't know for sure that your placenta was handled properly and kept at safe temperatures. You can't know for sure that it did not come into contact with anyone else's placenta. You can't know for sure that your placenta wasn't exposed to contamination from the encapsulator's home or separate workspace (or the other adults, children, or pets that may live there). You can't know for sure that no one else came in contact with your placenta. You can't know for sure that your placenta wasn't processed at the same time as other people's placentas. In fact, you can't even know for sure that the pills you'll receive in return are even from your placenta. That's a whole lotta doubt, and when it comes to your placenta, we'd like to eliminate as much doubt as possible.
Our Doulas of Asheville Placenta Specialists are proud to offer you a safer alternative - a professional placenta encapsulation service provided exclusively in your home.
Our clients each receive their own safe transport kit that follows World Health Organization guidelines for transport of potentially infectious substances. (We follow Universal Precautions, treating every placenta as though it were known to be infectious by bloodborne pathogens). This kit includes everything you need to safely store your placenta following your birth and transport it to your home. We provide the cooler (that you keep), a clean-up kit in the event of a spill, clear written instructions on safe handling and transport, and a place to document chain of custody.
FOR NOW, PLACENTA ENCAPSULATION IS AN UNREGULATED INDUSTRY
In the absence of standards for placenta encapsulation, our training and certifying organization holds us to the highest standards available. We follow WHO guidelines for safe organ transport, OSHA bloodborne pathogens standards, and regulations for commercial food preparation (you're consuming it after all, and did you know how strict food handling guidelines are?!). Hey, if you can't legally sell refrigerated food made in your kitchen, you really shouldn't be preparing people's organs for consumption in a personal kitchen or workspace. Right?! (If you're interested in a professional chef's take on placenta encapsulation, check this out.)
WE DELIVER SO MUCH MORE THAN A JAR OF PILLS
We come to your home at your convenience to safely and expertly transform your placenta into capsules you can consume during your postpartum recovery.
Our process includes cleaning and sanitizing your kitchen according to OSHA's standards for protecting against the hazards of bloodborne pathogens before we begin and again before we leave - you may never have seen it so clean! We complete your placenta encapsulation during two visits on two consecutive days.
Many of our clients prefer to have us come after they have returned home from the hospital or birth center so they can talk with us while we are in their home. Doulas of Asheville placenta specialists are also postpartum doulas and are happy to check in on how your postpartum recovery is going.
Having an expert in all things new mom and baby over just as you are adjusting to life with your newborn is a perk so many of our clients tell us they love.
Of course if you'd rather not know anything about what's happening in your kitchen while you rest with your baby, that's fine too! We'll gladly stay inconspicuous and leave you with just your beautiful package of capsules and a spotless kitchen.
WE DELIVER PEACE OF MIND
Bringing your little one into the world is a lot. A lot of work. A lot of emotions. A lot of adjustment. Everything is suddenly new!
The last thing you need to worry about is whether your placenta encapsulator cut any corners or exposed you and your family to unnecessary risks.
