Frequently Asked Questions about Placenta Encapsulation
(It’s a good idea to *PRINT* this page for easy reference)
Can you explain the method of honoring/encapsulation that is used?
The process of placenta encapsulation that we offer is based on the Traditional Chinese Method (which promotes bringing warm & cool qualities into harmony) but we also include a blend of intuitive & ancestral ceremonial practices. We begin the ceremony by clearing our own energy (usually using smoke or anointing liquids/balms), setting an intention for the ritual, then blessing your placenta with gratitude & honoring the vital, life-giving work it has done in utero. We ask your placenta permission to work with it & that it continue to nourish you, your baby & your whole family in this new chapter of your lives. If you have requested a special intention or blessing, we infuse it into the ceremony at this point as well. A strong spiritual focus is placed on restoring valuable Chi, or life force energy, that is lost in childbirth (the postpartum period is considered cold).
The process of warming begins by preparing your placenta to be steamed with fresh organic lemon, ginger & jalapeños. Afterward, your placenta is sliced into thin pieces that will be dehydrated at a very low temperature for about 6-8 hours, depending on its thickness and size. When your placenta is completely dehydrated, those pieces are ground into a fine powder & put into vegan capsules by hand, for you to ingest (dosage suggestion below).
If you have decided (for personal or medical reasons), that you would not like to ingest your placenta but still want to honor the arrival of this magical organ; we do not add the elements of warmth (lemon, ginger & jalapeño). Instead, we steam the placenta on its own, dehydrate & grind it into a fine powder that is mixed with dried herbs, flowers & tobacco as a burial/prayer keepsake. It will be contained in a beautiful glass jar & ready for your own purpose/s.
We adhere to OSHA & EPA guidelines regarding blood-borne pathogen transmission and safe food handling. Placenta encapsulation is considered a food-handling process, not a sterile medical procedure. All disposable equipment and supplies are eliminated. Non-disposable equipment is thoroughly sterilized between each use.
What is your fee & what is included?
We ask $395 for our placenta honoring & encapsulation service, which includes the following:
Monetary reparation to a local nonprofit or mutual aid fund (see the list here).
Personalized placenta honoring ceremony
Collection of your placenta within 24 hours from notifiation (in a 20-mile radius of 98125 zip code) *extra travel fee beyond this range
Fully dehydrated placenta capsules
OR placenta powder mixed with a blend of dried herbs & flowers (NO CAPSULES) contained in a beautiful glass jar ready for your own purpose/s (if for some reason you are unable or do not feel called to ingest your placenta)
Digital photos of your placenta
Delivery by UPS Ground 2-3 day delivery (usually arrives next day)
If this fee is a barrier for you or your family to access, please reach out for a community rate
When/how do I reserve your services?
It is ideal to reserve our services BEFORE you go into labor, the best time is around 36 weeks gestation because that way we can arrange our on-call schedule around your EDD (estimated due date) & can guarantee a quick turnaround time (24-48 hours). If you do not reserve our services by 36 weeks, the turnaround time could take up to 72 hours. You do not have to wait until 36 weeks, you can reserve this medicine by clicking this link to reserve services
If you have already birthed your baby, feel free to order through the purchase page &/or give us a call/text (preferred) at 206.432.6420 to arrange logistics & confirm availability.
How long does the placenta honoring/encapsulation process take?
Typically, we begin preparing your placenta the day we pick it up (depending on pick-up time) & the usual turnaround is within 24-48 hours (usually the next day). The sooner you reserve your placenta-honoring services, the sooner we ship you the final product (*no shipping on Sundays).
How should my placenta be stored/transported?
*YOUR PLACENTA SHOULD ALWAYS REMAIN IN YOUR POSSESSION *unless an alternative plan has been confirmed with Erin
*Please DO NOT LEAVE YOUR PLACENTA AT YOUR PLACE OF BIRTH
*DO NOT freeze your placenta *unless the encapsulation process will take place MORE than 3 days after birth.
Please be prepared to take your placenta home with you (just in case), we recommend you bring a cooler, freezer bags (1 or 2 gallon ziplock freezer) & ice packs (not necessary as they will have plenty of ice). We have our own coolers & ice packs for transport, so you can keep yours when we come to pick-up.
We will pick up your placenta within 24 hours of your notification that birth has occurred, either at the place of birth (IF YOU ARE STILL THERE) OR your home DEPENDING ON the TIME OF DAY & other variables.
FOR HOME & BIRTH CENTER BIRTHS: We recommend you bring 2 ziplock freezer bags (or a Tupperware container) & a small cooler with ice packs to the birthing location. The placenta should go into the bags & directly into the cooler within 2 hours of birth & be kept on ice as soon as possible. When you get home, please put it in the refrigerator or keep the ice packs/ice fresh.
FOR HOSPITAL BIRTHS: Same recommendations as above as many hospitals have changed their policies around placentas. The nursing staff will usually put your placenta into a bio bag with a label & store it in a fridge for you with no issues. Just remind your nurses before & after your labor that you want to take your placenta home with you. Hospital births are usually very easy to coordinate (UW Montlake & Swedish First Hill has new(ish) rules around placentas, please see below).
We do not go into the hospital so, it’s helpful if a friend, doula, or partner can meet us outside.
*PLEASE NOTE THAT THE UW & SWEDISH NO LONGER HOLD PLACENTAS FOR THEIR CLIENTS, in this case, you need to bring your own cooler & they can provide you with fresh ice. You will need to store the cooler in your car (they don’t allow placentas on their postpartum floors). This means you have about 2 hours to get your placenta preped with ice & into your the trunk of your car. Please also, see the instructions for HOME & BIRTH CENTER BIRTHS above for details.
*We do not do middle-of-the-night pick-ups. If you give birth in the wee hours of the night, we will come the next day, either to the place of birth or to your home.
What if I end up transferring care?
If you end up giving birth in a different location other than your intended place of birth then please let me know ASAP via text message as this could change the logistics for pick-up of your placenta. If this is for an emergent issue, then please don’t fret about letting me know beforehand, but as soon as you you think of it/when you can. Usually, if you transfer from an out-of-hospital into a hospital for care, there is no issue on our end. *However, many hospitals now have strict policies around placentas, therefore if you transfer, it is my recommendation that you be prepared with a cooler in your car (they can always provide you with ice).
What if you are out of town/do you have a backup?
Erin & Gea work together & usually do not leave town. Therefore, we are able to pick up your placenta within 48 hours from the time that you let us know your baby has been born. On the off chance that one of us is out of town, we have created a call schedule so that one of us will always be available for your needs. Erin will email & text you to let you know if you need to contact Gea, otherwise assume Erin is performing everything & her contact is listed above.
When/how do I contact you?
PLEASE REACH OUT VIA TEXT *BEFORE
YOU BIRTH YOUR BABY
Primary on-call: Erin- (206) 432-6420
Supporting on-call: Gea- (425) 436-1517
Then also, please let us know when birth has occurred so that we can better plan for the exact logistics of transportation & the process of encapsulating (it’s ok to text in the middle of the night! We turn our sound off but upon waking will see the important info).
Much of the logistics have to do with the day & time that your birth occurs as well as the location where you give birth.
*We do not do middle-of-the-night pick-ups. If you give birth in the wee hours of the night, we will come the next day, either to the place of birth or to your home.
What if I live more than 20 miles away from you?
If you think you live more than 20 miles from the 98125 zip code, please get in touch via the Contact Page & we can give you a quote for your specific fee. We use Google Maps to determine how far away you live & charge $3/mile for each mile over the included 20-mile radius. Once you sign up, we will send you a separate invoice for this fee.
Example: You live 25 miles from me, I will charge $3 per mile outside the radius (25 total miles-20 mile radius =5 extra miles) for a total of (5 extra miles x $3/mile=) $15 mileage fee.
Our travel limit is 40 miles.
Why do we charge an extra travel fee?
Each placenta that is honored, requires round-trip travel. For example, if you live 30 miles from the 98125 zip code (30 miles x 2), we end up driving a total of 60 total miles, as well as time spent in traffic. This fee offsets the cost of gas & our time.
Please note, if you live beyond 20 miles of 98125 & ask for the community rate, we ask that you still contribute to the transportation fee of $3/mile over 20 miles up to 40 miles.
If you live beyond 40 miles please reach out via the Contact Page.
Travel that includes a ferry will be quoted on an individual basis.
What about COVID-19?
We do not prepare your placenta if we (or anyone in our household) are feeling unwell. We wear proper protective gear & masks while preparing your placenta.
If you have had COVID-19 during your pregnancy, it is a personal choice to encapsulate or not. I believe that if you have a healthy baby, you have a healthy placenta. I also believe that placentas are inherently benevolent organs, they are even thought to have originated from a virus. Our bodies have amazing abilities to adapt to changes, with that said, I trust that you will do your own research & come to a decision that is in alignment with your personal values & truth- I am here to support you in any way that I can.
We still offer placenta honoring ceremonies for those who do not want to consume their placentas. Please reach out for more information about this service.
What about the shipping info?
We use UPS ground as our courier & as soon as your package has been shipped, we will send you a copy of the receipt with the tracking number. The package usually arrives within 24-48 hours. Please note, we are unable to ship on Sundays
How do I store my capsules (or placenta powder)?
Please store your capsules/or placenta powder in the provided airtight jar & keep it in a cool, dry place. Treat as you would any other vitamin or supplement.
They do not need to be refrigerated as they are fully dehydrated.
What is the shelf-life of my capsules?
They will easily last 3-6 months depending on yield. It has been said the capsules can be kept & used during menopause, however, we recommend storing your capsules in the freezer if you plan on saving them for a long time. The potency will be expected to decrease as time passes.
Do you issue refunds?
The short answer is no, we do not offer refunds.
Our honoring & encapsulation service is for people who are committed to the process of honoring their placenta, no matter the outcome of their journey. You may change your service from encapsulation to placenta burial bundle, or vice versa but there are no refunds.
IMPORTANT:
If it is being recommended that your placenta needs to be sent to pathology (it’s rare that this is a medical necessity & YOU CAN ALWAYS REFUSE THIS OR OPT TO SEND A SMALL PORTION of the placenta instead) remember that this sacred organ is YOURS & no one can force you to do something with it that you do not want to do. If your baby has a suspected genetic anomoly- it may make sense to send *A SMALL PORTION for pathological testing. If any part of your placenta or the entire organ goes to pathology, it is likely you will not see your placenta again. This is why I recommend you only send a piece of it, if you’d still like to honor your placenta.
Please note, it IS still an option to ingest your placenta if: you are Group B Strep +, have an induction or if meconium is present (it is sterile), or if you have a virus (HSV/HPV), or have had COVID-19. None of these are immediate contraindications.
How many capsules do I take?
The typical placenta yields 80-150 capsules using size “0” vegan, GF, Kosher capsules.
We will send you a separate link to the dosage guidelines when we ship your capsules to you. These are just dosage guidelines, we really encourage you to use your intuition & listen to your body! You can take the capsules with or without food & hydration is always a good thing!
With that said, we recommend taking a strong dose, to begin with:
The first week: 2-3 capsules, 3 times a day (especially at 72 hrs postpartum, I recommend a stronger dose or, if you had a particularly traumatic birthing or postpartum experience or lost a lot of blood take the larger dose).
The second week: 2 capsules, 3 times a day.
The third week: 1-2 capsules, 3 times a day.
The fourth week: 1-2 capsules, twice a day.
The fifth week & beyond: 1 capsule, 2 times a day or as needed until they are gone.
If you have any remaining capsules, they can be kept in the freezer for future use.
What is in the herbal sitz bath & how do I prepare it?
This healing herbal sitz bath is hand-crafted by Courtney Smith, LM/CPM.
The blend includes the dried herbs of:
lavender, comfrey, calendula, oat straw & chamomile.
The instructions are as follows:
Boil 32 ounces of water, and steep the entire bag for at least 20 minutes or overnight. Fill 1/2 peri bottle with tea & the other 1/2 with water or add tea directly to bath water. Compost the entire bag & its contents when done.
What are flower essences & how do they work?
Flower essences are super diluted potions made from the energetic essence of flower blossoms soaked in natural spring water that is infused with sun/moonlight, in an apple cider vinegar base. They have been used to restore spiritual, emotional, mental, behavioral & physical balance for ages. They don’t contain any plant material, have no fragrance (other than apple cider vinegar) & work on an energetic level (similar to homeopathics) which makes them safe for anyone to use! I enjoy them because they are subtle, you are in control of how much you take & when, depending on your desired outcome.
*Please store the flower essence in the fridge so that it will keep longer!
Recommended dosage instructions: 4 drops, 4 times a day or as needed, place drops directly onto the tongue or mix in your water/favorite beverage.
The postpartum blend that Erin intuitively created is all wild-crafted from the natural environment around her. She has included the flower essences of:
yarrow -for protection, safety, containment & healthy boundaries
camellia -for groundedness, patience, & serenity as well as for feeling strong & supported
quince -for integrating initiating/nurturing qualities & feminine/masculine energy balance
chamomile -to support emotional balance & healthy release
buttercup -to help transform self-deprecating thoughts/behavior into confidence & inner sunshine