Your beautiful placenta has served you during your pregnancy and is ready to continue serving you after your baby is born. ~Kristina
I want to go over some commonly asked questions and amazing research I've come into while obtaining my certification through APPA.
Let's begin with what Placentophagy is:
Placentophagy is the consumption of one's placenta. There are different forms to choose from that I offer such as; Traditional Chinese method start then dehydration or Raw start dehydration then encapsulation, Small raw pieces for a smoothie, and lastly Placenta Tinctures. The most commonly requested ones are to have it encapsulated and have tinctures made.
Is it safe? Appa Specialist are cross-trained and certified in both Serv Safe and Blood Borne Pathogen Trainings. We also agree to and follow strict policies, one of which is to only process one placenta at a time. This practice avoids mix-ups and cross-contamination.
What are the benefits to Placentophagy?
Possible benefits that many women have shared they believed placenta encapsulation helped them with are:
Lowering the chance of Postpartum Depression
Fights Fatigue
Boosts milk supply
What do we know about Postpartum Depression?
Statistics say that 1 in every 7 women will experience Postpartum Depression. Oftentimes, this is the first time some women experience depression and many of them showed signs during their pregnancy.
How can Encapsulation help?
Your beautiful placenta has served you during your pregnancy and is ready to continue serving you after your baby is born. Studies are showing that women who experience PPD and other PPMDs suffer from LOW CRH hormones.
PSA Postpartum Depression is not like baby blues that some women start to pick up and overcome. Seek Help if you feel you are suffering from it.
What is CRH and how will it help me?
Corticotropin-releasing hormone is a hormone that causes the cortisol levels to rise when stressed. Low Levels of CRH are linked to postpartum depression because the body dramatically rises the CRH levels (threefold) during the last trimester. It's believed our bodies do this to help us during labor and delivery.
There was a study done at Charles University, in Prague, on the effects of the placenta as a lactogen.d. Let's say that again your CRH levels went up 3x their normal and drastically drops after your placenta is born.
To quote Dr. Chrousos from the MIH Study: "This finding gives reassurance to people that postpartum depression is a transient phenomenon,". "It also suggests that there is a biological cause."
In other words, because it is caused by hormones produced by us it can be treated with the same hormones that would be found in your Encapsulated Placenta.
How can my Placenta help me with fatigue?
Studies show that an average size placenta contains 170 mg of iron By increasing your Iron levels you boost your thyroid function to produce more Thyroid Stimulating Hormones which encourages a better functioning thyroid. Higher Iron Levels and a healthier Thyroid causes your immune system to be stronger A stronger immune system fares better against common postpartum illness such as Mastitis.
All these positively impact your baby as well because a healthy mom leads to a healthy growing baby.
Can consuming your placenta help with milk supply?
There was a study done at Charles University, in Prauge, on the effects of the placenta as a lactogen.
This study had very positive results stating that out of 210 women who participated;
71 had great results meaning milk was flowing and visible breast change
110 had good results meaning the milk had an increase
29 were neutral
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Sources
1. http://www.apa.org/pi/women/resources/reports/postpartum-depression.aspx
2. http://www.placentamom.com/uploads/2/4/8/3/2483180/crh_study.pdf
3. https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/17667284
5. https://placentaassociation.com/good-news-for-mothers-placenta-capsules-contain-more-iron-than-beef/