How Placenta can help prevent postpartum depression
It is a fact that approximately 10 percent of women experience postpartum depression after giving birth. If the woman seeks medical attention, usually anti-depressants are prescribed. These anti-depressants are passed through the mother's breastmilk to the nursing baby. It is a difficult decision that many new mothers face -- do I keep taking medication and add risks to my baby, do I stop breastfeeding or do I just continue to suffer with postpartum depression and hope it goes away.
There is another solution. Placenta Encapsulation is something that has been used in Traditional Chinese Medicine for centuries. The placenta is encapsulated just after birth, it is dried, ground into a powder and placed in capsules ("encapsulated"). These capsules help to balance hormones following childbirth, help increase milk production, and increase your energy level. Women taking placenta also experience fewer emotional problems and recover more quickly postpartum.
Why consume placenta?
The placenta is believed to be rich in nutrients, many of which the new mother needs to quickly recover from childbirth. Many of the minerals and hormones help to fight the symptoms of postpartum depression. As well, the iron and protein contained in placenta are beneficial to women recovering from childbirth.
How is Placenta Encapsulation performed?
From the time the mother delivers the placenta, it must be handled carefully. It should not be left sitting out but should immediately be put into a sterilized food-type storage container. If a special container has not been designated it can be double-bagged in large-sized ziplock plastic storage bags which will effectively seal it to protect it from the air. It should be refrigerated as soon as possible. The preparation of the placenta for encapsulation, should begin within the first 48 hours after birth.
Many doulas and midwives are able to provide placenta encapsulation services, and will come to your home to perform the process or in their home. There is a cost associated with this and can range from Doula to Doula.
New Possibilities
Placenta encapsulation can open up many possibilities for women suffering from the stresses associated with the postpartum period and can be a non-invasive way of dealing with postpartum depression, or "baby blues", which no woman should have to endure.
Placentas are created not only to nourish the fetus, but to help the mother recover more quickly from birth and pregnancy itself. By helping her body to gradually rebalance itself, placenta capsules ease the period of postpartum for many women. Another little miracle women can use for support and recovery for the amazing adventure of birth.
Kelly Maslen is a certified Toronto Doula. She is also a certified holistic nutritionist and personal chef. She has combined these three professions to create Simply Healthy Family, a health integrated service that supports women from preconception to birth, and postpartum recovery. http://www.simplyhealthyfamily.com/
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