Lynnea Shrief, mother of two and founder of the Independent Placenta Encapsulation Network, recounts how she learned about the value of the placenta after birth.

I began to study uses for the placenta when I found out I was pregnant with my second child; I knew I didn’t want to throw my placenta away. I have a background in biology and I am very interested in unusual holistic healing traditions, particularly placenta encapsulation, which seems to me to be the most modern and un-invasive way to benefit from the placenta.

Two women I met through a natural mothers’ group offered me their placentas to make my first capsules. One of the mothers had suffered severely from post-natal depression after the birth of her first child and felt she would try anything to prevent those symptoms from returning. The encapsulations were a total success, and both women couldn’t recommend the process enough. They said they felt happier, more in control, had a plentiful milk supply, bled less and never felt overwhelmed or anxious.

I gave birth to my son at home in water and used my placenta in many ways. I placed a small piece of raw placenta on my gums and allowed the hormones and nutrients to be absorbed into my body. This was done to stop post-natal bleeding. When the placenta detaches from the uterine wall it leaves a large bleeding wound. After birth, new mothers are depleted of the normal levels of growth factors and need extra help to heal. The placenta is packed with rich growth factors called cytokines that stimulate the production of new cells. [Read more...]