What is placenta encapsulation?

Placenta encapsulation is the process of having your placenta collected after birth, dehydrated, ground up into a powder and then made into capsules.

Why do it?

Whilst there is very little published research on the effects of taking placenta capsules, anecdotal evidence suggests that it may:

help to balance the hormones after birth
give mum more energy in the early weeks
reduce how long she bleeds for after birth
increase her breast milk supply
reduce her hair loss
boost her iron supplies

The women themselves have told me:

"I took my capsules for 7 weeks post birth and although this was my first baby so I have no comparison, I felt healed, energetic and full of breast milk straight away!" Apryl, Sept 2016

"The capsules made me feel balanced and in harmony. I felt a boost of energy even through the lack of sleep of the first days. My mood was positive." Margarita, Dec 2016

"My milk supply was beyond and everyone kept commenting on how well I looked!" Susannah, July 2018

“I'm shouting from the roof tops and telling everyone who will listen how amazing it is and if you can do it, do it. I will 100000% be getting my placenta encapsulated and all the other remedies again, I wouldn't want to do post partum without them, I honestly feel like they've saved me and given me the most special and wonderful time with my gorgeous baby boy!” Brogan D, September 2024

"I had an awful pregnancy including severe pre-natal depression & insomnia (I had never experienced either before). Both I and my doctors were worried about post natal depression as a result. A friend from the US recommended placenta encapsulation - I am so glad I took her recommendation. I certainly didn't have post natal depression, & despite having a baby (now 7 months) who has never been much of a sleeper, I felt energetic, really happy & healthy post birth (and still do despite the 3 wake ups per night from my baby!). In addition my skin and hair looked fantastic post birth, my milk supply was great (still is) & I felt very balanced despite being a new Mum and previously being really depressed during pregnancy." Becky, Sept 2016

What happens?

If you are interested in finding out more, or making a booking, please email me with your due date, where you live and where you are planning to give birth, and I will send you an online booking form and detailed information sheet describing the different products that can be made from your placenta, and explaining what you need to do in advance of the birth. If you decide to go ahead with a booking, you need to fill in and return the booking form to me, along with your payment. Once I have received these, I will send you detailed instructions on how to care for your placenta until I arrive to collect it. Three weeks before your due date, I will send you a chill pack, containing everything you need: a cool bag, ice blocks, a container to store the placenta in, and full instructions for your birth partner and midwife. When you go into labour, you/your partner let me know by text. When the placenta is born, you let me know again, and I will come to collect it from wherever your baby was born, as soon as possible, usually within a few hours, but always within 3 days. I take the placenta home, dehydrate it, grind it into a powder, make it into capsules and return these to you by post within a couple of days. If you have ordered any other products, these will be returned to you at the same time, or whenever they are ready.

Other Placenta Products available:

In addition to your placenta capsules, you can also order

placenta homeopathic remedies for mum and baby
placenta tincture
placenta essence
placenta prints

Each order also comes with a free umbilical cord keepsake.

The minimum order is for capsules. Any other products can be added to this order if required.

Area covered:

I provide these services to women across Oxfordshire, whether they are having their babies at home or at the John Radcliffe in Oxford, the Horton in Banbury or one of the birth centres in Chipping Norton, Wantage or Wallingford. I am also very happy to collect placentas from Swindon, Cheltenham, Gloucester, Stroud, Reading, and Warwick.

If you live outside these areas, I suggest you look at Birthly.uk, as this website holds a nationwide register of placenta encapsulators, so you may be able to find someone local to you.

Cost:

Placenta encapsulation prices start at £225, which includes a free cord keepsake, presented in a pretty organza bag. Full price list of all other placenta products available on our Prices page.

If you would like a booking form or information sheet, please contact me on sarah@birthbabybalance.co.uk, telling me when your baby is due, where you live and where you are planning on having your baby.

When to arrange it:

Ideally I like to know by week 36 if you’d like to book this service, so that I can send out everything you need to arrive by week 37, as it is perfectly possible that your baby will arrive soon after this date, and I want you to have everything you need ready and waiting.

If you only hear about placenta encapsulation after week 36, please do get in touch with me, and if I have availability I am happy to take last minute bookings.

I am not usually able to encapsulate a placenta if I am not contacted until after the birth, as the placenta may not have been stored appropriately in the hours immediately following the birth, and I need to be able to follow my guidelines on the safe storage and handling of the placenta during this time.

FAQs

What happens if I need an induction?

It is still fine to get your placenta encapsulated. The induction process can sometimes take a long time, so it can be helpful if you can ask your unit to store your frozen ice blocks in a fridge or freezer whilst you are in labour, to prevent them from defrosting. If this is not possible, you may need to get some fresh ice to pack around the placenta after it is born. I will bring frozen ice blocks with me when I collect it, so it will stay chilled on the journey home.

Can I still have an epidural?

Yes, absolutely.

What if I need a Caesarean?

That’s fine, I can still encapsulate your placenta.

Can I labour or give birth in water?

Yes, but you need to get out of the pool to give birth to the placenta. I cannot encapsulate a placenta that has been born into water.

What if my placenta won’t come out, and I need to have it manually removed?

Even if it is in pieces when it comes out, I can still encapsulate it. I am going to be cutting it up anyway, so it doesn’t have to be whole when I collect it.

I have smoked in my pregnancy. Can I still get my placenta encapsulated?

Sorry, but no. This is one of the few times when it is not safe to encapsulate, as the placenta holds heavy metals in it, (which were in the cigarettes), such as cadmium and mercury.

What happens if the baby passes meconium in labour?

I can still encapsulate, but need to use a process where the placenta is steamed before it is dehydrated. You have an option to choose this preparation when you make your booking, or you can change to this preparation if it becomes necessary.

Do the capsules contain animal products?

No, they are 100% plant based.

How quickly will I get my capsules back?

This will depend on what time of day, and which day of the week I collect your placenta. For example, if I pick it up in the evening, then I won’t start work on it till the next day, and then it will take a couple of days before the capsules are ready to return to you. If I pick it up on a Thursday or Friday, then I probably won’t be able to get the capsules in the post before the next Monday. But I always aim to prepare and send off the capsules as soon as I can, so you’ll usually get them back within 2-3 days of my collecting the placenta.