There are instances where placentas cannot safely be consumed. We recommend that you continue to discuss with your healthcare provider your desire to consume your placenta.

Placentophagy is contraindicated when:

• your placenta is improperly stored/handled; this typically occurs when a placenta is stored outside of food-safe guidelines

  • placenta is not placed on ice within 2 hours of birth

  • placenta is refrigerated longer than 72 hours after birth before being frozen

  • Placenta is not kept at or below 40 degrees Fahrenheit for first 72 hours postpartum before freezing

• you’ve smoked heavily or consumed drugs during pregnancy

• If you have a blood-borne virus

• If you have an active GBS+ infection at birth without antibiotics being administered during labor/birth

• Pathology adds harmful chemicals such as Formalin/Formaldehyde

• Cholestasis

• An infection is present either in you or baby, within 24 hours of birth

We are confident that our standards of practice minimize risk.

GBS is something that is present within all humans. Testing positive for GBS simply means that the bacteria has colonized and is present in the vaginal or rectal mucosa, which is not an active infection. When placenta encapsulation is performed using food-safe methods, it is safe to encapsulate when GBS positive. If you are GBS+ during labor/childbirth, your medical provider should administer antibiotics, which kill the bacteria, keeping your placenta safe for consumption. In addition, we will steam your placenta to an internal temperature of 160 degrees Fahrenheit prior to dehydrating (again at 160 degrees Fahrenheit for the duration of dehydrating) to ensure any bacteria is killed.

We are confident that our standards of practice minimize risk.

If you’ve researched Chinese medicine, you would have already learned that in the Chinese method of Placenta Encapsulation, they steam it; while our process is based on the Chinese method, it is not followed exactly, so steaming isn’t our standard practice for every placenta unless requested or if too much meconium is still present after cleaning. Another reason we may suggest steaming your placenta is if you have a sensitivity to iron supplements; steaming your placenta before dehydration will create less concentrated placenta pills so the “dosage” of placenta is lower than a raw processed placenta.

We’ve listed the known policies of hospitals we have previously worked with here.

Provided a healthcare professional, such as a Midwife, is present for your birth, we can process your placenta birthed in your home. We will provide you with an insulated cooler bag with instructions to keep your placenta cold until I arrive for pickup.

Placenta keepsakes typically include art prints (we have both standard [blood] and colored), and umbilical cord keepsakes. Our gallery includes examples of placenta keepsakes that we’ve created.

At this time, Placentophagy is not an evidence based practice, which is because there isn’t enough evidence/studies to back it by science. As research grows, we are hopeful that science will favor Placentophagy.

At this time, we only process placentas at our work station, and cannot offer in-home placenta processing. We hope to offer in-home placenta processing in the future.

Yes! Your placenta can be frozen for up to 6 months, and still be encapsulated.