Placenta Encapsulation

I had Zechariah on 4/25 at home. My dd put the placenta in the freezer for me before I even got out of the shower. LOL!

Anyway, have you ever seen your placenta? I think it's the most awesome thing! It's beautiful. It sustains life. It is fascinating. 

This is the third of my own placentas that I've encapsulated. It can help with baby blues/ppd, increase milk, replenish lost vitamins and minerals, increase energy, decrease postpartum bleeding, and more. These are my happy pills. They boost my mood when feeling depressed. They also help my milk supply. 

Some will say ick (which I understand), but I would rather take a pill from my and my baby's own placenta than a pharmaceutical drug made from... I'm not sure what, but it's loaded with side effects. :(

Soooo....

I finally got it thawed out and 'processed' it today. Basically, I say a prayer of thanks and health over it, cut off the cord, slice the placenta thin, and put it on the dehydrator to dry completely.  Then it's ground into a fine powder form and put in capsules. 

I also have a piece in alcohol (drinking alcohol) for a tincture. I also like to make the cord into a heart and dry it. :)

My last I made jerky, but I am skipping that this time. 

After 24-48 hours on the dehydrator the strips are ready.  You want them to be completely dry.  They should snap when bent.  

Then I break them into small pieces and grind them in small batches in my dedicated placenta grinder (cheap coffee grinder). 

My pile after making 100 capsules. 

Once ground into a fine powder I fill my capsules in the capsule maker (0 size or 00 size). 

After encapsulated, put them in an airtight container (bag or jar) and keep in a cool place or freezer. 

(My first 100 capsules from this batch)

I'm also doing something special with some powder.  Here's the link to the recipe.  

http://ourbirthjourneys.blogspot.com/2014/05/placenta-chocolate-truffles.html

Planet Natural Detergent Giveaway

I am holding a giveaway of a 2 Load Sample of Planet 2X Ultra Laundry Detergent.  (http://www.planetinc.com/ull2x.htm)

You will get one entry for every comment.  

Mandatory Entry:

* Follow my blog publicly and comment you have done so.  

Extra Daily Entries:

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Winner will be chosen May 25, 2013 using random.org.  

This giveaway starts on Friday May 17, 2013 (12am CST) and ends Saturday May 25, 2013 (12am CST).  

Planet is dedicated to providing you with a line of household products that are designed to be effective and powerful, while at the same time being gentle on you and our environment.

All of Planet's products have been independently certified in order to verify our environmental claims and ensure that we are indeed providing you with true "green" products.

All of our cleaning products are:

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Free From Animal Ingredients

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Packaged In Recycled Content Containers

Non-Toxic To Aquatic Life

Safe For Septic Systems

Phosphate Free

Free of Nonylphenol Ethoxylates (NPEs)

** I received a free sample of Planet 2X Ultra Laundry Detergent.  For more information about Planet Laundry Detergent go to their website at http://www.planetinc.com/index.html  **

One Born Every Minute...

So, I finally got to watch episode 1 today. I must say, I was sorely disappointed, but not really all that surprised. I was extremely saddened by the second woman who ended up with a cesarean. When she said she had lots of pressure. The nurse said it was because baby was coming and she was almost fully dilated (she was at a 9 1/2). Then, when she hit transition (you could tell), they called emergency c-section for "failure to progress". I was like WTH!!!! She's at a 9 1/2! Baby is pushing it's way down! I was so ticked!!! DH thought it was complete crap!

**Here is the link to the video.

http://www.mylifetime.com/shows/one-born-every-minute/video/full-episodes/episode-1-to-medicate-or-not

Fast forward to 27:45. She says that there is a lot of pressure. The nurse says "That is the baby. You are almost fully dilated." Then at 28:07 they call "Failure to Progress" for the reason of the cesarean! NOTHING about baby having ANY problems.**

I've also been hearing all about how the "crunchy" family was so rude and obnoxious. How the nurse (Pam) was also rude and obnoxious. How they should have had a birth in a birthing center if they wanted to go natural. So on, and so on.

I think that the nurse, was a bit rude with her overall attitude about their labour and birth wishes. She needed to step back, and let them labour. Really, just leave them alone. They didn't want all the interventions. After hours of hard labour, I can tell you that I am much meaner than they were. DH is also very protective of my wishes. Neither on of us would have been so nice, and probably would have just asked for a different nurse. The couple most likely would have LOVED to go to a birthing center, but they couldn't. Why? Here is what the mother had to say:

"First of all, there are no birth centers in Columbus, and several homebirth midwives, but only one homebirth midwife practice that has a physician ‘back-up’ (which just felt responsible to me). But, NO insurance locally covers homebirthing, so at first, it was an economical decision. Later in my pregnancy, after we began taking NCB classes, we decided that our next baby would be at home, but there was also a measure of comfort in doing the first at the hospital, since I had no idea what to expect."

I was disappointed when they finally pressured her into Pitocin. :( At 21 hours of labour (which is normal), she was tired and (IMO) they took advantage of that.


Overall, I really think that the show put the hospital and staff in a negative light. The nurses spent a lot of time rolling their eyes when the woman was moaning through her labour pains. They always had snide little looks on their faces. They were always pushing interventions. Which I understand. It is there job to sell the drugs and procedures. The more they sell, the more the hospital makes.

It was actually really sad to watch. However, on the plus side. This show did remind me why I enjoyed birthing my last 3 babies at home so much. It was a little more painful, but so much easier, happier, more comfortable, and much less stressful.

I think that the first episode is all I care to watch. I think I'll throw it in the "A Baby Story" trash bin. It's too bad, because the previews really made it look like it was going to be interesting.