The Truth is… Placenta is Power.

You’ve probably heard that consuming placenta can provide a multitude of different health benefits, both mentally and physically, during the postpartum transition period. Animals do it all the time. However, as humans living in our modern society where birth is highly sanitized and sterile, the thought of consuming one’s own afterbirth can seem a little out there. It makes sense that many would be skeptical and it doesn’t help that we live on the internet where everyone's an expert and highly opinionated on all subjects. It can be very overwhelming to make informed and safe decisions even though this is an ancient practice in some societies.

In that vein, I thought I’d provide a space where an actual expert could give her perspective on the process of encapsulating placenta, health benefits and potential risks, and the opportunity to dispel the many myths that swirl around the web and even in medical and healthcare spaces.

Tiff D’Amico, CPES(IPPA), CBE(BWI), LD(CAPPA)

Tiff D’Amico, CPES(IPPA), CBE(BWI), LD(CAPPA) has a lot of letters after her name. Affectionately known as “The Placenta Girl” of Karma Birth Services, Tiff is a Certified Placenta Encapsulation Specialist through International Placenta and Postpartum Association, a Childbirth Educator through BirthWorks International, and an experienced Labor Doula through Childbirth and Postpartum Professional Association. She’s also a mom who has experienced late term loss, fertility challenges, low milk supply, postpartum mood disorders, and an overall lack of support through it all. She now dedicates her life to helping other moms through these difficult experiences and hopefully avoid some of them through her supportive services. I’m thrilled to feature Tiff on the blog because the truth is, placenta is power (created with your own body!). And that power can be harnessed to navigate a healthier and happier postpartum journey.

As mentioned above, you’ve been through many trials and tribulations in your reproductive health journey. Was there a specific experience that sparked your desire to become a placenta encapsulation specialist and provide reproductive health support in general?

My plunge into the world of birth support began in 2009, while pregnant with my second baby. After my late term loss at 22 weeks, I was obsessed with trying to figure out what went wrong. And when I cracked the code, I realized that it was simple – my care providers just didn’t care enough to investigate my complaints, which in the end, led to my loss. So while I was pregnant, I became a certified birth educator while simultaneously planning my home birth. (That home birth turned into a cesarean due to my very stubborn baby’s breech presentation.) Fast forwarding a year and a half, I finally felt ready to start attending births as a doula. After living the on call lifestyle for just about two years, I realized that lifestyle didn’t mesh well with my anxiety. A few clients had asked me to also process their placentas for them and I quickly fell in love with encapsulating. I was able to support new moms, while still making my own schedule and being home with my kiddo.

What are some of the health benefits of consuming the placenta and are there instances where you would recommend it for someone with specific existing or underlying medical or health conditions that may increase their likelihood for postpartum health challenges.

Women who have consumed their placenta pills report SO MANY benefits, including more energy, increased milk supply, no random crying (if you’ve had a baby before, y’all know what I’m talking about), shortened lochia phase, uterus shrinking back down to size more quickly, a more stable mood in general, no postpartum hair loss, and the list goes on. The benefit I love to hear the most, though, is a feeling of empowerment. When my clients thank me for what I was able to do for them, I remind them that THEY did the work…all I did was get it into capsules for them. 

The overwhelming majority of my clients either currently struggle with or have struggled in the past with anxiety or depression, postpartum or otherwise. I’m not a doctor, of course, and do not recommend encapsulation IN PLACE of therapy and/or doctor prescribed mental health medication, but I do believe that placenta pills can help ward off some of the triggers that might lead someone into a downward spiral. I stay in close contact with any client who needs me, so we are on top of her needs. I am always ready with referrals and recommendations, and I have to say that just about every one of my clients who has reported back to me has stated that their anxiety and/or depression was lessened and they credit their placenta pills for that.

There’s really no situation where encapsulation would be contraindicated. Care providers sometimes unnecessarily cause parents to worry if they’ve had COVID during their pregnancy, or if they test positive for GBS, have gestational diabetes, or even if there is meconium present at birth. But none of these situations is contraindicated for placenta consumption. I work closely with all of my clients so that we are making sure that if there are any concerns, everything is addressed safely. I always say, the health and safety of my clients is my top priority – not only for their benefit, but also because this is my livelihood and how I support my kids as a single mom. 

What exactly is the process to encapsulate placenta?

So basically, I collect the placenta from the birth place, where it has been stored safely in a placenta transport kit that I provide with each reservation. When I get it back to my dedicated placenta workroom, I first rinse the placenta to get rid of any blood clots and then steam it gently for five minutes or so (if mom has tested positive for GBS, the steaming is longer just as a precaution) and then slice it into thin strips. From there, the strips are dehydrated (think beef jerky) for about 12 hours at a temperature of 165 degrees. (I hold a food handler’s card and follow all recommendations for food safety.) When the placenta is completely dehydrated, I grind the strips into a powder and then transfer the powder into capsules. Everything is packaged up with dosage recommendations and then delivered back to mom, usually the day after pick up. 

Can you speak to any risks or scenarios where you would not recommend placenta consumption?

I’ve been practicing as a placenta encapsulation specialist for over a decade and have safely processed over 800 placentas at this time. I can count on one hand and a couple of fingers the number of times that I have deemed a placenta unsafe for consumption. In nearly all of those cases it has been due to improper storage or handling while at the birth place. That being said, if mom has been a smoker during her pregnancy, I would not recommend encapsulation, and if she ends up with a legitimate infection of the uterus or the placenta during labor, which is super rare and has only happened once or twice in my practice. 

Can you dispel some of the myths people may have heard in the depths of facebook mom groups, other online forums, and even from healthcare providers?

I love this question and honestly I go back and forth between wanting to educate the masses and just focusing on educating my clients. There are some people who will just never come around and I‘ve learned to be okay with this. But when it does throw me into a rage is when a care provider straight up lies or manipulates my clients by telling them that consuming their placenta is unsafe. There’s just so much bias and judgment. But you know what I’ve realized over time? My clients are the raddest and baddest ones out there because they are taking ownership of their postpartum experiences even in the face of all of the naysayers. 

The most infuriating misinformation that I hear is that babies or women have died from ingesting their placentas. This is absolutely UNTRUE. 

Another one I hear commonly in Facebook groups is that the placenta is a filter so it must be full of junk and toxins. That’s also untrue. The placenta is a filter, but not like a pool filter or a vacuum filter…it functions as a filter by sending the good stuff to baby and the yucky stuff back to mom so her body can get rid of it. 

Another one I struggle with is a favorite among certain schools of thought in lactation. Some lactation specialists believe that because progesterone is found in the placenta, consuming placenta pills would cause a decrease in milk production or block it in general. This isn't true. As soon as the placenta releases from the uterine wall, the body gets the message to produce milk. In fact, many of my clients report an increased milk supply, myself included.

I do encourage all of my clients to reach out whenever they have doubts, or to peruse the very long list of research and articles that are linked on my website. There certainly isn’t enough research regarding encapsulation, and until someone figures out a way to get rich off of human placenta, I don’t think we will see any major studies. So for now, all we can really offer is the anecdotal evidence, which is ASTOUNDING.

Tiff is based out of Cherry Hill, New Jersey and you can learn more about her and her services at her website: www.karmabirthservices.com.