Have you ever cooked in someone else's kitchen and noticed things were off? Maybe even off-putting? Everyone has different standards, the dishes piled up and left overnight in MY sink are cool with me, but I understand it may not be up to everyone's standard of cleanliness. 

When we're providing a luxury service, we want you to feel good about what you're getting. We took everyone's standards into consideration when we renewed our placenta encapsulation service and we're pleased to report that our clients love our new and improved standard! 

At its heart, placenta encapsulation is preparing a consumable good from a meat product; it is a process that needs to pay careful attention to proper food handling requirements. In the state of Michigan, food preparation must be done in a licensed kitchen unless it’s prepared in the client’s home. Taking these food handling requirements into consideration Detroit Doula Co has decided that it is not only safest, but legal, to ONLY provide encapsulation services in our client’s homes. 

Currently, there are no licensing requirements or regulations for providing placenta encapsulation services. Placenta encapsulators merge what is known about food prep and handling with medical blood borne pathogen protocol. Unfortunately, not everyone agrees on what is necessary and there are huge variences from encapsulator to encapsulator.  


We also acknowledge that there are no laws regarding the transportation of your placenta. Therefore we follow the World Health Organization’s guidelines for safe transport, with the added requirement that our encapsulation service providers will never transport your placenta.
 

We admit Detroit Doula Co owner, Gina Hodgson, has been one of ‘those’ encapsulators in the past, going with the ‘status quo’ transporting and processing placentas in a home workspace. This was normal for Metro Detroit and across the US, but we’re done being average! We’ve taken this step to set the bar higher and break down the walls between you and your placenta. 


We’ve raised the standards for YOU!


Detroit Doula Co placenta encapsulation services will ONLY be done in the comfort of your own home, and your placenta will be transported by you, never leaving your sight. You'll have the added benefit of a trained postpartum professional in your home to ask questions and receive help from.   


You are in charge of your placenta. You’ll know the quality of cleanliness and care your Detroit Doula Co postpartum placenta specialist provides because the service happens in the heart of your home. Every step will be completely transparent and you’re free to keep your eyes on us, not that you have to, with this kind of transparency what’s not to trust?

Want to know more about our new postpartum experience? Read on about what the average placenta encapsulation experience looks like.  

We'd love to answer any and all of your questions about placenta encapsulation, give us a call or leave them in the comments section. 

If you’ve been a mom for longer than a day, there’s one thing you’ve probably found out- moms LOVE sharing information! Pregnancy is a new experience, there is so much to learn, it’s understandable that seasoned mothers want to help by imparting their hard earned knowledge on you. 

But lost in all the birth stories and baby gear recommendations, there are few things that might not be shared.

Don’t be blindsided by these postpartum topics your mom group probably isn’t talking about. 

Shake It Off 
​Often immediately after birth, you'll experience full body shakes, be it vaginal or cesarean birth, and it’s not always because you’re cold (though the OR can be freezing). There are huge hormonal fluctuations that happen when baby arrives which can cause your body to shiver uncontrollably. Women who are under medication such as epidural or spinal also experience these postpartum chills. Don’t be alarmed, these will go away usually within a few minutes post delivery. 


That Disposable (or Reusable) Organ 
For a vaginal birth, it can take up to an hour for your placenta to release from your uterus for delivery. Most moms will have to push out their placenta too (I know, WTF right?). The good news is that your placenta is soft, mushy and doesn’t have any bones making it much easier to than your baby! 


Stitchin’ The Bits 
Perfection takes time! But how much time? 
If you’ve had a cesarean birth, your repairs will take roughly an hour AFTER your baby is born. 

If you’ve had a vaginal birth and your perineum needs repairs, the normal time frame is 20 minutes to an hour.

Not the kind of panties you’re used to
After all the commotion, before you're taken to your postpartum or recovery room, your nurse will fit you with a pair of ‘fancy’ mesh panties - and then it’s official, you’re part of the mom club. Some moms have ranked these mesh panties high on their list of must-haves after their baby is born if you like them make sure to grab as many as possible from the hospital before you leave! 


Shark week…..or month
Wondering why you need mesh panties? After your baby is born, your body eliminates leftover blood, mucus, and tissue (lovely, right?), it’s technical term is lochia. Lochia is like a long period after you have you have your baby, it’s heaviest just after delivery and normal for your body to release large blood clots* and gush every time you breastfeed your baby, thus the reason your diaper sized pads (see below) and mesh panties are your new postpartum BFFs.


Will these fit in my Tory Burch Bag? 
If you thought overnight period pads were big, you might be surprised by the whopper that goes into your mesh underoos after your baby is born. To put things into perspective, the postpartum pad is bigger than your your baby's newborn diaper. Rest easy, these broads will catch it all! 


I’m not tipping for this shitty massage
Following the delivery, the doctor or nurse will massage (sometimes aggressively) your fundus or top of your utereus, accessible by your lower abdomen. This is uterine massage can be uncomfortable or painful based on your tolerance or different scenarios. This massage starts after your baby is born, sometimes to encourage the placenta release. Your recovery nurse will also massage your belly about an hour after birth, and in intervals (even through the night) for the next 24 hours. This massage helps your uterus contract and ‘clamp down’ which will slow your bleeding and release blood clots. While it may not be the best massage you’ve ever had, your care providers are doing it for a very good reason and do not want to hurt you intentionally. They’ve got your back….and uterus. 


There you have it, with a bit of knowledge you'll know what to expect through these normal post delivery events. 

Questions? We're happy to help! Ask away in the comments section! 

Experienced parents, help prepare other expecting families by sharing what caught you off guard after the birth of your baby in comments section below. 

*This blog pro­vides gen­eral infor­ma­tion about health related sub­jects.  The words and con­tent pro­vided in this blog and in any linked mate­ri­als, are not intended and should not be con­strued as med­ical advice. If the reader or any other per­son has a med­ical con­cern, he or she should con­sult with an appropriately-licensed physi­cian or other health care worker.