The Art of Placenta Preparation: Benefits, Techniques, and What Every New Parent Should Know
The placenta is a sacred organ that many cultures call “baby’s first protector”. Its role is to nourish and protect your baby while they are growing in the womb. Different countries and their cultures have customs of celebrating the placenta after childbirth. Some cultures hold ceremony and others cultures practice encapsulating the organ to help their postpartum mothers recover with more ease.
As people immigrated to North America, these traditions came with them but as birth became more medicalized in the Western world, many of the traditions and ceremonies surrounding the placenta were lost to the times.
Our goal as your trusted doula and placenta specialists in Tampa is to help you capture the spirit of your baby’s placenta and celebrate it in ways that feel truly special to your family.
Placenta services, including encapsulation captures the essence of respecting the body’s natural ability to nourish and heal. By transforming the placenta into small, easy-to-take capsules, this practice embraces the belief that the very organ that sustained your baby can now support you in postpartum recovery. It's more than a health ritual; it's a symbolic continuation of the life-giving bond between mother and child.
Placenta encapsulation is a postpartum practice rooted in tradition, where the placenta is steamed, dehydrated, and turned into capsules. This method is believed to support hormone balance, boost energy, and enhance mood. While research on its benefits is limited, many moms report feeling more balanced and energized during postpartum recovery. For some, it symbolizes a deeper connection to birth and motherhood.
If consuming the placenta isn't for you, other meaningful rituals can still honor the placenta’s significance in your baby’s journey.
Placenta Art - a placenta specialist at One Love Doula Services will rinse, prep and paint your placenta then make prints for you to frame as a keepsake. Many of our clients enjoy this service as a way to cherish their pregnancy.
Cord Keepsake- Drying the cord and painting it can result in a beautiful, framable keepsake or ornament, (see cord keepsake below in the shape of a heart).
Placenta Jewelry- Our friend at Wild Flowers and Milk offers custom one of a kind jewelry all from portion of dried placenta placed in jewelry pieces to wear as a necklace or bracelet.
Planting Ceremony- some families choose to bury their baby’s placenta under a special rose bush or fruit tree in their yard symbolizing a tree of life and taking the time to honor the placenta and how this magical organ helped bring their baby Earthside.
If you're curious about placenta encapsulation or would like us to create beautiful keepsake items with your placenta, we'd love to help! You can explore more about our services here or reach out to us at ✉️ hello@onelovedoula.com for more details. We look forward to being part of your postpartum journey!
Are you searching for doula services in the Tampa Bay area?
Wondering where to find a lactation consultant nearby? Look no further! One Love provides comprehensive support for expectant and new parents in Tampa, St. Petersburg, Land O’ Lakes, Lakeland, Plant City, Downtown Tampa, and beyond.
Our services include Tampa doula support, childbirth education, placenta encapsulation, in-home postpartum doula care, specialized lactation support by our CLC’s and IBCLC’s, and birth photography!
Plus, we offer virtual services to accommodate your needs. Let's embark on your amazing birth and postpartum journey together!
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