Practitioners
Why bother paying money to get certified in placenta encapsulation services?

“After all, the process is not rocket science.” and “It’s all over the internet! Why should I pay you for it?”

While placenta encapsulation, and utilizing the placenta for postpartum recovery is a beautiful thing to be shared, the process itself is something that must be done properly and safely, and within government regulations. I have had many, many dealings with state health departments, hospitals, and the FDA. These organizations most certainly do not see what we do with placentas as “beautiful”; they see it as dangerous and would like to see it shut down.

Help promote placenta encapsulation to mainstream women
My goal and purpose is to make placenta encapsulation available to EVERYONE. Every woman, wherever she is, and wherever she chooses to birth her baby, whether at home or in a hospital. My goal is also to educate women and raise awareness of the placenta option. Many women still have not heard about this, but through PBi and my promotion of it in the US over the past several years it has become much more popular.

PBi’s mission is to bring placenta encapsulation to mainstream Western women. In order to do this, we need to change hospital policies across the country, and create state legislation protecting the parents’ right to take the placenta home from the hospital after the birth. We also have done, and must continue to do, a large amount of promotion and advertising of this concept to raise awareness. There is no way to bring about major change on a national scale without resources.

Keeping us, and our clients, safe
In an effort to keep placenta encapsulation services safe, not only for our clients but also a safe practice to engage in as a service provider, I created the Placenta Encapsulation Specialist Training & Certification Course. Due to my experience with hospitals, health departments, and even the FDA, I know that there are entities that would like to see this trend toward using placenta shut down.

Independent practitioners who prepare placentas without any rules or standards are much more likely to get into trouble, and that jeopardizes the entire movement. If a person were caught with a placenta, the media would be all over it, painting everyone in the same light as a “crazy placenta lady”. Yes, I hold that title proudly, but I also keep it safe and within the law. But someone transporting a placenta, or preparing a placenta in their own home, could also be arrested, like the New York midwife who was arrested for bringing a placenta home, or even have an FDA raid on your place of business, like what happened to Shari Daniels in Miami.

Keeping it legal
If we, as a body of placenta service providers, do not have standards and oversight then the various health departments and governement entities will begin to investigate. I was the subject of an intense investigation by the health department and the FDA, and they continue to monitor this practice. Trust me, they are not our fans! I had to provide documentation to various agencies describing our safety methods, policies and procedures, and prove that they are in line with their regulations. These are the same policies that are provided through the Training Course. Stay safe, stay legal.

Legitimacy
We have to build respect for this practice as a legitimate field. With legitimacy comes rules and regulations. Keeping placenta encapsulation as an underground, grassroots movement will not accomplish the goal of bringing this to mainstream women around the country, and around the world. It will most certainly confine it to natural-minded, homebirth mamas, and I do not feel that is doing the right thing by women and mothers everywhere.

It’s about doing the right thing, keeping clients safe, and keeping the big picture in mind. Those of us who want to see placenta encapsulation succeed on a major national scale are willing to put our time, money, and energy into making that happen.

Help the movement that PBi started years ago
If you want to help bring placenta encapsulation to mainstream women, then join us in our mission. PBi Specialists are working across the country to raise awareness, practice proper techniques, and advocate for mothers when necessary - because we all believe that by working together, we can accomplish so much more for the movement.

PBi is happy to announce that Briana Mager, PBi Placenta Encapsulation Specialist serving the St. Louis, MO area has now completed her certification! Congratulations goes to Briana Mager, CPES!

Certification takes commitment and hard work. To become certified, a Placenta Encapsulation Specialist must have completed scientific research and written response papers, acquired experience in placenta encapsulation services by preparing two placentas using PBi’s Method of Placenta Encapsulation, and completed additional food preparation safety certification to be in compliance with their state’s stringent health department protocols. Women in St. Louis, Missouri and surrounding areas now have someone who can safely prepare and assist them in placenta encapsulation, following all OSHA and State Health Regulations and safety rules.

Briana is not only a PBi-Certified Placenta Encapsulation Specialist, but she is also a Certified Doula through DONA International, a Student Midwife with AAMI, and she is American Heart Association Medical Provider CPR Certified. In her spare time she volunteers for Operation Special Delivery and is a staff doula for St. Elizabeth’s Hospital in Belleville, IL. Not to mention, she is also a wife, mother of 2 kiddos and 2 fur babies! She has an affinity for all things green and can often be found ‘diggin’ in the earth’.

After her 2nd birth, Briana had Jodi Selander, founder of Placenta Benefits, encapsulate her placenta hoping to avoid the emotionally draining postpartum experience she had with her first birth. It was everything she had hoped it would be. She was full of energy, felt great and everyone noticed. Her husband still lovingly refers to her encapsulated placenta as the ‘happy pills’

When Briana’s family left Las Vegas in 2008, she didn’t want to leave behind this invaluable resource for women. She joined PBi in hopes of showing the women and the families of Greater St Louis all the benefits their placenta has to offer.

“I have loved being apart of PBi! It has been fantastic to have a wonderful network of birth professionals that are always happy to trade tips, tricks, and advice.

I feel that certification is important to show our clients professionalism and a commitment to education. PBi has done a fantastic job compiling the scientific research so that each Specialist understands the science as well as the history and origin of placenta medicine. Ultimately, there is no better way to prepare a person to begin offering this service.” ~ Briana Mager

Congratulations on your PBi Certification Briana!  We are happy to have you working with us!

Why pay more to have a PBi Placenta Encapsulation Specialist prepare your baby’s placenta for you when someone who is NOT certified can do it for $100 less? When deciding who to trust with your postpartum wellness, you have two choices:

a) A PBi-Trained Placenta Encapsulation Specialist

~or~

b) A self-taught placenta encapsulator

Why choose a PBi Placenta Encapsulation Specialist:

1 ) This is a one shot deal. Unless you are lucky enough to have multiples, you only get one placenta per baby. You want to be sure that your placenta handler knows what he/she is doing. Some questions to ask your provider: How many placentas have you prepared? How long have you been preparing placentas? Where did you learn the process? Do you use Traditional Chinese Medicine techniques, or another method? Why? Do you have references? Do you provide followup care? What if I have additional questions? What if I have complications during my pregnancy and/or delivery? The hospital says it won’t release the placenta to me; are you able to help me? Do you follow OSHA guidelines for safety? Does the FDA know about your methods of practice? PBi Specialists can answer all of these questions and more.

2 ) You want your placenta services provider to answer your questions. PBi Specialists know WHY placenta is helpful for postpartum recovery - they have read the research and can explain everything to you in an evidence-based manner. They also know under which conditions a placenta can be encapsulated, so if you have questions about your particular situation, you have someone to call to get those answers. Once you have your capsules, they can give you dosing guidelines, capsule care instructions, and most importantly, when NOT to take the placenta capsules! Follow-up care is extremely important, and PBi Specialists provide very high quality of care. They don’t just drop off some capsules in a baggie and leave you to figure out the rest.

3 ) You want to be sure that the placenta you consume is actually yours. Sadly, there have been stories in the past where a new mother releases her placenta to an encapsulator and later comes to find out that the placenta contained within the capsules is not her own. PBi Specialists practice with full disclosure of the process so you know exactly how we are treating your baby’s precious placenta. You are even welcome and encouraged to watch the process - if you like.

4 ) You want to be sure that your placenta is handled safely. We are talking about what is considered a bio-hazard. There is an element of caution and concern to be taken when dealing with the placenta. Placenta encapsulation, and utilizing the placenta for postpartum recovery is something that must be done properly and safely, and within government regulations. PBi Specialists adhere to strict OSHA and EPA guidelines for safe handling and disinfection. PBi has sent our Standard Operating Procedures into the FDA, so they are fully aware of how our Specialists operate.

5 ) You want to be sure your provider knows what they are doing. Your PBi Placenta Encapsulation Specialist is highly educated. She has gone through a 5 week, 5 module course, read the scientific research behind placentophagy, and written response papers to each to test her understanding. She has watched a 2-hour Training Video and has acquired experience in Traditional Chinese Medicine and placenta encapsulation by preparing at least three placentas using PBi’s Method of Placenta Encapsulation, sometimes even under the watchful eye of a Mentor (where possible). Your PBi Specialist has passed a rigorous 2-hour exam, and has passed and met all standards set by PBi. If your PBi Placenta Encapsulation Specialist is also Certified, she has completed additional food preparation safety certification to be in compliance with their state’s stringent health department protocols. The self-taught encapsulator most likely learned from a web page on the internet. The internet doesn’t mentor you, doesn’t teach you and it doesn’t answer specific placenta encapsulation questions like the PBi Network of Specialists does. For a few dollars more you too can have the peace of mind in knowing that you have an entire Network of Specialists available to you and your Specialist at any time. Peace of mind when dealing with such a precious and rare resource is a wonderful thing to have.

6 ) You want your provider to be on the cutting edge of research. PBi is the foremost leader in placenta healing in the United States. We are currently working with a fantastic team of researchers and putting our process though a series of research tests through the University of Nevada, Las Vegas to discover more about the amazing placenta and the hormones contained therein. Only PBi-Trained Placenta Encapsulation Specialists will be the first to know of these exciting research outcomes.

7 ) You want your provider to have the ability, backing and know-how to change hospital policy if needed. Since 2007 PBi has fought for women’s rights and the rights of their placentas. We are constantly working to change hospital policies across the country, and create state legislation protecting the parents’ right to take the placenta home from the hospital after the birth. We strive to bring placentophagy to the mainstream woman and make placenta encapsulation as normal as having the father in the room for the delivery.

8 ) You want your provider to be held accountable if something goes wrong. A grievance is an objection lodged against a PBi Specialist in which the Specialist is accused of behavior that violates PBI’s Standards of Practice and/or Code of Ethics. PBi Specialists have standards, policies and a code of ethics to adhere to. If your PES doesn’t follow procedure, you may file a grievance with the organization and be assured that disciplinary action will be taken - they may even lose their right to practice as a PBi Specialist. PBi will only have the best, most ethical, and most professional providers in our Network. Independent practitioners have no one to be held accountable to.

9 ) PBi Specialists are confident and supported by a large international community of birth, placenta and postpartum professionals. PBi is the oldest, largest and most recognized placenta encapsulation organization in the world. We aren’t afraid of going on our local TV news to talk about consuming placenta for postpartum wellness! We proudly promote, educate and support other birth professionals in helping them understand that there *are* things that can be done proactively to help a new mother through that difficult postpartum period. We work together with doulas, midwives, chiropractors, Chinese medicine practitioners, acupuncturists, masseuses and other naturally minded folk. We even work with obstetricians! PBi is dedicated to bringing placentophagy to the mainstream.

10 ) PBi Specialists are committed to the cause. We believe in doing the right thing, keeping our clients safe, and keeping the big picture of healthy, happy mamas in mind. Those of us who want to see placenta encapsulation succeed on a major national scale are willing to put our time, money, and energy into making sure this happens. You will find that everyone involved in PBi is 100% committed to you and your postpartum well being.

11 ) We want to share our knowledge! We are always looking for help! If you want to help bring placenta encapsulation to mainstream women, then join us in our mission. PBi Specialists are working across the country to raise awareness, practice proper techniques, advocate for mothers when necessary - because we all believe that by working together, we can accomplish so much more for the movement.

We hope this helps you understand why a PBi-Trained Placenta Encapsulation Specialist is your best choice when it comes to who to trust with you placenta and postpartum well being. Stay tuned, in future articles we will discuss how PBi training and the PBi Network can help professional providers in their business!

Next article in series: Certification for placenta encapsulation. Why bother?

PBi-Trained Placenta Encapsulation Specialists, McKenzie Casad and Nicole Link-Troen spent their Mother’s Day Saturday in a unique way, surrounded by and educating new mothers! The pair of specialists from Washington, DC and Richmond, VA, respectively, teamed up at the Oh Mama! Yoga Birth & Baby Fair in Richmond, VA.

This expo was primarily a fundraiser in support of a wonderful organization, Midwives For Haiti.

“In Haiti, 76% of all deliveries are done by non-qualified persons, contributing to the highest infant and maternal mortality in the western hemisphere. 15% of newborns have low birth weight and 25% of the children suffer from chronic malnutrition. The World Health Organization has estimated that the things professional midwives know how to do - preventative prenatal care, handling complications of pregnancy and birth, and teaching nutrition –could totally change these statistics.

Midwives for Haiti was started by certified nurse-midwives who believe every woman in this world deserves the knowledge and care to have a safe pregnancy and birth. We also believe that even women who cannot read or write are teachable. With the right knowledge and tools, community women can make birth safer and keep babies and mothers from dying. We want to bridge the gap between the traditional birth attendants and the nurse-midwives trained in the medical model so that more women in Haiti have access to skilled care.”
~ www.midwivesforhaiti.org

Currently Midwives for Haiti provides funds to employ most of their graduates because non-profits and hospitals in Haiti who need them are often unable to provide a salary. Sponsoring a midwife to practice for one year, her salary, room and board, medications and supplies cost $10,000.

With the help of other local birth businesses, Placenta Benefits, along with the Oh Mama! Yoga Birth & Baby Fair helped raise $5,120 through individual donations, sponsorships, and ticket sales. This will enable Midwives For Haiti to fund a Haitian midwife for half a year.This will enable the Midwife to give prenatal care to approximately 60 women for month and deliver 10-20 babies each month. This generosity will help save the lives of many childbearing women and their babies in Haiti.

At the Expo, expectant mothers learned about Placenta Benefits for the first time. They were able to meet their local PBi-Trained Placenta Encapsulation Specialists, McKenzie and Nicole. And many of these smart mommas now plan on using their placentas for postpartum wellness!

The local resources for pregnant and postpartum women in the Richmond area were all well represented and a wealth of knowledge was shared with those mothers and mothers-to-be. The event was a great success overall both for the Midwives for Haiti campaign and the PBi-Trained Specialists who attended the expo.

“This was loads of fun! Already looking forward to next year!” ~ Nicole Link-Troen

Nice work ladies! Way to represent PBi and thank you for helping to make a difference to the mothers and children in Haiti!

Bridget Hirata, PBi’s Placenta Encapsulation Specialist in Madison, WI did a great interview with one of her happy clients for WMTV’s The Morning Show.

Women who ingest capsules made from their placenta are reporting fewer emotional issues, more energy and one local mom wants to spread the word.
read full article…

My favorite quotes, from Sarah Carlson:

“For a couple hundred bucks, even if it is ‘the placebo effect’, she felt great… and her baby was two weeks old and she had more energy than me!”
and
“I wish I had known about this when I had my baby!”

Great job, Bridget! Thanks for doing such a wonderful job for mothers in Madison.

Become a Placenta Encapsulation Specialist through PBi - through our advertising and promotion of placenta encapsulation, we are normalizing the use of placenta for postpartum recovery!

Placenta Benefits.info (PBi) is the leading resource for placenta encapsulation information and training. I created PBi specifically to promote the use of placenta for postpartum recovery. As a result, in the past four years placenta use has grown into a national trend and is much more popular and accepted. I am very proud of this accomplishment, and am continually inspired by my clients and every woman who has been helped by placenta capsules.

I created the Placenta Encapsulation Specialist Training & Certification Course for those people who wanted to provide placenta services to women in their community - safely, properly and legally. I built the PBi Network of Specialists to help those providers build a thriving business and create a community where we all share information and work together to help promote the movement toward making the use of placenta for postpartum recovery a normal part of the birth process.

Over the years, I continued to modify how the Network operates. After listening to many of you, hearing your feedback, and talking with the current PBi Specialists, I found I needed to make some changes.

You wanted changes - PBi listened!
PBi offers fabulous Network benefits - you now have the freedom to choose which Network benefits you want, and only pay for those!

NO MORE per-client fees!
NO MORE branding requirements!
WITH the support resources PBi Specialists love:

• Access to forms and waivers
• Online support forum
• Promotion via the PBi website
• Discounted marketing materials
• Incredible prices on supplies!
• Marketing support
• Support hotline
• Online Client Management System
• Continuing education

… and so much more.

Myself and the PBi Specialists are very excited about the improvements, and I’m sure you will be too. If you’ve ever considered going through the Training Course, there has never been a better time!

The Association of Texas Midwives put on a wonderful conference this year. I am honored that they asked me to come speak about the benefits of placenta for postpartum use.

My presentation went well - I got a few chuckles (at the appropriate parts, even!), and there was a lot of enthusiasm after the presentation as well. Hopefully we are changing the paradigm and viewing the placenta in a whole new, and healing, perspective. I was also able to share some recent research into traditional placenta rituals and customs from around the world, which I have found incredibly interesting.

I also got to meet Lindsey Roberts, our Placenta Encapsulation Specialist in Austin, TX. Lindsey is a lot of fun, and absolutely dedicated to helping women have the best postpartum experience possible! (Thanks for the tour of Whole Foods, Lindsey.)

Lindsey wore her “I {heart} Placentas” t-shirt, which was a big hit! Feel free to pick your organic cotton placenta shirt online from The Shop @ PBi, and help spread the placenta love.

I had a great time in Austin, and met some wonderful people. I look forward to the next time I get to visit this awesome city!

PBi is thrilled to announce that Danielle Miles is now a PBi-Trained Placenta Encapsulation Specialist serving Council Bluffs, IA! She is a Doula, a Private Childbirth Educator, a Pink Kit Trainer and now a PBi-Trained Placenta Encapsulation Specialist.

Danielle is a willing captive in the world of childbirth. She is fascinated with every aspect of pregnancy and birth and is continually amazed at the reproductive process. She feels called, as a doula and educator, to share with women how they are perfectly designed for birth and how God, in his creative genius, provided everything we need to successfully bring our babies into the world.

“Through pheromones and hormones, we are compelled to mate, we have the means to sustain and develop the baby in utero, a process for expelling the baby at term, built in pain management, natural attraction for our offspring, the compulsion to bond with and care for our babies, and the means to feed and sustain them in the world. And now, through the encapsulation process, we can utilize the amazing healing and restorative properties of the placenta. I am so honored to share “placenta medicine” with the women in my communities of Council Bluffs, Iowa and Omaha, Nebraska.” ~ Danielle Miles

Danielle looks forward to meeting you and being a part of your beautiful transition into parenthood. She serves the Omaha, NE and Council Bluffs, IA areas.

Welcome to PBi Danielle! We look forward to sharing that continual amazement and awe of the entire pregnancy and birth process with you!

Placenta Benefits.info (PBi) has the best training program and network of resources available for those seeking a career in natural postpartum care. Clients can trust PBi Specialists to provide the highest quality placenta encapsulation services available, and know that we will take care of them quickly, safely and professionally.

A big congratulations to Jereka Hunt, PBi’s first professional Placenta Encapsulation Specialist serving Belmont, North Carolina! She is a wife and mother of one, with another on the way, due in late May!

Placenta Encapsulation Specialists come from all walks of life, with many and varied backgrounds. Jereka is an Environmental Professional with a degree in Environmental Studies from the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill. How she ended up with PBi is an interesting story… it all started with her journey through studying the earth and its environment.

“Through [environmental] studies, academically, personally and spiritually, I have come to understand that nothing beats Mother Nature.  Her ways and her cures for the ailments that we face have been well established and proven.  We only need to take advantage of them.

My pregnancy was one of the many avenues through which I discovered Mother Nature’s way; others included aromatherapy, vegetarianism, organics, natural remedies & healthy living.  I, like you, did my research. ” ~ Jereka Hunt

During Jereka’s postpartum phase, she didn’t see herself as depressed. However, looking back in retrospect, she realizes that she too had succumbed to the common reality of postpartum depression, several months into motherhood.

“I didn’t know what was happening to me and my poor husband was at his wits’ end.  Luckily, we made it through that rough period of time, but it was very hard on our family.” ~ Jereka Hunt

This is so very common. Postpartum depression starts with being tired. Then you go through mood swings, irrational concerns and anxiety, sadness and unexplained tears, feeling like you can’t concentrate on anything, frustration, feelings of concern that you have forever changed your life and that you may never be the same old person you were - ever again. It’s hard on your partner because he too is feeling many of the same things, anxiety, lack of sleep, loss of his ‘old’ life. When you put two people with similar issues in a room with a screaming infant and you have the perfect recipe for some of the most challenging weeks of your entire life.

Although Jereka missed out on the benefits of placentophagy the first time around, she anxiously looks forward to encapsulating her own placenta after the birth of her second child this July.  She also looks forward to spreading the word of the positive benefits of Placentophagy, another one of Mother Nature’s generous cures. We look forward to hearing how things go for you, Jereka!!

She will be available for encapsulation services after July 1, 2010. Since she is in her ninth month of pregnancy, Jereka will be taking a short “Maternity Leave” to allow for time for recovery and adjustment to their newest addition.  In the meantime, she’d love to hear from you and would be happy to answer questions about her services. At that time she will be able to provide you with first hand knowledge and experience about this postpartum recovery differed from her first!

Jereka will be serving the following North Carolina Counties: Mecklenburg, Gaston, Union, Stanley, Cleveland, Iredell, Lincoln, Cabarrus, Catawba, Rowan, Davie, Davidson, Alexander, and Yadkin. She will also assist new mothers in the following South Carolina Counties: Lancaster, York, Chester, and Spartanburg. If you don’t see your area listed, Email Jereka . She will travel for an additional fee.

Thank you, Jereka for helping PBi spread the word that Mother Nature provides all that is needed for your own postpartum recovery!

Placenta Benefits.info (PBi) has the best training program and network of resources available for those seeking a career in natural postpartum care. Clients can trust PBi Specialists to provide the highest quality placenta encapsulation services available, and know that we will take care of them quickly, safely and professionally.

You give birth to your bouncing bundle of joy after nearly a year of having another person inside you while you start to feel like (and somewhat resemble) a whale. Six short weeks later, your care provider cheerfully announces that (yay!), you can start having sex again. Your partner lights up like it’s Christmas, until you respond with an incredulous “Excuse me? Why would I want to do THAT?”.

This scenario happens to many, many couples after the birth of a child. And it often doesn’t matter how many children you have; you are just not “in the mood” when you have a small body physically attached to you (and often, your breasts) for the entire day. Once you finally extract yourself from the tiny deathgrip for a moment, there’s your partner, ready to latch on. Yeah, that’s hot.

There are many factors that contribute to a sexual dry spell after the baby comes.
These can include:

• Fatigue
• Less time together
• New family dynamic to deal with
• Fear of pain
• Fear of being interrupted
• Fear of another pregnancy
• Unmet expectations (not feeling supported)

So now it’s been six months instead of six weeks, and the issue has become the huge elephant in the room. What do you do now? How do you get started?

Some ways to build intimacy with your partner:

• Do the things (s)he likes. Small gestures go a long way.
• If you notice your partner making an effort, acknowledge it!
• Schedule date nights. The baby will survive for two hours while you have dinner.
• Spend time together, even if not alone.
• Hug, touch, kiss - physical intimacy does not always mean intercourse.

Now you’re ready to give it a try. Some things to make the first postnatal coitus even more fun:

• Lubrication! Postpartum hormones can lead to vaginal dryness, which is NOT fun.
• Wine! No need to get sloppy drunk, but a couple glasses of wine can ease some of the tension and relax those inhibitions a bit.
• Communicate! Talk to your partner - nobody can read minds. Good sex is 90% mental and 10% physical (or something like that).

Sex is important to a marriage. It’s the glue that holds you together through the tough times. It’s a physical reminder of what you mean to each other. So make the effort to create intimacy - having a partner you can connect with on multiple levels is one of the joys of life.

Sex is fabulous stess relief, and it’s supposed to be fun. It’s what got you into parenthood in the first place, so keep it up!