Can Placenta Pills Prevent Postpartum Depression or Anxiety?
The short answer? no.
While placenta encapsulation undeniably helps many women, we CAN’T guarantee a seamless postpartum experience for everyone.
When I welcomed my baby into the world in 2009, the concept of placenta encapsulation was completely foreign to me. And unfortunately, like so many women, my postpartum experience was far from pleasant.
Before becoming a mom, I was an incredibly organized and detail-oriented person. My home was always immaculate, and I thrived within the systems I had carefully established for myself and my partner. However, the arrival of my baby shattered my sense of freedom and the perceived perfection I’d been used to. I hadn’t prepared myself for the changes that would accompany motherhood, and it left me utterly overwhelmed and unprepared.
My baby was born via cesarean instead of at home as I’d planned. And as a new mom, I returned home from the hospital already feeling exhausted and at a disadvantage. The constant stream of visitors I had invited to the hospital set me off behind the eight ball. Sleep deprivation and the challenges of learning to nurse while healing from major surgery compounded my difficulties right from the start.
To make matters more challenging, my baby struggled to gain weight at a steady pace. He was an intense little dude who cried constantly if he wasn’t nursing or being held and relied solely on me for comfort. It was a demanding and emotionally draining experience, to say the least.
But fast-forwarding five years to the birth of my next baby, I’d been processing placentas for years so of course, I took my own placenta pills.
The result? A totally opposite experience from what I went through the first time.
However, this time around, there were a ton of other contributing factors that could have influenced my positive fourth trimester experience. As a second-time mom, I knew what to expect and I knew that whatever challenges lay ahead were temporary. I understood that I was not alone in this because, by this time, I was surrounded by a core group of mom friends who were there to support me every step of the way.
This baby was peacefully born at home, surrounded by the presence of my midwives, who were also my dear friends. Other members of my birth team included my partner, two of my best friends, and my four-year-old who checked in on me throughout the day and held my hand through contractions. It was everything I had hoped for.
In addition to the positive birth experience, my milk supply was through the roof this time, and my baby’s weight gain wasn’t a concern.
It’s natural to wonder how much my placenta pills played a role in this experience. I mean, I took my placenta capsules faithfully, but there were multiple factors at play that contributed to the overall positive postpartum outcome.
The combination of a peaceful home birth, the presence of a supportive community, and my own personal growth as a mother all played pivotal roles in shaping my postpartum journey the second time around. In conjunction with these factors, the pills might have contributed to the positive outcome, but it’s impossible to know for sure.
Ultimately, the postpartum experience is multifaceted, influenced by so many interconnected elements - support, love, personal growth, birth experience, and other factors.
I view placenta pills as a valuable tool in the toolbox for achieving postpartum success. They can be beneficial and contribute to a positive experience. However, it's important to note that they are not a magical solution or a standalone prescription for a joyful and effortless postpartum.
While there are scientifically and biologically plausible benefits associated with placenta consumption, such as a balanced mood, increased milk supply, and more energy, it’s important to approach it with realistic expectations. Placenta encapsulation cannot guarantee a better postpartum experience in every case.
That being said, placenta encapsulation is safe, and there’s no harm in exploring its potential benefits. It's an individual decision that each woman should make based on her own needs, preferences, and understanding of the available information.
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Tiff D’Amico (formerly Tiff Hare), also known as The Placenta Girl, has been expertly processing placentas into pills since 2012, serving South and Central Jersey, Philadelphia, the Jersey Shore, and Delaware. Discover more about Tiff and her postpartum services beyond placenta encapsulation here.
