You may have spent 10-16 hours in a childbirth education class learning all about your options for childbirth. You might even learn a little bit about the postpartum period and infant feeding. You’ll be told “planning is important”, and “being flexible” is even more important. You might even get a birth plan template that asks you questions like:

-Would you like intermittent or continuous fetal monitoring?

-What position would you like to push in?

-Are you giving your baby Vitamin K and antibiotic eye ointment?

-What is your preferred feeding method?

But rarely does it ask what your plan is for your placenta…

Postpartum, Placenta Encapsulation, ChildbirthBriana SmithMarch 7, 2020Birth and Beyond, Inc.placenta services, placenta services in raleigh, placenta encapsulation in raleigh, placenta encapsulation

Postpartum Bleeding: What’s Normal vs What’s Not

You learn all about what to expect during pregnancy, labor, and childbirth – but why does no one talk about the fourth trimester and the physical changes that happen during the immediate postpartum period? Whether you’ve had a vaginal birth or a cesarean birth, you will experience some degree of postpartum bleeding, also called lochia.

Postpartum, Childbirth, Placenta EncapsulationBriana SmithJanuary 27, 2020postpartum doula, postpartum doula in raleigh, postpartum, postpartum recovery, postpartum bleeding, postpartum hemmorhage, cesarean birth, cesarean recovery, vaginal birth, childbirth, placenta encapsulation in raleigh, placenta, placenta encapsulation

Taking Your Placenta Home from Raleigh Area Hospitals

There are so many options of where to give birth in the Triangle: NC Women’s Hospital in Chapel Hill (UNC), UNC/Rex Hospital in Raleigh, WakeMed in Cary, WakeMed on New Bern Avenue in Raleigh, WakeMed on Falls of Neuse Road in Raleigh, Women’s Birth and Wellness Center in Chapel Hill, Duke University Hospital in Durham, Duke Regional in Durham, etc.

If you are planning on taking your placenta home for placenta encapsulation, or for other reasons there are a few things to keep in mind. Placenta encapsulation and placenta consumption are not super common, so care providers and hospitals may try to sway you from taking it home. Policies vary depending on who you birth with and where you birth.

Here are 5 quick tips to remember when taking your placenta home from the hospital, especially if you plan to encapsulate it:

Placenta Encapsulation, Postpartum, ChildbirthBriana SmithJanuary 13, 2020placenta services, placenta services in raleigh, placenta encapsulation, placenta encapsulation in raleigh, placenta tincture, placenta print, raleigh area hospitals, postpartum doula, postpartum recovery, postpartum healing

When is Placenta Encapsulation Contraindicated?

“My care provider told me that I can’t consume my placenta.” A phrase I hear all too often. The reality is, placenta encapsulation and consumption isn’t standard practice and it never will be – so care providers are confused by it, and often want to discourage you from consuming your placenta.

I’d be a terrible placenta encapsulation specialist if I told you placenta consumption was for everyone and that there are absolutely no contraindications. I’d also be a liar, and that’s one thing I’m not! I’d like to note one thing: it is illegal in all 50 states to prevent a parent from bringing home their placenta. Now onto contraindications…

Childbirth, Placenta Encapsulation, PostpartumBriana SmithJanuary 6, 2020postpartum doula, postpartum recovery, postpartum doula in raleigh, placenta services, placenta services in raleigh, placenta burial, placenta broth, placenta print, placenta art, placenta art in raleigh, placenta tincture, placenta encapsulation, placenta encapsulation in raleigh

Raleigh Parents Consuming Placenta for Postpartum Benefits

Placenta Encapsulation has become all the rage among families all over North America and with good reason! The anecdotal benefits of consuming your placenta are pretty impressive. Reports of celebrities like the Kardashians and January Jones having their placentas made into capsules has increased the popularity of this once underground practice.

Placenta Encapsulation, Postpartum, ChildbirthBriana SmithDecember 16, 2019placenta services, placenta encapsulation in raleigh, placenta smoothies, placenta tincture, placenta services in raleigh, placenta encapsulation, placenta art in raleigh, placenta print

Will My Placenta Capsules Be Gluten Free?

Placenta Encapsulation, PostpartumBriana SmithDecember 2, 2019placenta services, placenta encapsulation in raleigh, placenta encapsulation, gluten free placenta, placenta tincture, placenta art in raleigh

How to Choose a Postpartum Doula

Choosing a Raleigh postpartum professional to support your family through the early weeks of transitioning into parenthood can be a daunting task. Google searches, friendly recommendations, phone calls, and interviews. But how will you know which postpartum doula is the right postpartum doula?

Postpartum, Placenta Encapsulation, Belly Binding, ChildbirthBriana SmithNovember 9, 2019postpartum, postpartum doula, postpartum recovery, postpartum doula in raleigh, parenting, parenting philosophy, newborn care in raleigh, liability insurance, pelvic floor physical therapist, PMAD, placenta encapsulation in raleigh, overnight doula support in raleigh, doula support in raleigh

8 Ways You Can Honor Your Placenta

Your placenta. An incredible organ that has nourished your baby and sustained your pregnancy for many months. The filter, barrier, and connection between mother and child. Oxygen was delivered, hormones were produced, and nourishment was given. But once your baby is born, the placenta’s work will be complete, or will it?

5 Things I Know About Placenta Encapsulation

Postpartum, Placenta EncapsulationBriana SmithOctober 15, 2019Birth and Beyond, Inc.placenta encapsulation in raleigh, placenta encapsulation, postpartum recovery, postpartum doula, postpartum doula in raleigh, placenta art in raleigh, placenta print, placenta tincture, placenta services, placenta services in raleigh