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:

1.     Use the THREE TIMES RULE for communicating that you’d like to take home your placenta: once in a third trimester visit to your care provider, once at the hospital restate the plan to keep your placenta, once when the placenta is born, restate the plan to keep your placenta.

2.    Allow staff to communicate their rules/policies to you regarding paperwork release, time limits, biozhazardous materials.

3.    Most hospitals have a 2 hour time limit – meaning, by the time you move to your postpartum room, they want the placenta to be gone. If your placenta encapsulation specialist is picking up your placenta, be sure to notify them in advance so they have enough time to pick it up before the hospital wishes to dispose of it.

4.    Some hospitals require a biohazard bag to take the placenta out of the room. At the very least, bring 2 gallon size ziploc bags to the hospital so they can double bag your placenta. When I pick up placentas, I bring a biohazard bag and cooler for transport.

5.     If your care provider tells you that you can’t take your placenta home at any moment, ASK WHY – there are very few reasons why placenta encapsulation is truly contraindicated. Read more about why placenta encapsulation may be contraindicated, and some risks associated with placental consumption. It is illegal in all 50 states to prevent parents from keeping their placenta.

In my experience as a Placenta Encapsulation Specialist, most Raleigh area hospitals and care providers make the take home process easy. As always, if you have any questions related to taking your placenta home, email Briana Smith at brianaruthdoula@gmail.com. Don’t forget, placenta services are 20% off until January 31st - contact me today!