Yes they can. Both types of pills have a best before date and must be consumed accordingly. It is also important to store your pills correctly. Traditional Chinese Medicine capsules should be consumed within 6 months of birth. Simple Capsules will last for 12 weeks. Both types of capsules should be stored in a cool, dry place, but not in the frdige.

It is not advised to take your TCM capsules if you have an infection, common cold, flu, fever or an infection such as mastitis. Only once your symptoms have subsided should you start taking your placenta capsules again. We advise you to order Placenta Tincture to complement TCM capsules.

Do not take placenta capsules while you are pregnant because of their hormone levels.

If you do experience any side effects stop taking the remedies immediately and inform us and seek medical advice.

Most women consume one or two capsules three times a day during the first couple of weeks post-partum or until they feel their hormones have returned to normal. You can take one or two capsules whenever you feel you may need a little more energy or to boost your milk supply when breastfeeding. Placenta capsules can be taken as needed and there is no single correct dose. You may adjust your dose as you feel right. Listen to your body – it will tell you what it needs!

It is very important that Simple Placenta Capsules are consumed within 12 weeks. Simple Capsules can be stored in a cool, dry dark cupboard, but not the fridge. We strongly advise clients to wash their hands before handling their placenta capsules and avoid leaving the jar open.

Traditional Chinese Medicine (TCM) capsules can be stored in a cool dry dark cupboard, but not the fridge, for up to 6 months. We strongly advise clients to wash their hands before handling their placenta capsules and avoid leaving the jar open.

Placentas vary in size so the number of capsules also varies.

The number of capsules made from the Simple Placenta method can be anywhere from 80-180.

For Traditional Chinese Medicine (TCM) placenta capsules the average is slightly less.

At the very basic level we only ever process one placenta at a time in the practice. It is physically impossible to work on multiple placentas at the same time. So it is simply impossible to receive someone else’s placenta. Furthermore, our processes, including Stock Control Measures, Labelling Methods, Temperature Control Measures, Traceability and Product Recall Measures have all been audited by Environmental Health Office before granting us approval to practice.

Placenta Practice is run by professionals working to the highest safety and quality standards. We work to similar standards to a medical practice and have complete confidence in the integrity of our technique and processes in our controlled practice environment.

Your placenta can be processed and ‘encapsulated’, meaning it can be turned in to capsules for you to take in the weeks or months after birth. We can also make some other amazing remedies, such as a tincture, an essence, creams for both mother and baby, balms and homeopathic remedies.

Placenta Encapsulation is the process of turning raw placenta in to safe to consume capsules, similar to herbal supplements. Placenta goes through a verified set of processes in a clinical setting, over a number of hours. Both types of capsules (TCM and Simple) end up being dehydrated at certain temperatures, ground in to fine powder, then manually filled in to capsules.

Yes, mums of premature babies need all the help they can get bringing in their milk, healing quickly, and balancing post-natal mood. As long as your placenta is examined and cleared for any type of abnormality after birth we are happy to encapsulate it.

Placenta encapsulation is not contra-indicated for mothers with pre-eclampsia. Many women who have had pre-eclampsia have very successfully used placenta capsules. No one fully understands pre-eclampsia or exactly how to prevent it, and although the placenta does seem to play a part, it is not usually unfit for consumption. After the birth, your placenta will be examined for irregularities and problems. Most of the time the placenta is completely fine and you should have no problem encapsulating.

Yes, you can do both. We work closely with Smart Cells, one of the world’s leading umbilical cord blood stem cell storage companies. We will liaise with the dedicated Smart Cells Phlebotomist on the day of birth once we’ve received your text confirming birth of baby.

It is important to ensure your midwife and doctor knows that you wish to have both placenta and cord services. Where possible it should be included in your birth plan.

Delayed cord clamping (waiting at least 10 minutes after delivery to cut the cord, preferably until it has completely stopped pulsing) has been proven to hold lifelong benefits for babies, and is something we encourage all families to research before giving birth. Delaying cord clamping will not have any negative effect on your placenta.

Meconium is sterile, does not contain the faecal bacteria that normal stool does and therefore is perfectly fine to encapsulate. Meconium is only dangerous for the baby to inhale, but is otherwise harmless. If your placenta is heavily stained we will wash it thoroughly before encapsulation preparation. We will advise you once we have checked it. If it is thick with meconium you may only be able to have Traditional Chinese Medicine capsules. You cannot have a Placenta Smoothie if there is meconium staining because bacteria may be present.

Yes. But it is important that the placenta is delivered onto a clean surface (such as an inco pad or towel) and NOT into the birthing pool.

Unfortunately the temperature and condition of the water makes it the perfect breeding ground for bacteria.

Chances are once baby is born you will want to be out of the water for proper skin on skin.

Your birthing team will also encourage you to step out of the water shortly after birth. It is very difficult to gauge potential blood loss while you’re still in the water.

Encapsulation is still possible if you give birth with an epidural or if you have a Caesarean section. The placenta acts as a filter, filtering out toxins and sending them back to the mother’s liver to be detoxed from the system. If you are on medication during your pregnancy we ask you to seek advice from your consultant before deciding on placenta encapsulation.

There are a few situations where we would not be able to process your placenta. These are:

• If the placenta is sent to pathology
• If there is a uterine infection
• If the placenta is improperly stored
• If the mother smoked during pregnancy

Please let us know if you have any specific questions. If you are on medication during your pregnancy we ask you to seek advice from your consultant before deciding on placenta encapsulation.

This is very rare. If there are significant abnormalities of the placenta your healthcare team may send your placenta for further examination. Other conditions, such as signs of infection during labour, may mean that consuming your placenta is not advisable. The most usual reason is that your hospital, doctor or midwife are not aware that you want it to keep your placenta. Clear communication is therefore essential!

We can collect your placenta from your home or the hospital. When you book we will ask for your due date and contact you before this date to make sure you are prepared. When you go into established labour you should text us, with another text once you have given birth. You (or a family member) can then liaise with us over collection of your placenta depending on what level of collection you have chosen.

The easiest way to store your placenta is by purchasing a Placenta Collection Kit, which is designed to keep placenta cool for 12 hours. The kit itself will remain cold for up to 72 hours, so plenty of time to labour.

This kit has been specially developed for Placenta Practice by a leading bio-medical scientist with input from the Environmental Health Office. Kit includes everything you need to safely store your placenta. Special attention has been paid to the design of the kit to minimise the unfortunate instances of lost placentas in hospitals.

If you decide against the Placenta Collection Kit your placenta should be double bagged into zip-lock bags and placed into a clean 2 litre sterile, leak-proof container as quickly as possible, but definitely within 30 minutes of its birth. This container should then go in to the cool bag for no longer than 6 hours. If your ice packs melt you must buy two large bags of ice so that you can chill the placenta within 30 minutes of birth (send your partner to find a local petrol station or supermarket). After 6 hours your birth partner, doula or family member should take the placenta home for refrigeration.

Your placenta needs to be kept cool to ensure it remains safe to consume. Your placenta should be stored in a refrigerator below 8°C after the cord is cut, however not all hospitals will allow you to use their fridge/freezer. This is why it is important to be prepared with either a cool bag or Placenta Collection Kit option. Talk to your midwife and add a note to your birth plan to ensure staff know you are keeping your placenta.

Our Gold collection service guarantees your placenta is collected within 12 hours. Many clients choose this service because they want their placenta to be processed as soon as possible, believing “The fresher it is, the better it is”. Others choose this service to simplify caring for the placenta after birth.

Ensure that your midwife, birthing team and family are aware that you wish to keep your placenta and note this in your birth plan. Discuss your plan to keep your placenta with your midwife during your antenatal appointments.