Preparation Location Mythbusting

I read somewhere that preparing the placenta in my home is the only way to be sure that I am getting my own placenta. Is there any chance of a mix up happening?

When people raise this concern it falls in one of two categories: 1. Fear that the specialist will accidentally mix up placentas. 2. Fear that the PES will purposefully mix up placentas or give the you something other than your placenta in capsules. Let’s look at #1… Professional encapsulation specialists are trained on a very important premise: we only prepare one placenta at a time per location. That means when a PES receives a placenta they complete the entire process, deliver the capsules, disinfect their reusable materials and disinfect their workspace before beginning another placenta within the same space. If two clients give birth on the same day, the specialist either refers out one of the placentas, prepares in the client’s homes with multiple kits or simply prepares the first followed by the second (disinfecting between). A professional, trained and ethical PES doesn’t take any chances on cross-contamination because she highly values her client’s health and she doesn’t expect or need the client to be watching her to hold her to that standard. You should ask to see your specialist’s protocol to confirm their policy of only preparing one placenta at a time per location. Now fear #2… if a placenta specialist is so unethical that they would purposefully give their client a different person’s pills or something other than placenta, then encapsulating in their client’s home won’t stop them from doing that. An unethical placenta specialist could easily switch out the jar of capsules at their client’s home and no one would know. So the most important thing is for you to choose an ethical, professional placenta specialist that you feel you can trust and who will take the time to answer your questions, review her protocol with you and allay any fears you have. A professional placenta specialist will not instill more fear in you or make exaggerated claims that their system is safer than another.

How do I know that your workspace is properly cleaned if I can’t see you do it?

If you are hiring a professional to encapsulate for you, definitely choose someone with clear training, experience and good referrals.The PES can provide documentation of the protocol they follow for each placenta no matter where it is prepared. If you want to observe the disinfection of the space, you can choose to do so either in your own kitchen, if that’s where you want the placenta prepared, or in the specialist’s workspace via Skype (if they offer it).  Most PES will do everything they can to accommodate the needs of their clients and address their fears. It is common for new mothers to be more concerned with resting in bed with their newborn than personally overseeing the disinfection of the workspace and a professional placenta specialist will respect that intimacy. You can trust a professional, ethical, well trained placenta specialist to use universal precautions and rigorous disinfection standards regardless of location. You should receive the same level of commitment to disinfection no matter where the placenta is prepared or who is watching.

Is it true that airborne microbes in the PES’s workspace can contaminate the placenta?

You probably enter other people’s homes frequently for a variety of reasons and eat food prepared in other people’s kitchens on a regular basis without fear of contamination by airborne microbes. All of us have a natural bacterial flora and in fact we have more foreign cells than native cells in our own bodies. We don’t live in a sterile world. This is a normal part of a healthy, functioning immune system! Airborne particles (dust, etc) are common in any preparation location. Pathogenic microbes (influenza, etc) typically don’t live long outside their host and the biggest concern is direct, immediate contact. For example, if a person were to sneeze directly on the placenta that could deposit germs (which may or may not be destroyed by preparation). If a person were to sneeze and then hours later bring the placenta into the space where they sneezed, those microbes are likely no longer in the air but on the surfaces which would be properly disinfected before preparation. The best precaution is for the PES to wear personal protective gear: an apron, mask, gloves and safety glasses. This protects both the client and the PES regardless of location. In addition, the PES can refer out to their backup if they are currently ill or if anyone with access to their workspace is ill.

If the PES transports the placenta could she be questioned by the police and have the placenta confiscated? Could she get into an accident with the placenta in the car?

Unfortunately, anyone can get into an accident while transporting a placenta, even the mother. If the placenta has to be transported home from the birth place, you can’t avoid the risk of an accident. Having the mother transport it herself does not mitigate this risk.

If a PES is pulled over by law enforcement, the officer will typically be concerned with addressing the reason for the citation. Absent probable cause for searching the vehicle, the officer has no way of knowing a placenta is there and no reason to ask what the vehicle might contain other than it’s occupants. If for some reason the officer does ask what is being transported the PES can simply provide her card and explain that she owns a placenta encapsulation business and her client has hired her to transport her placenta for her as part of that service. Since a placenta is considered a product of conception, not bulk medical waste or an organ for transplant, typically there are no laws about who can and cannot transport it. We have no fear of law enforcement inquiring about a placenta being transported or confiscating a placenta as there are no legal grounds to do so. Many mothers are exhausted from the birth, focused on their baby and would prefer to have the specialist handle the transportation in a safe and expedient manner. However, if the client prefers to transport the placenta themselves, they are welcome to, no matter where the placenta is prepared.