Categories
Pre & Postnatal Period

My Red Yoga Mat

My Red Yoga Mat

Tara Carpenter, NC., CPES.

Originally published on July 15, 2015

My red yoga mat is like a loved teddy bear that has been with me through thick ‘n thin since my 20’s when I taught myself how to do each yoga posture with a little book written by Richard Hittleman.

This was before my children were born and my career had taken off; when the days were seamless, and I went where the wind blew …. one of those places was Esalen in Big Sur; where my love for yoga deepened into the easy practice I continue to this day.

Categories
Placenta Encapsulation Pre & Postnatal Period

Channel 3 MiVT: Placenta Encapsulation in VT & NH

Channel 3 MiVT: Placenta Encapsulation in VT & NH

Tara Carpenter, CPES.

Bringing hormonal support to new mothers in Vermont since 2011.

By Gina Bullard

STOWE, VT. 

At first glance it’s hard to tell if Tara Carpenter is a chef or a medical examiner. She’s actually a certified placenta encapsulation specialist.

Carpenter turns a woman’s placenta into pills — post birth.  “I’ve got a nutritional background which brought me to this work,” she said. The placenta contains iron, hormones, protein, B vitamins, and other nutrients to support new moms. read more

Categories
Placenta Encapsulation Pre & Postnatal Period

Group B Strep Infection & Placenta Encapsulation

Can a Group B Strep positive (GBS+) mom use placenta capsules? In short, it depends on the type of preparation method used.

​NOT ALL ENCAPSULATIONISTS USE THE SAME SAFETY STANDARDS

I am trained to prepare placenta in capsule form using a Traditional Chinese Medicine (TCM) method that is on file with the FDA; a method that addresses the issue of bacterial pathogens. I have safely prepared placenta capsules for Group B Strep (GBS+) positive moms since 2011.

The TCM method has been used for postpartum healing as far back as 600 AD to establish homeostasis in a new mother. This method is in accordance with USDA standards for raw meat preparation and involves a heating portion.

During the cooking part of the process, the placenta is heated to an internal temperature of at least 160°(F). At this temperature, pathogenic bacteria (i.e. E.Coli, GBS, Salmonella) are destroyed. I follow the same guidelines required of any regular food service establishment and my method (PBi method of preparation) is on file with the FDA and has been thoroughly inspected and approved.  

I have served GBS+ moms since 2011 with good results and my service has been provided to going on 400 mothers through Vermont. The health and well-being of a new mother and her new baby is of utmost concern. 

Recent CDC Case

There is a case regarding the Centers for Disease Control (CDC) circulating the media found here, where a baby tested positive for GBS after the mom took placenta capsules (this mom had not tested positive for GBS). So, how could the baby develop a GBS infection from the mom taking placenta capsules?

Listed below are possible reasons how that baby may have developed a GBS+ infection from the capsules taken by a non-GBS infected mother; including a few discrepancies with the actual case study.

Note: the Encapsulator preparing the capsules in this CDC case must be set apart from my work, and that of other PBi-trained Encapsulationists, due to reasons shown below.

1) The placenta in the CDC case was prepared using a raw method. This means the Encapsulator cleaned and dehydrated the placenta; bypassing the heating portion. Most dehydrators do not go above 160° (F) and the Encapsulator in question dehydrated the placenta at 115°-159° F. This is dangerous because does not allow the internal temperature of the placenta to reach safe temperatures for consumption. Bacteria cannot be destroyed at this temperature. I do not offer raw preparation for this reason. 

2) I am a PBi-trained placenta Encapsulationist and encapsulate in the new mom’s home. The Encapsulator in the CDC case offers a service where she picks up the placenta, processes in her home kitchen, and returns it in capsules form to new mom. The condition of transport is unknown as is the possibility of mix-up and cross contamination if this Encapsulator was working with multiple placentas. Cross contamination or a mix-up may have been factors since the mother in this case had not tested GBS+.

3) I recommend that new mothers store their placenta capsules in freezer. The Encapsulator in the CDC case suggests keeping (raw) capsules at room temperature. 

A few discrepancies with the actual case study: ​

  • This inconclusive, single case study establishes no clear link between the baby becoming ill and placenta pills.
  • The baby in the case study became ill shortly after birth. This is a fact that seems to be generally overlooked. The case study starts out by saying the baby was sick with early-onset GBS, having developed symptoms shortly after birth (this would be well before the commencement of encapsulation services and the placenta may still have been in the hospital or with the new mother). Five days after the completion of an eleven-day course of ampicillin and a stay in the NICU, the baby re-developed a group B strep infection.
  • The report states “transmission from other colonized household members could not be ruled out”, another fact generally overlooked.
  • read more

    Categories
    B.E.D. B.E.D. Support via phone or Skype Body Ecology Support Coach Cultured Foods Foods That Heal Health Conditions Home Remedies My Family Life Nutritional Consultations Pre & Postnatal Period The Body Ecology Diet The Digestive System The Essentials

    10 Ways to Avoid Group B Strep Infection in Pregnancy

    Most pregnant women are not prepared for a group B strep diagnosis. I know that I wasn’t when my test came back positive at 38 weeks. At that point, I did not have time to reverse the condition and opted for i.v. antibiotics during labor. See here if unborn baby is at risk for GBS+.

    Categories
    Health Conditions Home Remedies morning sickness My Family Life My Story nausea Nutrition Pre & Postnatal Period Stories

    Hyperemesis Gravidarum (Morning Sickness X’s 100)

    Hyperemesis Gravidarum (Morning Sickness X’s 100)

    Tara Carpenter, NC., CPES.

    Hyperemesis gravidarum (HG) is a rare condition affecting 0.5–2.0% of pregnant women. Yes! A weird and hard-to-spell name that I think better called ‘living hell’. The word broken down … “hyper” = over excessive, severe, “emesis” = medical lingo for vomiting and “gravidarum” = pregnancy. Put together, the word means severe nausea and vomiting during pregnancy.

    Categories
    B.E.D. Support Foods That Heal Health Conditions Home Remedies Intuitive Nutritional Consultations morning sickness My Family Life My Story nausea Pre & Postnatal Period Stories The Body Ecology Diet

    10 Foods That Helped My Hyperemesis Gravidarum

    There is no one way to prevent hyperemesis gravidarum, a.k.a. HG or morning sickness x 1,000. At least, not that I know of and I have looked high ‘n low to end this horrible misery. I have read every book on the topic and spoke to women who have survived this debilitating nausea and vomiting … including myself who suffered HG 3 times. What is HG? A rare prenatal condition. Duchess Kate had it.

    During each of my pregnancies, I made a promise to myself that if I survived the living hell of HG then I would help others get through it as well. So, here I am. More about my story here

    I hope the list of foods below help lessen the degree in which you are affected by HG. 

    Categories
    Intuitive Channel My Family Life Pre & Postnatal Period Stories

    Learning A New Language: Becoming a Mother

    When you were born, and in those first few days, I studied you. I listened to you. Every sound you made. You had your own language and as your mother I learned it.

    I remember how my ears would strain on the insides to so finely imprint you into the corners of my brain. You of course, my 7 pound baby, wanted nothing more than to be held and fed.

    Each sound

    Copyright © 2023 Happy Bellies. All Rights Reserved. Created by Blog Copyright.