Placenta Pick-Up & Drop-Off Service
Tara Carpenter, CPES.
Bringing hormonal support to new mothers in Vermont, since 2011.
As a Certified Placenta Encapsulation Specialist (CPES.) I urge all expectant mothers interested in having their placenta turned into a palatable form for consumption to read what is written below before allowing someone to pick up and drop off your placenta in capsule or smoothie, etc. form.
VT and NH have strict standards for facilities that prepare substances for people to consume. Let’s say, you want to start a cookie business; your facility will need to be licensed and regularly inspected by the local Health Department. These rules are in place to ensure that the cookies are made in a safe environment by someone who is trained to handle food and follow sanitation procedures.
If you make (and sell) those cookies without a license, then you are operating illegally. If this is the case for cookies then you can see why this same rule must apply to placenta. Unfortunately, there are not currently any FDA inspected facilities in U.S. approved for the preparation of placenta in capsule or smoothie, etc. form.
What does this all mean?
This means that a Placenta Encapsulator, like myself, must work in my client’s kitchen. The day that the FDA approves a facility for me to prepare placenta capsules in, is the day that I will change this lingo. For now, I encapsulate each mother’s placenta in her kitchen or that of a friend or family member’s kitchen space; never my own.
Reasons that I (a Certified Placenta Encapsulationist) prepare placenta capsules in the new mother’s home:
- Illegal in Vermont, New Hampshire, and most states to encapsulate a placenta that is not my own in my personal kitchen.
- Mother knows her placenta has been stored at a consistent food temperature because I instruct her to place placenta in a sealed container or Ziploc bag and then place that into a cooler with ice replenished regularly to maintain fridge temperature or to place directly into fridge until I arrive to encapsulate.
- You know your capsules are prepared in a clean environment (without regular health inspections and monitoring, the only way to know that your capsules are prepared in a clean environment is to have them prepared in your home).
- As a Certified Encapsulationist, I must follow Federal (OSHA/EPA) guidelines to ensure I am handling your placenta in a clean, safe environment and disinfecting blood-borne pathogens in the proper fashion.
- I follow a PBi-method of preparation that is on file and documented with the FDA. This means I am unable to legally encapsulate anywhere but your kitchen; or that of a friend/family member who has given consent.
- You know you are getting your placenta and only your placenta (Miami Maternity Center under fire).
- You can observe your capsules being made, even take pictures.
- There is currently no approved facility to prepare placenta capsules other then your kitchen or that of a friend/family member.
It’s perfectly legal to have your placenta prepared in your kitchen.
You only get one placenta
You get one placenta when you have a baby; or two if you have fraternal twins. If your placenta is handled in an unsafe manner, over-processed, not kept at a consistent temperature in storage, prepared with unsafe handling procedures, ends up being someone else’s placenta (or cross-contaminated with someone else’s placenta being processed at the same time), or causes you sickness then you will miss out on the opportunity to benefit from your placenta capsules.
My training
I’m a Certified Placenta Encapsulationist with Placenta Benefits – the leading resource in placenta encapsulation. I’m trained to prepare placenta medicinally using a Traditional Chinese Medicine (TCM) method on file and documented with the FDA.
I maintain my certification as a ServSafe Food Safety Manager and follow the same procedures used in food service establishments. My handling and disinfection practices meet strict Federal (OSHA/EPA) and local guidelines and follow the same procedures used in licensed small laboratories that handle blood-borne pathogens and medical waste. I operate with integrity and safety.
I have access to a comprehensive database on all things placenta. I can answer questions that you or your care provider have; such as “can you work with meconium-stained placenta?”, “what happens if I had a c-section?”, or “what if I develop a uterine infection during labor?”.
Questions to Ask
There are plenty of Encapsulators who choose to work out of their own home kitchen. This is not legal or approved by the FDA and they are at risk for losing their business license and being heavily fined. Personally, I am unwilling to take this risk or introduce other known risks to the mother I am encapsulating for.
When you allow your placenta to be prepared in the home kitchen of your Encapsulator, then you open a door to the unknown. Especially, in regards to food safety and sanitation guidelines. If you go this route, make sure you know the answers to the following questions:
Will your placenta be kept at a constant 40 degrees F prior to preparation? Are the appliances (grinders, steamer, knives) sanitized between each placenta they work on? Are they trained to handle a human organ like the placenta? Are they up-to-date on disinfecting blood-borne pathogens? Is their kitchen a clean, safe environment? Do they have animals or children that could contaminate your placenta? Do they work on more than one placenta at a time? Do they also prepare food in the kitchen they are using to prepare your placenta?
Note: I am unable to drive with your placenta in my car. To comply with state and federal guidelines, I am unable to legally transport a placenta I am going to encapsulate in my vehicle. For this reason, I am unable to come and pick up your placenta from the hospital or your home. Most of my new moms ask a friend or family member to bring the placenta back to their home fridge for me to encapsulate on a scheduled day. No worries, the placenta is double wrapped in a Ziploc bag or plastic container and in a cooler so there is no “ick” factor 🙂 Other times the new father will step out once everyone is settled and drive the placenta home and welcome me. If neither of those options are possible, then the placenta can be kept on ice in a small cooler for the duration of your hospital stay.
Testimonials for Vermont Placenta Encapsulation
Brief Video: 10 Things Placenta
Tara, Certified Placenta Encapsulationist
Resource
Selander, Jodi (2010). Certified Placenta Encapsulation Specialist – does it Matter?
Disclaimer: Placenta encapsulation has not been evaluated by Food & Drug Administration (FDA). Nor is it clinical or pharmaceutical in nature. Nor intended to diagnose or treat any said condition. Women who utilize this service take full responsibility for consuming their placenta at their own risk. Please check with your health care professional to be sure that your placenta is healthy and safe to consume.
Serving Central VT, Chittenden County & Upper Valley NH
