The proof of the pudding, or in this case, the placenta..

Caroline Spear shares her journey to becoming a Placenta Remedy Specialist

I love placentas! I have always been fascinated by them, and the rituals different peoples have for them. As a Homeopath, I started to make tinctures for clients who had had a history of depression, especially related to pregnancy. I wasn’t too sure about consuming them, 3 of mine had been buried as part of my children’s’ naming ceremonies, as a way of honouring their placentas, but encapsulation and smoothies? Hmmmmm. Another new-fangled fad?

Well, it so happened that one birthing client was planning to have a placenta smoothie and some capsules made, and Sally was driving over 35 miles to do this. I loved helping to make the smoothie, it gave a beautiful energy and it felt like a sacred act of respect to the Mother and her placenta. I quickly took it to my client. She glugged her smoothie, and as she did, I saw a “zing” of energy flow through her post-surgery body, which made me take note. She was so happy with her recovery after taking her capsules too. This was her 2nd baby, so she had the experience of a birth without the benefits of her placenta to compare against the 2nd. Who was I to dismiss her observations? I made a smoothie for my next birth client, and she too had a “zing” of energy that was unmissable. Both gorgeous Mammas told me that their lochia had very quickly subsided compared to previous births, so even more evidence that their placentas were doing some good for them.

I spoke to Sally more about encapsulation and decided that it was time to train. I wanted to help Mothers, and to encapsulate safely and “to do it right.” At this time, one Placenta encapsulator was being harassed by environmental health and her practice was closed down. It seemed that we would not be able to offer our services to women. This, to me, became political. If a woman wants the service then who was I to deny her help because one council did not understand about placenta remedies? I began to work in women’s homes. I had to be even more organised than ever to ensure that I took everything that I needed with me. The upside was that my kitchen and utility room were freed up, but travelling further afield was time-consuming.

However, how can I describe the sheer privilege I feel that women trust me to make beautiful remedies for them or the joy I feel when a new dad hands over the placenta. I am often the first person he will see who is not related to the birth, and in the early hours, I get to share his raw joy, pride and exhilaration. I feel like a big proud Grandma for them. Often they need a hug, the boy has become a father. Sometimes, they need to debrief, the journey has been scary and I am removed enough that they can safely express their feelings.

I often get a feel for how the birth went, from the energies exuded from the placenta. They vary so much in form and shape, smell and colour. Some placentas want me to make a print from them, others just want to be quickly and neatly prepared. If I know that a mum has not seen her placenta, I take photos to offer back to her. Umbilical cords have their own preferences for shape. Some just don’t want to go into a heart, they want to be a Curlian cross or knot. Some are long enough to make the word “love.” It a fascinating process, to make a cord keepsake.

I took one placenta to the mother’s home to make a smoothie. I really don’t know where the time went to, it was a happy, dreamy process. I relayed this to Mum when I took her smoothie to her, and she told me the birth had been very laid back, no rush and joyful. Yet with another placenta, silly things went wrong, I dropped equipment (additional sterilising time). It took longer than normal to dehydrate, even though an average size and my last capsule jar had disappeared, so I had to go and buy a glass jar for the capsules. It was hard work encapsulating this placenta and I just missed the cut-off time for next day guaranteed postal delivery. It turned out that the mum had had a long, stop-start labour, there was a shortage of staff and she had needed help to birth her baby. I am glad to say that she found her placenta capsules helped immensely with her energy levels.

I am also making homeopathic remedies from placentas for Mother and baby, and that will be another post for another time. As a placenta tincture can help a woman throughout her life, so a Homeopathic remedy made from placenta can help her and be a general tonic, and more, for the baby who helped to make the placenta throughout their lives.

I now have my own dedicated cabin in which I make placenta remedies. It is a special space, and no one, not even my 2 year granddaughter, walks straight in (did I tell you that she has benefited from placenta balm and her placenta homeopathic remedies? She has, and her Mum, who was very sceptical about using her placenta, now raves to all of her friends about the benefits) Everyone knocks and waits to be invited in. Respect for the placenta!