Mommy is often the back bone of any family. I grew up with the adage:” If mom is happy everyone is happy”. If mom is upset, the spirit in the home is dimmed. If mom has a bad headache she must lie down and be away from her family and this does effect the household. Imagine what would happen if mom felt horrible everyday. The beautiful music of a happy family turns into a discordant and depressive noise.
One out of eight women experiences symptoms of postpartum depression !!
Postpartum depression leaves the mother feeling dread, anxiety, fear as well as apathy towards taking care of her baby and family. She may be unable to function in her home and social live. The overwhelming feeling often makes them wish they had never had their baby or even give rise to thoughts of harming the baby or themselves.
Approximately one third of women with Postpartum Depression experience suicidal thoughts.
When not properly addressed, postpartum depression can last for years after the birth of the child.
The most common treatment for postpartum depression is usually talk therapy.
Recent research has also shown dramatic positive results of healthy exercise .
The last line of defense is anti-depressant medication. A mother suffering from postpartum depression may have to choose medication to treat her depression over breast feeding her infant because many effective anti-depressants such as Paxil, Prozac and Celexa could harm the baby through breast milk.
Alternative medicine offers another route: PREVENT DEPRESSION.
Alternative Options for Harmonious Results
The placenta, otherwise known as the afterbirth, is the organ in the mothers’ womb that transmits all the blood, nutrients and gasses to the growing fetus. Most American hospitals discard it or bank it for future use as stem cells. In India, China and other Asian countries, the placenta is carefully handled and then prepared for the mother to ingest. Due to the overwhelming benefits, American women are adopting Placentophagia as a part of their postpartum recovery. The placenta is a completely natural substance, created by a woman’s own body, and its consumption is a valuable tool for postpartum recovery for every expectant woman to consider.
The placenta is a wondrous resource in rejuvenating the mother’s health.
Think twice before dumping it in the trash. Health is always important and it becomes invaluable when you become a parent.
Advantages of Encapsulated Placenta Therapy:
decreases or prevents baby blues & postpartum depression.
increases breast milk production
increases energy
promote recovery to full health
prevent iron deficiency
decreases sleep dysfunction in new mothers.
The placenta is a wondrous resource in rejuvenating the mother’s health.
Dried placenta is an herb also used for infertility, and other disorders.
Traditional Chinese medicine understands the root of why some women get postpartum depression and others don’t. The properties of dried placenta replace what was lost to the mother during pregnancy and childbirth. Woman who ingest dried placenta thereby significantly reduce feelings of depression and emotional sadness without sacrificing the benefits given to the baby through nursing. In fact, ingesting the placenta encourages milk production.
The Tradition
Nearly every mammal, even the herbivore, consumes its own placenta after birth, and many cultures rely on it as a medicinal supplement. The placenta contains vitamins and minerals that help fight depression symptoms and it is rich in iron and protein, which is useful in recovery from childbirth. Traditional Chinese Medicine has been using placenta medicinally for thousands of years to help with severely debilitated health and insufficient lactation. After the mother gives birth, a close relative, friend or birth assistant collects the placenta. it is then delivered to Esther Hornstein. Esther will cook it, dry it, crush it and put it into capsules for the new mother to take. All done under Rabbinical Authorization.
Research
There is little research on placentophagy, but a lot of research does exist regarding postpartum health and hormonal fluctuations.
Researchers from the National Institutes of Health (NIH) conducted a study that focused on the stress-reducing hormone CRH (Corticotropin-Releasing Hormone) which is generally produced by the hypothalamus. During the last trimester of pregnancy, the placenta secretes so much CRH that the levels in the bloodstream increase threefold.
Researchers also discovered that postpartum women have lower than average levels of CRH which can trigger depressive symptoms in some women. They concluded that the placenta secreted so much CRH that the hypothalamus stopped producing it, and once the placenta is born; it takes time for the hypothalamus to get the signal that the CRH levels are low to begin producing it again. This may help confirm that there is likely a biological cause for the baby blues directly related to hormone levels.
In 1954, researchers conducted a study on 210 women with insufficient milk supply. After giving them dried placenta, they discovered that 86% of them had a positive increase in their milk production within a matter of days.
More recent research has discovered that placentophagia could enhance pain tolerance by increasing the opium-like substances activated during childbirth which could be beneficial during the postpartum healing process.
Practical Advice: Collection, Storage and Delivery of Placenta:
If you choose to take your placenta home, most hospitals or birthing centers will wrap and keep it refrigerated for you. when your support helper is ready to go home, he/she will need to place the placenta in a labeled double zip-lock freezer bags and transport it in a cool ice packs to keep it from becoming rotten. If the placenta can't be delivered to Esther Hornstein for more than 3 days it is best to freeze it. If you or someone you have hired plan to process it within 2 days of the birth keep it refrigerated.
Plan Ahead your wish for Placenta Encapsulation: :
During pregnancy Inform your midwife of your Birth Plan and wish to keep your Placenta.
Please contact us (tel: 054-719-9600 ) with your name, due date and e-mail address. You will be sent a Placenta Services Form that needs to be filled out before you go into labor.
On Delivery day:
When you get to hospital to give birth remind the staff that you want to keep your placenta.
After birth a member of staff will put it in a container (or double Zip Lock Bags)
The container with the placenta needs to be placed in a cold place ( fridge or freezer) within the first 2 hours from delivery
When your support person goes home. He/She should take the placenta with him/her and deliver it to Esther ( please contact her to confirm delivery address tel: 054 719 9600)
Storage:
-Placenta can stay in a fridge for 3 days
-Or in a freezer for months
Remember A Healthy, Happy Mother, makes for a Healthier and Happier Baby and Family Too...
Esther Hornstein is a New York State licensed acupuncturist and diplomat in acupuncture.
In her Therapeutic Holistic approach, she addresses Pediatric ailments, Men & Women’s health, Pain management and overall Wellness.
Her private practice is in Ramat Beit Shemesh, Israel.
To make an appointment you may:
call or WhatsApp : 054-719-9600
e-mail : e0547199600@gmail.com
2nd Nature Healing Center offers the Following Quality Holistic Services
Acupuncture - For Men, Women and Children by Esther Hornstein and Dr David Rose Chinese Herbal Medicine - For Men, Women and Children by Dr David Rose
Diagnostic Reflexology -For Women and Children by Rochel Rubinoff Massage - For Men By Moshe Lepon or Avi Dzik Massage - For Women By Rochel Rubinoff
Placenta Encapsulation by Esther Hornstein
Reflexology - For Women and Children by Rochel Rubinoff