Postpartum Support

Placenta Encapsulation

A gentle, time-honored postpartum ritual. Many families choose encapsulation as a nourishing way to honor the body's work and ease into the tender first weeks with their new baby. 🌙

What it is

A respectful return of what your body made

Placenta encapsulation is the practice of gently preparing your placenta after birth and processing it into small, easy-to-take capsules. For many cultures and families across generations, it has been a meaningful way to honor birth and support the postpartum season.

It's an entirely personal choice, one we're glad to prepare thoughtfully and respectfully for the families who feel called to it.

A placenta print — the vessels fan out like the branches of a tree, with the cord curled beneath
A placenta print, often called the tree of life.
A newborn resting beside the placenta, the umbilical cord curled into a heart shape
The cord that connected you, curled into a heart.

Why families choose it

Commonly-reported reasons

Energy & mood

Many families report feeling more balanced and steady in the early weeks, and choose encapsulation as one small part of their postpartum care.

Milk supply

Some parents find it a comforting addition to their breastfeeding journey and feel it may support their milk supply as it becomes established.

Replenishment

Others simply appreciate a nourishing ritual that honors the body's hard work and helps them feel replenished during recovery.

Step one

Getting your placenta to us

How this works depends on where you give birth, and we’ll walk you through either path.

If you’re in our care

There’s nothing for you to arrange. We’re already at your birth, so when you’re ready to let it go, your placenta comes with us in a cooler and the process begins right away.

If you birth at a hospital or birth center

Tell your birth team ahead of time that you intend to keep your placenta. Many facilities require notice and a release form, and some won’t release it at all after the fact. Ask that it be sealed in a container and kept cold, get it into a refrigerator or a cooler with ice as soon as you reasonably can, and reach out to us to arrange pickup.

Not sure how your hospital handles this? Ask us when you inquire. We’re happy to help you make the request.

Our process

Prepared with care and cleanliness

Your placenta is prepared in a clean, dedicated space using careful, sanitary methods and thorough attention to food-safety practices. Our team is trained and certified in placenta encapsulation, and only one placenta is ever handled at a time, and surfaces and equipment are fully sanitized between clients, so what comes back to you is yours and only yours.

From there the work is unhurried and simple: your placenta is gently cleaned and prepared, slowly dehydrated, then ground and placed into capsules. We coordinate the timing around your birth so the process begins promptly and your capsules are ready during those early postpartum days when you may want them most.

Everything is handled with respect from start to finish, and your capsules are returned to you with simple guidance for taking and storing them.

A midwife smiling as she carefully prepares a placenta and cord on a sterile drape
Unhurried, careful work, one placenta at a time.

What comes back to you

Your capsules, plus a few things alongside them

Because every placenta is a different size, the number of capsules varies from family to family. They arrive ready to take, with straightforward instructions included. Your cord art comes home with you as well, the cord dried into a keepsake, often shaped into a heart or the word love.

An umbilical cord dried and shaped into the word love
Cord art, dried and shaped into a keepsake.

A tincture, if you’d like one

A small portion of your placenta is extracted in high-proof alcohol and carefully prepared for future use. Where capsules are usually taken during the early weeks, a tincture keeps for years. Some families set it aside for later seasons, like weaning or other hormonal transitions.

$26 · $25 with cash, Zelle, or check

A placenta print, if you’d like one

Before your placenta is prepared, it can be pressed onto paper, where the vessels fan out like the branches of a tree, which is why it’s often called the tree of life. It’s a quiet way to keep something of the organ your body built.

$10.40 · $10 with cash, Zelle, or check, on watercolor paper
$36.40 · $35 with cash, Zelle, or check, on canvas print

And a portion for your smoothies

If you’d like, we can set aside a small piece raw for you to blend into smoothies. Just let us know beforehand and we’ll save some back for you.

A new mother resting in bed, nursing her newborn and holding a smoothie
Rest, a baby at the breast, and a smoothie, in the early days.
Storing them: keep your capsules and tincture in a dry, cool, dark place.

Good to know

When encapsulation isn’t possible

Occasionally a placenta can’t safely be encapsulated. We’d rather you hear it here than be surprised later:

If any of this comes up, we’ll talk it through with you honestly and sort out what makes sense from there.

Pricing

Placenta Encapsulation $260 · $250 cash

Optional add-ons

Tincture $26 · $25 cash
Placenta print (watercolor paper) $10.40 · $10 cash
Placenta print (canvas) $36.40 · $35 cash

Cord art comes home with you at no extra cost, and we’re glad to set aside a raw portion for smoothies if you’d like.

How to add it to your care

Adding encapsulation is simple. Fill out the quick form below — or if you're already in our care, just mention it at any prenatal visit and we'll fold it right into your plan.

Disclaimer: These statements have not been evaluated by the Food and Drug Administration (FDA). Placenta encapsulation is not intended to diagnose, treat, cure, or prevent any disease, and this information is not medical advice. Please consult your care provider about what is right for you.

Inquire

Inquire about placenta encapsulation

Just a few quick questions and we’ll take it from there.

Your name
By providing your number, you agree to receive calls/texts from A New Dawn Birth Services. Msg & data rates may apply. Reply STOP to opt out.
Where are you birthing?
This is where your placenta comes back to you after it’s prepared.

Looking for full midwifery or postpartum care too? Use our main inquiry form instead — placenta encapsulation is one of the options there.

Ready to begin your journey?

Tell us a little about you and your pregnancy. We'll reach out to talk through encapsulation and get you on the calendar.