Placenta Preservation

09/23/2025

Moms love placenta encapsulation! “About an hour after I took two pills, I stopped feeling ‘blue’ and regained my energy. I never really experienced depression.” So many of us have the tree of life symbol in our logo because this practice really is so powerfully life-giving.

Learn about Placental Re-certification with Brilliant Birth Academy for less than $100; our program is research centered and student focused. https://brilliantbirthacademy.com/placenta-encapsulator-certification-course/

09/22/2025

Students discover their 'why': "I want to create this business to be able to pour my passion into it. I want every woman in the US to have access to a childbirth, postpartum, and bereavement doula. This should be an expected level of support throughout the US.

I am also passionate about supporting women through birth and postpartum to have the best experience possible and to give the baby the best beginning.

I am constantly looking for ways to serve the women in my community but also be able to make enough money to support myself.

I want to be able to support my family and be flexible in my schedule so that I can be there for all their important moments.

I am also committed to having and maintaining relationships outside of my family and continuing with other passions including raising animals, gardening, reading, and traveling.

I would love to incorporate this into my birth work and be able to be authentically me in all the spaces I inhabit."
Discover your why, your path, and your highest area of service when you certify your calling with Brilliant Birth Academy.

09/19/2025

Aromatherapy is a relationship in which the chemical intelligence of a plant’s constituent molecules interact with the multidimensional human body at a cellular, biochemical, emotional, and spiritual level. Aromatic plant essences from every corner of the global village are now are now accessible to empower, rejuvenate, focus, inspire, and soothe mothers in birth.

Increasingly mothers who value natural solutions, self-education, and freedom in health care choices are more likely to seek out midwifery and doula care—as well as oils—at their birth!

Our Essential Oils Birth Consultant Certification Course is a response to that expanding consciousness and is curated for birth professionals who want to deepen their wisdom in the art and science of plant-based solutions for birth.

Find out more here: https://brilliantbirthacademy.com/essential-oils-birth-consultant-certification/

09/19/2025

Many organs that have filtration abilities in the body, most notably liver is regularly and historically eaten as a particularly nutritious food. The placenta is a protective filter. It keeps out most bacteria but doesn’t have the ability to filter out viruses, drugs, or alcohol. The chorionic membrane is impenetrable to some molecular-weight drugs and toxins. The placenta also passes on the mother’s antibodies to the baby in order to keep the baby healthy for several months after birth. If the mother has acquired a natural immunity to a virus or disease, the antibodies that her body has created will be transferred to the baby via the placenta. This is the traditionally understood concept of ‘herd immunity’ operating naturally.

09/18/2025

What are doulas saying about our Professional Strategies Workshop On Essentials Oils?

"I am so excited about these courses, I’m only 18 min in and it is blowing my mind!

Don’t worry, I’ve paused it to grab a cup or tea and write you back. I love love love your passion.

I’m right there with you with my passion and commitment. They are absolutely eye opening and I’m quite certain it changed the trajectory of my doula business and my life!

When you said the bit about, “I want your kids to be able to feel the difference in your home after taking this course”, I started crying.

Ha! It’s just so powerful and refreshing to hear someone meet me with the same level of passion. I really want to do this the right way and honor myself and my family during the process.

I want to not only help women and families have the absolute BEST birth possible, but I want to help my family live the best life possible. You marry the two ‘wants’ beautifully."

-Kendelle P Doula & Placenta Encapsulator

Are you passionate about plant based medicine and birth? Join here:

https://brilliantbirthacademy.mykajabi.com/essential-oils-workshop-opt-in-for-birth-professionals

09/17/2025

Placentophagy is when a new mother consumes her placenta by either eating the placenta raw, cooked, in capsule form, or drinking the juices from a cooked placenta. But can you pronounce it....

https://www.instagram.com/p/Bxm5Bf5Hvy7/

09/16/2025

We believe the placenta can be a vital support to a baby's first connections, and that the information on how to utilize its medicinal properties is valuable information every mother should have access to.

After pregnancy, various hormone levels can suddenly plummet causing postpartum depression[1] in as many as one in three mothers.[2]

Two-thirds of women don’t meet their own personal breastfeeding goals, and are not able to nourish their babies according to their own deeply held convictions.[3]

American parenthood is tarnished with disconnection, overwhelm, and loneliness.

The otherworldly time of being a new mother that many hoped would be a cherished experience is instead filled with sorrow, guilt, and despair.

Thousands of years ago, Cicero observed that the first bond of society was the family—and if the family is weakened and disconnected, the culture could not be otherwise.

The restoration of families is the secret fountain of peace and prosperity that can flow to restore every area of culture.

It may seem trite, but we believe peace on earth literally starts with birth, and that birthworkers are the forerunners of a new human experience.

We want to change how we support newborn mothers in one generation—this generation.

But this positive shift will require all of us working together at a high level of intention, compassion, and excellence.

Join us at www.BrilliantBirthAcademy.com to discover our innovative courses.

[1] National Institute of Mental Health. Postpartum Depression Facts.
[2] Gavin NI, Gaynes BN, Lohr KN, Meltzer-Brody S, Gartlehner G, Swinson T. “Perinatal Depression: A Systematic Review Of Prevalence And Incidence.” Obstetrics and Gynecology. 2005, 106, pp 1071-83.
[3] Rochman, Bonnie. “Why Most Moms Don’t Reach Their Own Breast-Feeding Goals.” Time Magazine. June 04, 2012

09/15/2025

"Are you positive? GBS that is.
Over the last few months, you’ve been poked and prodded (and asked to pee—a lot!) in order to complete a variety of prenatal screenings and diagnostic tests. And though you’ve likely been enjoying a bit of a reprieve from all stuff, soon you’ll be called to do the Group B Strep test. You’ll be asked to wipe yourself with a cotton swab from the v***a, across the perineum, to the a**s. (In other words, front to back—just like wiping.) In many cases, your provider will perform the test for you. So, the procedure itself is simple. What you’ll choose to do with the results, though? Not so much. WHAT IS GROUP B STREP? Group B Streptococcus (also known as Group B Strep or GBS) is a particular type of bacteria—not the same bacteria that causes strep throat, by the way—that exists naturally in the intestinal tract, urinary tract, va**na, and/or re**um. Roughly 25 percent of women are carriers, although the bacteria may come and go, almost always without triggering any symptoms or health issues. In fact, most women will never even realize it’s there. It is a bacterium, however, so there are risks associated with exposure to those who are vulnerable. Think: elderly people, those with chronic medical issues, and—you guessed it—newborn babies. It’s thought that a baby is most likely to be “colonized” with GBS bacteria when passing through the birth ca**l, although the majority of these babies—just like their mothers—will never develop any symptoms or health issues. A baby is most at risk of developing a GBS infection, however, after the amniotic sac ruptures, especially if there’s a long delay (more than eighteen hours) between the rupture of membranes and birth. In these cases, the infection is usually the result of bacteria migrating up from the va**na into the amniotic fluid, which baby may then swallow or aspirate. And GBS infections? They’re not good. Complications range from fever and respiratory issues to pneumonia, sepsis, and meningitis (an infection of the fluid surrounding the brain and spinal cord). In short, GBS infections have the potential to cause life-threatening illness, which is why all pregnant women in the US are tested—via va**nal and a**l swab—usually sometime between 35 and 37 weeks. Occasionally, GBS is detected even earlier, during a routine urine test, in which case mama will be categorized as a “heavy colonizer” and considered to be GBS-positive for the remainder of her pregnancy." -Mama Natural on GBS
https://brilliantbirthacademy.com

09/12/2025

https://www.etsy.com/shop/AnatomicalArtPrints

09/11/2025

MAMA NATURAL on placenta consumption! "It’s thought that eating the placenta after childbirth can provide: A Hormonal Boost. During pregnancy your body is chock-a-block full of surging hormones, but almost immediately after birth, those hormones plummet. Progesterone and estrogen, in particular, remain low until the return of your menstrual period—and that could take months or even years, as some women don’t begin menstruating again until they’ve stopped breastfeeding. These hormonal highs and lows are the reason some new mamas feel tired, sluggish, weepy, emotional, or just plain bummed out after birth (we generally refer to this as the “baby blues”); they also may be a contributing factor in the eventual onset of postpartum depression.

The placenta, however, is full of hormones, including estrogen and progesterone (which are produced by the placenta), as well as oxytocin (which crosses the placenta during labor). It’s thought that ingesting the organ, then, may alleviate some of that hormonal whiplash. The placenta also contains prolactin, the hormone that triggers breast milk production, which is likely why mamas who eat it often experience a surge of milk and faster letdown. A Nutrient Boost.

In addition to hormones, the placenta contains vitamins and minerals, including iron and vitamins B6 and B12, as well as amino acids and essential fats, which makes perfect sense when you think about it, since one of the main functions of the placenta is to deliver nutrients to the baby while in utero. It’s thought that ingesting the placenta, therefore, might replenish some of the nutrients that were depleted during pregnancy and childbirth. A Healing Boost. Preserving or “banking” the blood from a newborn’s umbilical cord has become a routine part of childbirth for a growing number of parents, but cord blood isn’t the only source of life-giving stem cells. The placenta is loaded with these biological building blocks, too, which is one reason why the practice of placentophagy may speed up healing of the uterus after childbirth, as well as decrease postpartum bleeding." Learn more about working with placental stem cells here! https://brilliantbirthacademy.com/placenta-stem-cell-consultant/

09/10/2025

Can you do cord blood banking and placenta encapsulation? You can-- but should you? “Umbilical cord blood contains many wonderfully precious cells, like stem cells, red blood cells, and more recently scientists have discovered that umbilical cord blood contains cancer­ fighting T­ cells.”[1] Cord blood banking companies, such as Americord and others, charge thousands of dollars for the service of stem cell preservation and storage, but many medical professionals feel their methods are both less safe and less effective than parents are led to believe. Even the terminology ‘cord blood banking’ is misleading; the blood that is being drawn comes from the newborn’s placenta, cord, and circulatory circuit. It is the baby’s blood and belongs in the baby’s body.

The average size of cord blood collections in family banks is 60mLs, but most public cord blood banks only keep donation volumes over 90-100 mLs (or about 3 ounces).[2] These amounts are in direct violation of standard pediatric guidelines which state that infants should never have more than 5% of their total blood volume drawn in any 24-hour period. If term newborns usually have about 280mLs of blood at birth, any blood drawing loss should not exceed 15mls. In most cases, 60-90 mLs of collected blood constitutes a third of a newborn’s blood volume. In case you read over that quickly, let me repeat—cord blood banking requires the removal of an average of a third of the newborn’s total body blood volume. Cord blood banking requires the removal of an average of a third of the newborn’s total body blood volume. The effects of this on the newborn are numerous, devastating, and undisputed.[3],[4],[5],[6],[7], [8]

These numbers are congruous with credible field reports. One such site states, “The median size of cord blood collections in family banks is 60mL or 2 ounces. That small volume of liquid corresponds to 470 million total nucleated cells or 1.8 million cells... Thus, most healthy full-term babies have over a million blood-forming stem cells in their umbilical cord blood. This quote raises an important distinction, which is that the relevant measurement for cord blood is not necessarily the ‘umbilical cord blood’ (from the infant/placental circuit) but the total nucleated cells within that sample. That being said, most sources indicated that a blood volume size large enough to contain the necessary number of total nucleated cells for a successful treatment needs to be in the range of 75mL to 90mL of ‘cord blood’—which is again, one-third of the average newborn’s blood volume.[9]

[1] Kelly Winder, “Why Delaying Cord Clamping Benefits Your Baby” The Outer Womb, 01, 32, December 2011
[2] Sun, Jj Et Al., “Differences in Quality Between Privately and Publicly Banked Umbilical Cord Blood Units: A Pilot Study of Autologous Cord Blood Infusion In Children With Acquired Neurologic Disorders.” Transfusion, Sept. 2010; 50(9), pp 1980-1987
[3] World Health Organization Care in Normal Birth: A Practical Guide, Report of A Technical Working Group, WHO/FRH/MSM/ 96.24, 1996
[4] Morley GM. “Letters.” Obstetrics & Gynecology, Vol 97, No.6, June 2001, pp 1024-1026.
[5] Van Rheenen P, Brabin BJ. “Late Umbilical Cord-Clamping as an Intervention for Reducing Iron Deficiency Anaemia In Term Infants in Developing and Industrialized Countries: A Systematic Review.” Annual Trop Pediatrics. 2004, 24(1), pp 3-16.
[6] Lozoff B. Jimenez E. Wolf AW. “Long Term Development Outcome in Infants with Iron Deficiency.” New England Journal of Medicine 325, 1991, pp 687-94.
[7] Hurtado EK Et Al. “Early Childhood Anemia and Mild to Moderate Mental Retardation.” The American Journal of Clinical Nutrition. 69(1), 1999, pp 115-9.
[8] ACOG Committee Opinion Number 138 - April 1994, Published in The International Journal of Gynecology and Obstetrics 45:303-304 [54], Reaffirmed 2000.
[9] Christopher D. Hillyer, Ronald G. Strauss & Naomi L. C. Luban. Handbook of Pediatric Transfusion Medicine. Academic Press. 2004, pp. 295-

https://www.facebook.com/birthbreathanddeath/photos/fpp.549751315062891/1243920752312607/?type=3&theater

A gorgeous photo.

Thank you Lindsey Welch Photography.