We pick up from most Franklin County homes and hospitals. If birthing at a hospital, we'll plan a time to meet your friend, family member or birth companion for pick-up just outside the hospital. The exceptions are Dublin Hospital and Grant Hospital; their placenta release policies are very restrictive, so if you are birthing at one of those two hospitals, plan to take your placenta home with you and we will pick it up from your home. If birthing at home, we'll arrange a pick-up time that works for everyone. We'll arrange a time between 8 am & 6 pm. We do not do night pick-ups. If you are outside Franklin County, we'll meet your support person in Columbus for pickup, then we will ship your capsules for an additional $15 shipping fee.

Your placenta should be in a leakproof container or double-bagged in ziplock bags, it must be refrigerated or kept in a cooler on ice within 2 hours of delivery to be food-safe. In Franklin County: Riverside, OSU Wexner Medical, and Doctors Hospital will package and release your placenta immediately; you are responsible for keeping it cold. Take a hard-sided cooler with you if you are birthing at one of those three hospitals. Currently, all other Franklin County hospitals will label and store your placenta in their refrigerator.

The number of capsules depends on the size of your placenta. The average number of capsules ranges between 80 - 120. A larger placenta usually produces more capsules and a smaller yields fewer.

When you arrive at the hospital, let your nursing staff know that you will be keeping your placenta. Let them know that it needs to be kept cold and not exposed to any substances (no saline, no formalin, etc.) Remind them again at the time of birth or shortly after. Most hospitals have a standard release form that you will sign, which releases them from liability and states that you are leaving the hospital with your placenta. If you are birthing at home, instruct your midwife to double bag your placenta and store it in the refrigerator. It should NOT be wrapped in any cloth or pads.

You can expect to have your capsules delivered or shipped back to you within about 3-4 days of pick-up. If your placenta was frozen, plan on 4-5 days.

If you’re birthing at a hospital or at home in Franklin County, we pick up the placenta from that location (with the exceptions of Dublin Hospital and Grant Hospital). If you’re birthing outside of Franklin County, we meet your support person in Columbus for pickup, then we ship your capsules for an additional $15 shipping fee.

If your doctor determines that your placenta needs to be sent to pathology (the lab), it’s very important to cut a sample from the placenta to send, not send the whole placenta. If your whole placenta gets sent to the lab, there are no guarantees that it will be handled in a manner that follows safe food handling guidelines and, it is at high risk for biohazard cross-contamination. A placenta sent to pathology cannot be encapsulated.

Preeclampsia is not a contraindication for encapsulation. Talk with your care provider if you have any concerns.

If you test positive, prenatally, for Group Beta Strep (GBS) you can still encapsulate. Testing positive, prenatally, does not equal infection. Most people who test positive prenatally do not become infected. If you or your baby show signs of infection during labor or within 24 hours postpartum, your placenta would be considered infected and would not be safe to encapsulate. Here's a great article that goes into more detail about GBS and encapsulation.

Calcification is normal as a placenta and baby gets closer to their "due date" and is not cause for concern when encapsulating.

The presence of meconium is fairly common and is not an issue for encapsulation. The methods used in our preparation follow USDA recommendations and safe-food protocols.

The placenta doesn't work like an air or water filter. It is a facilitator organ, transferring nutrients, gases and waste. It quickly moves toxins out of the placenta, away from the baby, to be processed by the parent’s liver and kidneys. The exception to this is heavy metals. Heavy metals have been found to settle in the placenta. If you are a smoker, placenta encapsulation is not recommended.

Reasons it would be UNSAFE to encapsulate: Chorioamnionitis Uterine infection Birth parent or baby with sepsis or other serious infection Baby with symptomatic GBS infection Some variations of Lyme disease (check with your doctor) Clostridium difficile (C. Diff) Current COVID-19 infection or known exposure within 3 weeks of birth. Prion Diseases If you are a smoker, the placenta will be high in heavy metals and encapsulation is not recommended.