I am delighted to introduce Caroline Doherty, the extraordinary Donegal Doula & Placenta Encapsulation Specialist. I strongly encourage all of my all pregnant ladies to use this wonderful service.

Caroline is a qualified encapsulation specialist since July 2016, Certified with IPEN /PRN whose methods comply with food safety guidelines generating highly skilled placenta services providers. Caroline also holds valid certificates in Food Safety Level 2, Hazard Analysis (HACCP) Level 2 and Infection Control.

Caroline is part of an regulatory group within the placenta services sector working closely with the Food Standards Agency (FSA), Public Health and Environmental Health also ensures each member follows current best practice and is updated on regulatory developments as they arise.

Donegal Placenta Encapsulation has a purpose built unit to perform placenta encapsulation and preparation of the placenta remedies . 

Caroline can you tell us a little about you?

I'm Caroline Doherty and have been married to my soul mate Paul for 24 years. We have 7 children, 4 boys and 3 girl aged 22, 21, 20, 19, 16, 14  & 5 years old. I had 6 natural births and one emergency caesarean birth with my last baby.

I am a birth/postpartum Doula, and Placenta Encapsulation Specialist. I’m also a Trageshule trained baby wearing instructor, belly binding and Rebozo massage therapist. If needed, I also offer homeopathic remedies as one of my aids to help Mums birth their baby, and in postpartum healing.

Caroline, what encouraged you to take this path of healing and supporting mums?

I suffered from severe post natal depression with my second baby 21 years ago, not knowing what was making me feel the way I felt, until my friend had a talk to me about seeing a doctor and I got the help I needed.

From there on, I learned how to recognise the signs and symptoms of post natal depression, every baby I had there after I learned of a more holistic approach to my maternal mental health, that really worked for me. I was lucky to be blessed with my seventh baby in 2014.

Of course I was very anxious because I was almost forty and I was afraid I would get post natal depression (PND) again, so I started to research everything I could do to avoid post natal depression.

There were so many articles about placenta consumption to avoid PND.

Well I was very interested in this as I saw this as a natural way to replenish my hormones and have lots of energy to enjoy my fourth trimester with my new born baby, six other kids to mind and a household to run, sadly I didn’t get to encapsulate my own placenta as there wasn’t a specialist available to encapsulate my placenta for me.

One year later my sister was due on new years eve and the encapsulation specialist wasn’t available for her either as she would have had to travel a four hour round journey just to collect my sisters placenta. I decided then and there I would train to be a placenta encapsulation specialist, as I wanted my sisters, daughters and friends to be able to avail of this fabulous service and so my journey to being a doula , placenta encapsulation specialist and all things birth and baby began.

Why is placenta considered so important in post birth healing?

During and after a normal vaginal delivery (including post-natal bleeding) a new mother will lose between 1/8 to 1/10 of her body’s blood supply. With caesarean section births, blood loss can be significantly more.  Losing a large amount of iron so quickly can cause anaemia, leaving a new mum feeling tired, faint and exhausted.  The blood needs high supplies of iron to carry oxygen to the cells. Low supplies of oxygen leave your cells starving and less able to heal after trauma.

Placenta encapsulation benefits the new mother by supplying incredibly rich meaty iron, amino acids and essential fats which we believe is the perfect replenishment following the physical exertion of pregnancy, labour and birth.

Stem cells and growth factors in the placenta play a key role in healing the wound left inside the uterus after birth by the separation of the placenta from the uterine wall.  A mother will typically bleed for between 3 – 6 weeks after birth. This blood loss stems from where the placenta separated from the uterine wall.  We have found however that mothers who consume their placenta after birth, particularly after consuming raw placenta in a smoothie or other, bleed significantly less e.g. usually much lighter bleeding for between just 5 – 10 days after giving birth.

What are the most important nutrients found in the placenta?

Stem Cells and Growth Factors.

Iron – essential for oxygen absorption in the cells.

Vitamins B6 – aids in the making of antibodies.

Vitamin E – for healing damaged skin cells.

Oxytocin hormone – essential for facilitating birth and breastfeeding.

Corticotropin-releasing hormone (CRH) – responsible for reducing stress levels.

Cytokines – Fibroblasts that trigger cell metabolism healing and replacing damaged cells and tissue.

What are mum’s saying about the benefits of placenta remedies?

Reduce post birth bleeding quickly

Encourage a quick and healthy milk supply

Balance hormonal peaks and drops

Reduce stress levels

Prevent the baby blues and postnatal depression

Boost energy to cope with a busy day after little sleep

Improve the appearance of skin/hair/nails

The placenta benefits a healing mother after birth in many forms.  Placenta smoothies, capsules, creams, tinctures, essences and homeopathic remedies can all be made using the placenta; each may have their own benefit to the body and encourage a quicker more natural recovery after birth. 

Caroline there is two placenta capsules to choose from, can you tell us more about this?

Basically, the placenta is either steamed before dehydrating (Steamed preparation) or it is dehydrated from raw (Simple preparation). The Steamed preparation is loosely based on Traditional Chinese Medicine (TCM) principles, with lemon (grounding), ginger (circulation) and chilli (warming) in the steaming water.

Feedback from mothers is directly comparable for both preparations, so whichever you choose, you end up with very potent capsules.

On a practical level, the Simple preparation tends to yield 10-15% more capsules than Steamed and the majority of new mothers opt for this preparation.

What is the difference between a tincture and essence?

Placenta Essence has been described as a great all-round remedy, for perking up or calming down and to be reached for when feeling under the weather emotionally or physically.

Placenta Tincture’s real strength has been reported in re-balancing hormones which can become distressed during PMS or menopause. Tincture can also be used as a base for homeopathic remedies. 

Does placenta capsules boost a woman’s milk supply and help ward off baby blues plus PND?

What we do know is the hormonal composition of the placenta and the effect these hormones can have on a new mother. Those in highest concentrations are: -

Corticotrophin (CRH) the body’s natural stress relieving hormone found at its most concentrated in the placenta. When your placenta goes, so does this concentrated stash of this precious hormone.

Oxytocin not only for bonding, but also for pain relief, contracting the uterus and facilitating the release of breast milk.

Human Placental Lactogen (hPL) for stimulating mammary gland function

Prolactin for stimulating milk production

What we don’t have is any scientific research or evidence-based studies on the effects of new mothers consuming their placenta. Research requires substantial funding and as none of the large corporates with available budget stand to profit from new mothers’ consuming their own placenta, this field of research remains untapped.

What we do have is anecdotal evidence from many new mothers who have reported benefits from consuming their own placenta.

How is the placenta kept safe after child birth?

A placenta will need to start chilling within 30 minutes of its arrival, so it reaches less than 8°c within 4 hours, so make sure your birth partner, attending midwife and consultant are fully aware of your wishes. I provide my clients with detailed guidelines to share with them on how to safely handle your placenta and provide an electric cool box and safe storage packs as part of their service.

Once the placenta is placed into the container and then in the electric cool the cool box can be plugged in and it will bring your placenta down below 8°c, then your birth partner will call me and we will arrange collection, your placenta is safe in the electric cool box once the cool box is plugged in.

Caroline, you qualified with fedant as a birth & post partem doula in august 2016. What service does a Doula provide?

A doula (pronounced doo-la) is now recognised as a woman experienced in childbirth, which offers continuous emotional and practical support to mothers before, during and after childbirth.  This support is non-medical in nature and will never take the place of a midwife or maternity team member.

As a Doula, I respect that giving birth is one of the most life-changing experiences in a mother’s life, which she will always remember.

I understands the physiology of birth and emotional needs of a woman in labour and will provide practical support in the form of physical comfort measures such as massage, rebozo techniques, hypnobirthing and being a constant presence at the birth until the baby is born

I help mum and her family prepare for the birth by sharing her knowledge and experiences

And have an open approach to pregnancy and childbirth.  I support not only to first time mums, but ‘any time’ mums, VBAC, epidural births, home and hospital births, c-section births, water births, instrumental births, natural births, lotus births, multiple births, stillbirths, in fact any births.

Your doula supports your birth.

What has been your best experience with the services you provide?

There are so many, here is just a few

I feel extremely privileged for being present when another woman is birthing her baby into this world. The raw, primal look on that woman’s face is just absolutely amazing and then the elated, empowering look of “I did it, I’m a mum“ when she has her baby in her arms just blows my mind every time.

Or the mum that called me four months after her second baby was born to say how wonderful she felt and it was because of her placenta pills, this same mum didn’t encapsulate with her first baby and had horrendous post natal depression, no energy and a very poor milk supply.

 Or the mum that told me she could not have survived the first 2 months after her baby was born if I wasn’t her postpartum doula.

To conclude, sometimes we think our bodies will never be the same after birth,

FINDING SELF LOVE. ... It is about learning to love and respect your body for being the vessel that allows you to go on the journey that is life - to walk, to breathe , to create and carry a baby, to hold your kids hands, to kiss your partner, to swim in the ocean or laugh with your friends, to have fun. Anything that you love to do is because your body carries you there.

Love yourselves ladies.

If you would like to find out more.

Contact Caroline Doherty

EMAIL:  doneaglplacenta1@gmail.com

FACEBOOK: @donegalplacentaencapsulation

TELEPHONE NUMBER :- 0860733111 or 00353860733111