How to Take Your Placenta Home From a Wichita Hospital

How to Take Your Placenta Home from a Wichita Hospital

Placenta encapsulation may not be a “new” thing, but it's starting to catch on quite a bit with modern American mothers who desire to bounce back faster from childbirth. It's safe (when properly prepared by a certified placenta encapsulation specialist), inexpensive, and could potentially help you have a smoother recovery from birth, so why not give it a shot? Maybe that's what you're thinking, but you have a big question:

How do I get my placenta out of the hospital?

Do I just pop it in my diaper bag and stroll on out? How does this work exactly?

Don't worry, you will not have to do anything gross or illegal. I'm going to give you the exact steps you'll need to follow to take your placenta home, no matter where in Wichita you are having your baby.

How to Take Your Placenta Home from Wesley Hospital or BirthCare Suites in Wichita

You won't have any trouble getting your placenta out of Wesley Medical Center or Wesley BirthCare Suites. In fact, the awesome nurses there help our clients take their placentas home all the time! All you have to do is bring a cooler, and notify the staff before (and immediately after) delivery that you will be taking your placenta home for encapsulation purposes.

1. Add “taking placenta home for encapsulation” to your written birth plan. Submit your birth plan to your OB-GYN at one of your prenatal appointments, and bring a copy with you when you arrive in labor.

2. Tell your nurse when you get settled into your labor room that you are keeping the placenta. If there is a shift change before delivery, tell your new nurses.

3. Just after your baby is born, your placenta will be placed into a rectangular plastic tub. The OB-GYN will inspect the placenta to ensure that it is healthy and all in one piece. You can even ask him or her to show it to you and explain it to you.

4. Remind the nurse that you're eating the placenta. They will put it in a little tub with a lid, label it with your name, pop it into a biohazard bag, and put it in the fridge.

5. When you are discharged, ask a nurse to help you put ice in your cooler and put the placenta tub inside for transport home.

6. Once home, immediately put the placenta into your refrigerator, sit back, and wait for our placenta encapsulation specialist to arrive!

What if I have a longer hospital stay?

As you will know if you contact us regarding encapsulating your placenta, we can only allow the placenta to sit in the refrigerator for a few short days before it is no longer usable. But if you have a complicated delivery, or a baby in the NICU, you can still have your placenta capsules. Just send a friend or family member to take the placenta home to your fridge and meet us there to start the process.

How to Take My Placenta Home from Via Christi (St Joseph) Hospital

The process for taking your placenta home from St Joe in Wichita is much the same as above. You take your cooler, bring your birth plan, and let your caregivers know your plans. They too will put your placenta in a little plastic tub with your name.

The only time we have ever run into any issue was when the baby required a NICU stay. Our clients were told that until the baby was discharged, the placenta could not be discharged. However, if your baby requires a NICU stay longer than a few days, your placenta will be ruined and you won't get to have your capsules! Assuming that your baby's NICU stay was not caused by any placenta problems (in which case it would make total sense not to release it), your placenta belongs to you and you should be able to kindly speak to the nurse manager or patient advocate about your situation and the necessity of beginning the placenta encapsulation process within 2-3 days of delivery. Our clients were able to have the placentas released to us or their family members, who could then take it back to their home kitchens and begin the process.

How to Take My Placenta Home from Yoder Birth Center or My Midwife's Birthing Suite

If you will be having your baby at the Yoder Birth Center or your midwife's birthing room, you will be responsible for bringing a cooler and providing ice. You should not assume that you will be able to use your midwife's refrigerator to store your placenta. Bring two gallon sized zip bags with the cooler. Your midwife can place the placenta in one bag, press out all the air, and double bag it, then place it in the cooler with plenty of ice. The ice should be kept refreshed during your stay. And remember, the placenta should be in the ice cooler within 1-2 hours of delivery!

What Do I Do with My Placenta After a Home Birth?

Whether your home birth is planned or unplanned, you'll have a placenta on your hands that needs to be dealt with! Within 1-2 hours of birth, either put it in a Tupperware or gallon-sized plastic bag, and put it in your fridge. Notify your placenta encapsulation specialist so you can arrange a time to begin the process!

Placenta encapsulation is legal in Wichita and it's pretty easy and normal to take your placenta home from the Wichita hospitals. If you are interested in placenta encapsulation in Wichita, our certified placenta encapsulation specialists are very experienced with a wide range of situations and are more than happy to help you navigate this process if needed!

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