EP49: Jennifer Mayer on Placenta Encapsulation, the Birth World,and What to Look for in Birth & Postpartum Support

What She Shares:

• The history of eating placenta
• Why single CDC case-studies on eating placenta aren't as trustworthy as are own experiences
• How her own postpartum period was affected by returning to work after two weeks, being alone with her baby after Day 9, and living with undiagnosed Hashimoto's
• How integrated postpartum care would be a dream for new moms
• How her agency, Baby Caravan, matches women to birth doulas, postpartum doulas, and back-to-work coaching services

What You'll Hear:

• Placenta encapsulation: Chinese medicine history and modern-day uses
• The connection between homeopathy, cannibalism and eating placenta
• The recent CDC case-study and its implications on eating placenta
• Jennifer's experience with postpartum and how her plan shifted when her son was born late: she returned to work after two weeks, and how that affected her
• How do freelancers arrange postpartum so that we have what we need?
• The hard reality check of being on her own from Day 9 of postpartum
• Her diagnosis of Hashimoto's, and how she remained undiagnosed for 18 months
• Postpartum blood work from a functional medicine doctor is so important!
• What Jennifer is seeing in the birth world right now, and what we can do better in terms of supporting each other and women of color
• Woodhull Hospital in NYC as an example of integrated birth care with a 13% C-Section rate (the current rate in NYC is 30-50%)
• The complete absence of postpartum care, and the average woman going back to work in 12-21 days: this predisposes us for infection and disease
• Jennifer's postpartum agency, Baby Caravan, and how they help women who are preparing in advance---and in crisis
• Jennifer's postpartum plan for her current pregnancy: an aggressive savings plan, taking one month off before her due date/three months off after, having her in-laws come to rent an apartment down the street for a month so they can do laundry/cook for her (which she requested!), nutritional support like the API diet, bloodwork, and living in a "plush nest"---and the curveballs she and her husband have already faced in planning
• What to look for in a birth doula and/or a postpartum doula
• Jennifer's agency, Baby Caravan, which provides holistic support for families in and around NYC, from pregnancy through returning to work postpartum http://www.babycaravan.com/