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Benefits of A Placenta University Graduate

4/29/2015

22 Comments

 
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Working in Chicago helping women through labor, birth, and their postpartum transition has allowed me a great view of one other industry close to doulas: Placenta Encapsulation.  Until now, I have not offered this service myself, and have instead tried to find placenta specialists in Chicago that were both safe, and reliable in their methods of processing and business. 

Just like doulas do not need a license or  training to practice as a profession, placenta specialists are not required to have a license or training either.

There HAVE been sporadic trainings available, and many placenta specialists have been taught by someone they view as reliable. 

However, it has not been until this week that an organization has taken a stand on how, where, and in what manner a placenta should be handled, transported, and processed for human consumption. 

This week, Placenta Prep* has had its inaugural training, and the placenta industry now has a new standard of excellence.  I am proud and honored to say that I was invited to attend this training and am moving forward to help raise the standard and safety of placenta consumption.  

Not all women will choose to use this aid for their postpartum recovery, however, those that do should be offered a method and option to do so in such a way that reduces possible risks. 

As a graduate of Placenta Prep* I agree to the following standards of practice for my business:


I will never transport a placenta for another person
This has nothing to do with convenience, and everything to do with doubt, uncertainty, and trust. 

I want there to be absolutely zero doubt in a client's mind that the placenta I process is the placenta that came out of her body.  To ensure that everyone involved agrees that the placenta is indeed the property of my client, I will never transport her placenta, even if it is directly from the hospital to her home. 

I am not licensed to transport a human organ, and to protect my business and your trust, I will supply you with the necessary materials and information to safely transport your placenta to your home after the birth.


I will service a placenta in the home of the person who will consume it
We live in a world full of bacteria.  Good bacteria and bad bacteria are everywhere.  When a woman gives birth, she and (especially) her baby are in a delicate healing period where her immune system may be compromised or fragile. 

To reduce any negative side effects of bad bacteria consumption, I will only process a woman's placenta in an environment her body is used to. 

By processing a placenta in the client's space, I am able to ensure that the placenta is hers, that the space is free of debris from other processed placentas, and is free from any potentially harmful bacteria that may reside in my home.  As safe as my bacteria is to me, it may be harmful to the delicate system of a newly delivered mother and her infant. 

The only way to ensure that there is as few harmful bacteria present, the client's home is the safest location for this service to take place. 


I will stay current on my Blood Borne Pathogens certification
This industry does not require a license, and does not require Blood Borne Pathogens Certification. 

However, to reduce the risk to clients and to myself, I will follow guidelines outlined in this training to ensure every placenta, regardless of origin, will be treated with the respect and care that it deserves.  To do this, I will always have a current Blood Borne Pathogens certificate while processing placentas.   


Benefits of a Postpartum Placenta Specialist
As a Postpartum Placenta Specialist,
a great concern is that I am able to be present and available to my clients while they are transitioning from pregnancy to postpartum. 

By offering my services in this way, and by abiding by these guidelines, I also make myself available to my clients to offer support IN PERSON!  I am trained and certified as a Postpartum Doula, and if you engage in my placenta services, you are able to reap the full benefit of my knowledge, care, and attention during my time in your home. 

You can benefit from having your placenta processed in the safest possible way, with as many risks reduced along the way, AND benefit from time with a professional postpartum doula. 

I look forward to elevating the profession of placenta specialists in the Chicago area! 

Authored by: A Swift Doula
*Edited to update name




22 Comments
Sarah Coffin link
4/29/2015 07:52:16 am

Brava!

Reply
Ariel
4/30/2015 03:05:51 am

<3

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Ellie
4/29/2015 07:58:05 am

You write, "However, it has not been until this week that an organization has taken a stand on how, where, and in what manner a placenta should be handled, transported, and processed for human consumption." maybe you haven't heard of Placenta benefits university or Aka PBiU. They are known not only for the curriculum you were just taught. Placenta benefits are also the main reason some of the studies are even around. I wish you much success. Supporting pp families is a noble cause and business. Spreading a fabrication of industry standards to make professional leaders already years ahead in the field, seem like a "sporadic training" because a new training has emerged copying their protocols is bad juju.

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Ariel
4/29/2015 08:09:24 am

Ellie -

I appreciate your work and am glad to hear that PBiU is following the standards I mentioned in my post. When researching programs, the only transparent certification body that clearly stated these guidelines publicly was ProDoula's Placenta University. I hope you all the best and am glad to be working with you in this field of professionals.

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Abby Marketa
5/1/2015 04:15:54 pm

Agreed.

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Ellie
4/29/2015 03:44:19 pm

I sincerely hope you know the truth that ProDoula university has just started like your post mentioned; and Placenta Benefits University and Cappa has had protocols in action for years. PBi has also years of medical studies and scientific backing and training standards listed on their page for years. Just want to inform and not confuse our audience of potential clients. It is best to stick to truth, and not sling mud at other organizations that have paved the way for years.

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Ariel
4/30/2015 02:13:53 am

I acknowledge that PBi has been working for years with high standards.

But if we are asking each other for kudos here, then I hope you see the importance of the public statement and transparency that Placenta University is operating under.

If someone looking to certify with an organization can't find the information about transport and location of processing on the public website, how will clients know that standard of practice when looking for a specialist? Recommendations come from referral lists on certification websites. Placenta University is clear that their graduates will all practice in this manner.

It has to be stated. That is what my post brings to the forefront.

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Krystal link
4/30/2015 03:02:12 am

Thank you for explaining the process in which you chose the Placenta University training. It is clear from your post, and from the ProDoula website that the training you have explicitly states that you will not transport placenta, and that you will prepare the placenta in the client's home. It is comforting to see standards of practice so proudly stated.

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Ariel
4/30/2015 03:05:29 am

Krystal -

Thank you for taking the time to comment! I hope that those who engage in this service will do so knowing that I respect their space, body, and health, and set my business practice standards in such a way as to reflect those principles.

I hope you all the best!

Reply
Abby Marketa
5/1/2015 04:14:50 pm

Sigh. Yet another new training claiming they are the "best" when they have been out of the gate for five minutes.

You aren't licensed to transport a human organ? Um- no such license exists. So many things wrong with this I don't even know where to start.....

Reply
Ariel
5/2/2015 02:26:58 am

Good morning Abby -

I would love to address any of the items you site as being "wrong." However, since you only mentioned the transportation of a human organ, I'll address that specifically.

You are right! There is no license to transport an organ. I should have been more specific.

When a human organ is deemed appropriate for transport, a process of labeling and identification begins. Below is a short synopsis of some of these steps (as outlined by section 16 of the OPTN Policies by the Human Resources and Services Adminstration - HRSA.gov)

1. The organ is labeled and correctly stored at appropriate temperature guidelines while still in the room of the person it was removed from.

2. The organ is placed in a container with an inner lining, both labeled by standards outlined by the HRSA. These standards include blood type, tissue type, and date and time the tissue was procured.

3. While transporting, the tissue must be kept at temperature levels in line with "hypothermia levels".

4. The organ needs to be accompanied by:
*Blood type source documentation
*Blood subtype source documentation, if used for allocation
*Infectious disease testing results
*Medical and behavioral history information
* Donor evaluation information
* Donor authorization form
*Organ quality information

5. Then, once the organ reaches the desired location, there is a series of "time out" procedures that insure the organ is indeed the correct tissue for the recipient. One of these "time out" procedures is doing a blood test.

These guidelines are in place to insure that the organ has been transported safely, the organ can be traced back to its original location, and the organ is now received at the correct location.

As much as I could label correctly, keep the placenta at the appropriate temperature, and give my word that it is the correct placenta I have neither the training or the resources to do so for every client - I cannot perform any test on the tissue to make my client believe, without a doubt, that what I delivered is her placenta.

That doubt, along with the risk that would be involved should I be in an accident while transporting another woman's organ, made it very clear to me that I needed to align myself with an organization that understood the risk to me and to my clients.

Part of the responsibility of a professional Postpartum Placenta Specialist isn't to irradiate every risk, but instead to erase the risks that one can control.

The clients that contract with me will be given assistance on how to transport their placenta safely. They will be given tools needed to do so, and they will be 100% sure that I did not bring them the wrong placenta - because they transported it themselves.

The guidelines I will assist my clients to follow are inline with the World Health Organization's Guidelines For The Safe Transport of Infections Substances and Diagnostic Specimens.

Thank you for giving me the opportunity to be more specific and offer some clarification on this.

I want to offer the utmost respect to a woman's placenta, both for what is has already given to the care of her child, but also for what it might still be able to give the mother.

Best,




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Jenn
5/2/2015 03:03:00 am

Thanks for that detailed information in the comments Ariel. It really explains what many people are not understanding about this process. I always wondered, What happens if that doula gets called to another birth on their way home? What if the doulas kids find the placenta? What if that family has certain bacteria that is fine for their family but not for mine? With all the new research on the microbiome that is coming out, there are just so many What ifs.....I wish I'd known about placenta encapsulation for my kids, I'd have been even happier to know that it was done in my own, home. I love this.

Lacey
5/2/2015 02:53:47 am

Wonderful! Transparency is KEY when dealing with organizations. It's great to know that Placenta University is completely transparent and public about their standards. Your clients are much better off for it!

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Ariel
5/2/2015 03:29:58 am

Yes Lacey!

#nodoubtplacenta

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Margaret link
5/2/2015 03:13:01 am

That's so true that Placenta University is "straight out of the gate" (and already has many training dates all over the country booked solid, whoa!) However, trainer Deb Pocica's training program is absolutely not brand new. In fact, I've been hearing amazing things about Deb for so long that I HAD to train when her once she and ProDoula launched Placenta University. Pocica is no n00b; she's an industry leader.

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Ariel
5/2/2015 03:25:27 am

Margaret! You are spot on! Deb Pocica has been operating at high professional standards for years.

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KayLee link
5/2/2015 03:33:44 am

Wonderful post! I have written something similar for the launch of our program. I stand behind this program 100%. Deb is definitely an industry leader!

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Abby Marketa
5/2/2015 11:17:14 am

And for families who don't want it processed in their home?

Suggestions?

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KayLee
5/2/2015 06:13:30 pm

Women are free to choose what they want. The standards for this program are firm in doing so in the client's home only. If they want to hire us, this is the protocol we adhere to. They are not forced to work with us.

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Ariel
5/3/2015 10:31:41 am

Abby -

Are you asking me what families that want their placenta processed in my home to do?

I don't see this as a problem that needs my help.

It is similar to people that choose not to wear their seat belt. They have the ability to make that decision for themselves. I am not able or responsible for ensuring everyone in Chicago is wearing their seat belt. However, those that ride in my car will.

This is not the same. So don't mince my words. But I am here stating how my business will operate. And it will operate in this way to reduce risk and remain sustainable.

I will not sacrifice my safety or the safety of my clients. I don't offer discounts, in price or in my business's self esteem.

Reply
Devon
5/3/2015 12:07:44 am

I was going to say the same thing about Deb Pocica! Her partnership with ProDoula may be new, but she is a leader and pioneer in the field!

Reply
Postpartum Nurse link
7/7/2016 03:05:20 am

that was note worthy post

Reply



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