world view.

for christmas my sister gave me a cute little metal case to hold my ID, credit cards and our adorable new business cards :) i love it. i have actually never had an 'official' business card. after college, i volunteered with a non-profit and then became a flight attendant. ive never had a job that required one. and honestly i never thought i would have a business card that had the word "placenta" on it :)
when i was growing up all my dream jobs involved traveling. a national geographic photographer. a marine biologist. or how great would it be to be the person who goes through the amazon and test different plants to see if it could be a cure for AIDS? it intrigues me that there are places in brazil where they take the poison from a frog, put it on an arrow or something sharp and then they cut you so that the poison gets into your blood stream. and this is supposed to help with some sickness (i swear i saw it on the animal planet :). who comes up with these techniques and do they really work?
it seems as if every culture has their own methods or miracle drugs. I have had fish eat my dead skin cells in cambodia. i have bathed in a tea tree oil lake in australia. i have experienced 'reflexology' in thailand. did you know that in the Buddhist country of laos they believe in karma and that "being stressed" is bad for your karma? it is one of the most laid back cultures. i have been sick in almost every continent and as i travel, i observe, i experience, i embrace, i learn. and i continue to ask myself, when it comes to health....who knows best?
we know that what we do here at 'fruit of the womb' may seem foreign or uncommon or seem like a 'new' concept to many. when in reality the placenta has held a place of honor throughout the history of time. people honor the placenta differently depending on the culture of course, but the important thing is that we stop to recognize that this organ serves an important, sacred purpose in fostering new life.
regardless of where you live.

How are we different

At Fruit of the Womb we believe that woman and child come first. Childbirth will no doubt be the biggest transition any woman will go through physically, mentally, and emotionally which is exactly why mothers should be served after giving birth. We come directly to you and pick up the placenta to immediately start the placenta encapsulation process. Although highly educated and experienced, we are not Midwives, Doulas, yoga teachers, or childbirth educators our specialty lies solely in Placenta Education and Encapsulation and our time is set aside for you. Because placenta encapsulation is our specialty we have a faster turn around time which means you get your pills sooner. Don't get me wrong, this process cannot be rushed and the work is sacred but time is of the essence when it comes to a mother and child and their physical, mental and emotional well-being. We take the time to do things right. The placenta is gently steamed and dehydrated on a low heat so that the most amount of hormones, nutrients and vitamins are preserved. Sure, this takes longer but ultimately you receive the highest grade of pill. Finally, we will hand deliver your medicine straight to your front door. It is our goal that you receive your placenta pills no later than 2 to 3 days postpartum. Why? According to Dr. Sears official website and many others the Postpartum Blues "Usually start(ing) between the third and fifth day after delivery, feelings of mild depression, crying spells, anxiety, irritability, and mood swings occur in as many as 85% of women". If a mother begins to have any of these feelings she should be able to take her medicine. Mothers shouldn't have to coordinate who is taking the placenta. Nor should husbands and friends have to be leaving mother and baby's side to meet with someone. Even more importantly no one should have to wait for their placenta medicine to arrive in the mail! These are precious days and time that is being lost. It is our goal that every mother receives placenta education and encapsulation. Each woman and child deserves the highest quality placenta pills delivered in a timely manner. We believe that the services we provide are life changing and we are honored to be helping families in this way.

my placenta journey begins

i am the oldest of 3 girls. i have 3 degrees. and i have 3 boys of my own. whatever new endeavors i explore i always seem to come full circle right back to the basics. a love for mama's, babies, birth and all the issues that encompass these things. i am not sure how or when this love story began. perhaps it was when i was 5. i camped out on the hospital floor at the feet of my mothers bed in my magenta polyester sleeping bag. hours and hours passed by as my mother's labor slowly peaked. i heard words being spoken across the room back and forth like meconium, doula, respiratory distress, and contractions that were becoming part of my vocabulary as each hour passed. i loved my mom more than anything and had this amazing confidence in her that she could do this even through the occasional yells and screams. i was as prepared as a 5 year old could be. i looked through the Bradley Method books and saw pictures of the other mothers doing the exact same things that my mom was. and soon my best friend was born. i watched her through a glass dome as the hospital took the measures needed to insure her lungs were clear. while my sister was practicing her breathing, i was busy preparing for a party. the doula and i went into the lounge area and put the final touches on the birthday cake. i made sure that everyone had a hat and my dad made sure everyone had some champagne. it was a true celebration of a new life begun and a huge accomplishment for my mother.
from that moment on i had told everyone i was going to be an obstetrician. it seemed like an admirable goal. a doctor.
ten years had passed and my parents dream of having another child had come true. i was 15 and like most teenagers the world revolved around me. my mother once again had no doubt that she was going to have a natural birth and choose a midwife to assist for baby girl number three. i watched in awe of my mother's strength, desire and love shining through with every push. i cried and like a pro cut the cord and placed a warm hat on my newest baby sister. i was inspired with out knowing and wanted to tell the world with out knowing how.
unfortunately, it was a school day and not even birth was going to get me out of playing hooky. I wanted to show everyone my baby sister so instead i asked if i could take the placenta. as i look back i have no idea what possessed me to want to take the placenta to school, but i did. i felt like a rebel, or that i had a special secret that only i knew. i remember having to take it to one class before hitting my final class, Biology where my secret would be revealed. as i pulled out the tupperware the class looked on eagerly. i mean, what was going to top dissecting a pig or cat brain like we had done in the classes previous? but i knew what i had was much more exciting. an organ that had hours before sustained life. an organ so complex that it is hard for some of the greatest scientists and doctors in the world to explain.
my teacher was ecstatic. and even offered me extra credit. some kids thought it was gross while others were amazed. i was proud that i could share with others what i truly believe is one of the most powerful, unique and unappreciated organs of them all-the placenta.

oh baby.

im kate.
im 25 years old and single.
and i really have no reason to be interested in all this "placenta stuff."
im not planning on having babies anytime soon.
but i am my sisters' sister.
i have seen her through 3 pregnancies. 2 home births. i have sat through meetings with midwives and helped with tea baths. there is so much to learn before you have a baby, and some things you just have to learn through experience. there is nothing like the miracle of having a baby. and it intrigues me.
i grew up in a family that believed this miracle was for the whole family to experience and be involved in. when i was ten i helped deliver my little sister, just like my big sister helped deliver me. this life changing experience does not just effect the mother and child. everyone who knows the mother, who wants to be apart of this new baby's life, is effected. giving birth is emotionally, physically and spiritually hard. and if someone told me that there is something natural that can support the mom and baby in this process then i would want to know. i believe in the power of the placenta and i am excited to partake in this miracle when i have kids. for now i hope to help others discover and experience this gift.

you are gifted.

as i laid in my own bed with my husband and our hour old baby boy, we thought of what to name him. the worry and excitement and fear had been replaced with feelings of joy, thankfulness, love and purpose. i now had the honor of loving and raising two boys. something you can never fully be ready or prepared for.
but i think some things might happen not because you are ready, but maybe because it simply becomes your turn.
sometimes you have to jump, and grow your wings on the way down.
as we are admiring our new addition to the family,one of the midwives peeks her head in...
"what would you like to do with the placenta?" she asks.
the question caught me off guard. i honestly didn't know what she was talking about.
my husband kindly reminded her of where the trash was located.
she could tell we were confused and briefly informed us that this unique organ that is the mediator between the life flow of you and your baby contains many vital nutrients and is the perfect medicine for healing and rejuvenating after birth.
who knew.
and while all this was intriguing, i declined the placenta cocktail and told her i would think about the powder or pill option, she understood, and put the placenta in our freezer.

the next couple days i did some research. looked online. talked to my midwife. of course i had questions about this organic ritual. and then i was in the middle of breast-feeding and it dawned on me. i realized how much i trust my body. it made perfect sense that this organ could facilitate in healing and postpartum recovery. i called my midwife and told her i would like to have my placenta encapsulated.
after that i no longer thought of the placenta as an organ to be thrown away. but more of a gift. a miracle.

her miracle came unannounced...
and in an odd package
it looked different than she had imagined
unpolished
untimely
unexpected
unpretentious
yet it fit perfectly
divinely constructed
solely for her.
(by kristen jongen)