Placenta Encapsulation
Current Birth Perceptions packages, service details, booking, and personalized options.
How to Request, Release & Store Your Placenta
Quick answer: Tell your hospital or birth facility before delivery that you plan to keep your placenta, follow its release procedure, keep the placenta sealed and cold after birth, and contact Birth Perceptions within 24 hours so pickup or transport can be coordinated.
This public guide combines Birth Perceptions client preparation guidance with the Texas Department of State Health Services information families receive when taking a placenta home for personal use.
Plan for Hospital Release
Tell your birth facility
Let your provider, hospital, or birthing center know during pregnancy that you intend to keep your placenta and ask what paperwork or release procedure is required.
Facility policy controls release
Texas allows release for personal use subject to applicable restrictions, but each hospital or birthing center determines its own packaging, procedures, and release policies.
Pathology can affect release
If pathology is recommended, ask whether only the necessary sample can be taken. A placenta that the facility must retain cannot be processed by Birth Perceptions.
Ask about formalin
Confirm whether the placenta has come into contact with formalin. Texas DSHS states that a placenta preserved in formalin should not be consumed.
Keep the Placenta Sealed & Cold
Contain it
Keep the placenta in a sealed container or double-bagged according to the facility’s instructions.
Chill promptly
Keep the placenta cool or refrigerated as soon as possible. For cooler storage, Birth Perceptions recommends ice or ice packs on both the top and bottom.
Refrigerate up to 3 days
Birth Perceptions client guidance allows up to 3 refrigerated days when the placenta remains properly sealed and cold.
Freeze if delayed
Freeze after 3 refrigerated days, or sooner if pickup or processing will be delayed. Keep the placenta sealed and protected from unnecessary thawing.
Texas Department of State Health Services Placenta Release Information
The state handout explains blood-borne disease precautions, safe handling, refrigeration, formalin exposure, personal-use restrictions, and the consent-to-release process. Birth Perceptions provides the state document here as a public educational resource; the hospital or birthing facility still determines its own release procedures.
Placenta Release, Storage & Pickup FAQ
How do I get my placenta released from the hospital?
Tell your hospital or birthing facility that you intend to keep your placenta and ask what release procedure or paperwork they require. Texas facilities determine their own packaging, procedures, and release policies.
Should I tell the hospital before I give birth?
Yes. Birth Perceptions recommends discussing placenta release with your provider or birth facility during pregnancy so you know the facility’s process before labor and discharge.
What if my placenta is sent to pathology?
Ask whether the provider can take only the sample needed rather than retain the entire placenta. If the facility determines that the placenta must be retained for necessary pathological examination or does not release it, Birth Perceptions cannot process it.
Do I need to bring a cooler?
Yes. Bring a clean cooler with ice or ice packs if you are planning to take possession of your placenta. Birth Perceptions client instructions recommend keeping ice or ice packs on both the top and bottom while the placenta is waiting for pickup or transport.
How should my placenta be stored after delivery?
Keep the placenta sealed in a container or double-bagged, labeled when possible, and kept cold promptly after birth. Follow your hospital or birth facility’s handling instructions until the placenta is released.
How long can my placenta stay refrigerated?
Birth Perceptions client guidance allows refrigeration for up to 3 days when the placenta remains properly sealed and cold. If pickup or processing will be delayed beyond that window, freeze it.
Can I freeze my placenta before pickup?
Yes. Freeze it after 3 refrigerated days, or sooner if pickup or processing will be delayed. Keep it sealed, labeled, and protected from unnecessary thawing.
When should I contact Birth Perceptions after birth?
Notify Birth Perceptions within 24 hours of birth so pickup or client-transport arrangements can be confirmed. You may contact Birth Perceptions sooner once the placenta has been released, securely contained, and chilled.
What information should I send when I contact you?
Send the client name, birth location, room number if applicable, delivery time, and how the placenta is currently being stored. This helps Birth Perceptions coordinate pickup efficiently.
What happens if my placenta was not kept cold?
Tell Birth Perceptions exactly how the placenta was stored and for how long. Birth Perceptions may decline processing if it exceeded safe handling windows, remained unrefrigerated, or shows signs that it may be unsafe.
Can I encapsulate after a C-section?
A C-section does not automatically prevent placenta encapsulation. The placenta must still be released by the facility and safely stored before Birth Perceptions can accept it for processing.
Do an epidural or Pitocin automatically prevent encapsulation?
No. An epidural, Pitocin, or a C-section does not automatically prevent encapsulation. Clients should disclose medications, maternal fever, infection concerns, and provider recommendations before processing.
How many capsules should I expect?
Most Birth Perceptions clients receive approximately 100–120 capsules. Final yield varies with placenta size, preparation method, and moisture content.
When does Birth Perceptions go on call for my birth?
Birth Perceptions begins the placenta pickup on-call period at 36 weeks gestation and remains on call through the birth of your baby.
What happens if the hospital will not release my placenta?
Birth Perceptions cannot process a placenta that the hospital or birthing facility does not release. Texas guidance notes that release may be restricted in certain circumstances, including particular infectious-disease findings or when pathological examination is necessary.
Birth Perceptions provides postpartum wellness, education, cosmetic, and support services. This page does not replace hospital policy, medical advice, or care from a licensed medical provider.