The Baby Issue. Pod + Kin, Save The local Baby Store, New Mama Food, Brain Rules For Baby, Placenta Medicine
8 thoughts on “May 2012”
The Baby issue looks great and is chock full of amazing info along with all the Portland resources! Where can I pick up a stack to hand out at my office ? Many mamas could use this info
Thanks!
We’ll drop some off to your office next week! Thanks!! 🙂
I am an obstetrician and epidemiologist who picked up your May issue in my hospital waiting area. I was intrigued by the “Baby Issue” of NW Kids and expecting some thoughtful and interesting articles. However, I was concerned to see that you printed as an article a piece regarding “Placental Medicine” and the practice of encapsulating dehydrated placental tissue for newly postpartum mothers written by a local practitioner of the practice. The author states that she has “researched” this practice and found that it has “scientifically proven benefits”. However, there are no articles or studies cited in this practitioner’s piece. This piece was clearly written as an “advertisement” rather than an educational article. Yet it gives the appearance of the latter. Of importance for your readers to note, the “guest editor” of this May edition of NW Kids is a provider in the same practice as Ms. Estrada. Certainly, at the minimum, this is concerning for a conflict of interest in journalism.
In my own evaluation of the research, I have found that most of the “data” are derived from rodents who ingest their own fresh placenta after birth. Other articles report on the ritualistic practice of placentophagy and are limited to generalizations and qualitative assessments. I have been unable to locate any peer-reviewed literature (the “gold-standard” for medical studies)on the clinical outcomes of the practice Ms. Estrada describes. While I fully appreciate that not all practices can be fully evaluated, I find it concerning that Ms. Estrada portray this practice as having well documented medical benefits – this is just not the case. It is doubtful that the practice of ingesting dehydrated placental tissue is truly harmful to new moms, but certainly one must consider the cost involved (approximately $200 by my internet search) and the minimal (to no) evidence that benefit exists.
Parents always want to do the “best” thing and they can be taken in by hype (I’m a mom of three kids ages 5 to 11- I know!). NW Kids, please realize that your magazine is accessed by a community of women and men who are expecting journalistic responsibility. Don’t let us down.
Point well taken. As with any article, our intention was to simply present the information and let the reader do further research to make an educated decision if this indeed is right for them. We always try to remain neutral when it comes to controversial practices. Perhaps we should have presented the opposing point of view as well. Thank you so much for your input!!
I appreciate this local OB taking the time to look into something that is getting a lot of attention recently, and her response is thought provoking (as I hope the article was as well). I agree that there is less research than what we hope the future will provide, but we are getting such great reports from this practice, and the initial research is coming back with great results. This was the reason for including the article in this issue.
As far as a conflict of interest, what I can offer is that there are a lot of different local businesses behind the information in the magazine, and I really wanted it to be a helpful resource on many different topics. My goal with having Donna write this article was to get a perspective from someone recently introduced to the idea who could present it to a largely mainstream audience. NW Kids has featured other writers on this topic as well (see http://nwkidsmagazine.com/2011/11/natures-solution-for-postpartum-relief/ for more details from another great provider of this practice) and I thought featuring someone who was a recent convert would be a good way to further introduce the potentially squeamish readership to this topic. (Regarding the cost, there are numerous tutorials online; families desiring this practice will be able to easily do it themselves with just a bit of research and very little cost.)
There are many options that exist to serve Portland, and I hope the entire magazine gave families a variety of choices for local products and services. I hope readers will understand it was our intention to introduce a new idea, and do some further research if they have an interest (you can check out the PBI website: http://placentabenefits.info for a lot more detail on placentas being used as medicine).
I am also glad to have providers in the area who take such an interest in what new families are reading, and who take the time to research a current hot topic in postpartum care.
Dear Local OB:
I appreciate you taking the time and interest to read my article in the recent issue of NW Kids. I am glad to know that it was available to you and the visitors to your office. In response to your comments, I would like to provide all readers with a link (Check out http://placentabenefits.info). to some research and explanation of placenta encapsulation. It’s true that I did not cite this research in my article as it was meant to pique interest rather than fully inform, and the length of the article simply made it impossible to include more. My practice of placenta encapsulation is based on Traditional Chinese Medicine standards, which has been practiced for over 2,000 years and includes many forms of treatment including herbal supplements, massage and acupuncture, which many also consider unproven “alternative medicine”. I hope that the interest sparked by my article and the work of placenta encapsulation specialists around the world will continue to open doors to more research and learning about the benefits of placenta encapsulation. You may also have noticed that there are ads from other providers for the service included in this issue. This illustrates the reality that more and more families are requesting this service in the Portland area. I plan to continue to offer the service as long as families ask for it. As always, I am happy to speak to folks interested in placenta encapsulation at no charge. I do appreciate your professional opinion and hope that that you will contact me with any further questions.
Respectfully,
Donna Estrada PCD (DONA)
Placenta Encapsulation Specialist
As a Mom who has taken placenta capsules after the birth of my second son, I can tell you that I had amazing results and the capsules were easy to take, not gross at all. I had post partum depression with my first child, and when I felt the blues coming on with my hormonal fluctuations with my second I started to take the placenta capsules. Within a day I felt even keeled, less weepy, less overwhelmed and back to my self. I also noticed a huge increase in my milk supply ! I had taken Mother’s milk tea, fennel tincture, was drinking a ton of water and nothing gave me the early morning engorgement that I experienced the day after starting the placenta. It was a relief to know that I definitely had enough milk for the increasing demands of my baby – he was around 6 or 7 weeks old at the time. I have heard many, many moms talk about the benefits that experienced from placenta – so please do not write off this medicine that has stood the test of time!
The Baby issue looks great and is chock full of amazing info along with all the Portland resources! Where can I pick up a stack to hand out at my office ? Many mamas could use this info
Thanks!
We’ll drop some off to your office next week! Thanks!! 🙂
I am an obstetrician and epidemiologist who picked up your May issue in my hospital waiting area. I was intrigued by the “Baby Issue” of NW Kids and expecting some thoughtful and interesting articles. However, I was concerned to see that you printed as an article a piece regarding “Placental Medicine” and the practice of encapsulating dehydrated placental tissue for newly postpartum mothers written by a local practitioner of the practice. The author states that she has “researched” this practice and found that it has “scientifically proven benefits”. However, there are no articles or studies cited in this practitioner’s piece. This piece was clearly written as an “advertisement” rather than an educational article. Yet it gives the appearance of the latter. Of importance for your readers to note, the “guest editor” of this May edition of NW Kids is a provider in the same practice as Ms. Estrada. Certainly, at the minimum, this is concerning for a conflict of interest in journalism.
In my own evaluation of the research, I have found that most of the “data” are derived from rodents who ingest their own fresh placenta after birth. Other articles report on the ritualistic practice of placentophagy and are limited to generalizations and qualitative assessments. I have been unable to locate any peer-reviewed literature (the “gold-standard” for medical studies)on the clinical outcomes of the practice Ms. Estrada describes. While I fully appreciate that not all practices can be fully evaluated, I find it concerning that Ms. Estrada portray this practice as having well documented medical benefits – this is just not the case. It is doubtful that the practice of ingesting dehydrated placental tissue is truly harmful to new moms, but certainly one must consider the cost involved (approximately $200 by my internet search) and the minimal (to no) evidence that benefit exists.
Parents always want to do the “best” thing and they can be taken in by hype (I’m a mom of three kids ages 5 to 11- I know!). NW Kids, please realize that your magazine is accessed by a community of women and men who are expecting journalistic responsibility. Don’t let us down.
Point well taken. As with any article, our intention was to simply present the information and let the reader do further research to make an educated decision if this indeed is right for them. We always try to remain neutral when it comes to controversial practices. Perhaps we should have presented the opposing point of view as well. Thank you so much for your input!!
I appreciate this local OB taking the time to look into something that is getting a lot of attention recently, and her response is thought provoking (as I hope the article was as well). I agree that there is less research than what we hope the future will provide, but we are getting such great reports from this practice, and the initial research is coming back with great results. This was the reason for including the article in this issue.
As far as a conflict of interest, what I can offer is that there are a lot of different local businesses behind the information in the magazine, and I really wanted it to be a helpful resource on many different topics. My goal with having Donna write this article was to get a perspective from someone recently introduced to the idea who could present it to a largely mainstream audience. NW Kids has featured other writers on this topic as well (see http://nwkidsmagazine.com/2011/11/natures-solution-for-postpartum-relief/ for more details from another great provider of this practice) and I thought featuring someone who was a recent convert would be a good way to further introduce the potentially squeamish readership to this topic. (Regarding the cost, there are numerous tutorials online; families desiring this practice will be able to easily do it themselves with just a bit of research and very little cost.)
There are many options that exist to serve Portland, and I hope the entire magazine gave families a variety of choices for local products and services. I hope readers will understand it was our intention to introduce a new idea, and do some further research if they have an interest (you can check out the PBI website: http://placentabenefits.info for a lot more detail on placentas being used as medicine).
I am also glad to have providers in the area who take such an interest in what new families are reading, and who take the time to research a current hot topic in postpartum care.
Dear Local OB:
I appreciate you taking the time and interest to read my article in the recent issue of NW Kids. I am glad to know that it was available to you and the visitors to your office. In response to your comments, I would like to provide all readers with a link (Check out http://placentabenefits.info). to some research and explanation of placenta encapsulation. It’s true that I did not cite this research in my article as it was meant to pique interest rather than fully inform, and the length of the article simply made it impossible to include more. My practice of placenta encapsulation is based on Traditional Chinese Medicine standards, which has been practiced for over 2,000 years and includes many forms of treatment including herbal supplements, massage and acupuncture, which many also consider unproven “alternative medicine”. I hope that the interest sparked by my article and the work of placenta encapsulation specialists around the world will continue to open doors to more research and learning about the benefits of placenta encapsulation. You may also have noticed that there are ads from other providers for the service included in this issue. This illustrates the reality that more and more families are requesting this service in the Portland area. I plan to continue to offer the service as long as families ask for it. As always, I am happy to speak to folks interested in placenta encapsulation at no charge. I do appreciate your professional opinion and hope that that you will contact me with any further questions.
Respectfully,
Donna Estrada PCD (DONA)
Placenta Encapsulation Specialist
As a Mom who has taken placenta capsules after the birth of my second son, I can tell you that I had amazing results and the capsules were easy to take, not gross at all. I had post partum depression with my first child, and when I felt the blues coming on with my hormonal fluctuations with my second I started to take the placenta capsules. Within a day I felt even keeled, less weepy, less overwhelmed and back to my self. I also noticed a huge increase in my milk supply ! I had taken Mother’s milk tea, fennel tincture, was drinking a ton of water and nothing gave me the early morning engorgement that I experienced the day after starting the placenta. It was a relief to know that I definitely had enough milk for the increasing demands of my baby – he was around 6 or 7 weeks old at the time. I have heard many, many moms talk about the benefits that experienced from placenta – so please do not write off this medicine that has stood the test of time!