The Woodlands Field Guide: Placenta Release at Memorial Hermann
If you are delivering at Memorial Hermann The Woodlands, you are birthing in a facility that sees hundreds of placentas a month. While they are very "encapsulation-friendly," they have a specific protocol that differs slightly from the downtown Texas Medical Center hospitals.
As your Houston placenta experts, we are always in and out of these L&D units, so we see what makes for the easiest pickup process. Here is everything you need to know to ensure your placenta makes it from the hospital to our placenta kitchen without a hitch.
1. The Memorial Hermann Paperwork
The hospital may require you to sign the "Release of Tissue" form. You can can read (and pre-print) that form here. In practice, it is rare that Memorial Hermann has you sign this document, but if they do you can be aware of what it is so all you need to do is a quick signature.
When to sign: You can ask for this upon admission. If you wait until the "Golden Hour" after birth, it can sometimes get lost in the shuffle of newborn exams.
What to say: Simply tell your nurse, "I am working with H Town Placenta and will be taking my placenta home for encapsulation."
2. The "Pathology" Pro-Tip
Memorial Hermann The Woodlands is thorough. If there are concerns about the baby’s health, the doctor may want to send the placenta to pathology. That’s OK!
Pro-Tip: You can ask the doctor to take a small sample for pathology and release the rest of the placenta to you. Most doctors are happy to accommodate this request.
3. Storage
The hospital will place your placenta in a sterile white bucket. However, hospital policy prohibits them from keeping your placenta in their clinical refrigerators.
Have your cooler ready. This can be the transport kit that we send you, a cooler you have purchased and brought or you can make shift a cooler with two patient belonging bags. ready.
Memorial Hermann provides the ice. (its the nice Sonic ice, just so your placenta feels extra special during transport!)
The Handoff: Since you’ll be busy snuggling your new baby, your partner or doula should be the "Placenta Guardian." Once the baby is born, they should place the bucket inside your cooler with fresh ice and notify us for pickup at 833-PLACNTA.
4. Why The Woodlands Moms Trust H Town Placenta
The Woodlands is a community that values wellness and a smooth, professional service. We provide a bridge between the clinical hospital environment and your holistic recovery. By choosing a specialist who knows the specific hallways and staff at Memorial Hermann The Woodlands, you ensure that your placenta is handled with the highest safety standards from the moment of birth.