Maura Winkler – Placenta Encapsulation

Maura was a delight to work with and my husband and I are so grateful for her presence at the birth of our first baby. She was calm, knowledgable, and focussed on my birth plan and my goals for a natural childbirth. My son’s birth was 38 hours and, thanks to Maura, the most empowering experience of my life. She was a calm and encouraging presence; active when I needed her, recommending helpful positions, and quiet when I needed to birth on my own. I was transferred from a birth center to a hospital in the last hour of my labor for pitocin. Until this point I had not doubted my abilities to birth a baby naturally, but after being told that I needed pitocin I wanted to completely give up. I felt like my body had failed me and I had never felt more defeated. Maura was by my side the entire time and encouraged me to not give up. I was demanding a cesarean, but upon arriving at the hospital, Maura suggested a stretch that helped move my son down. I ended up giving birth to him without pitocin or an epidural within an hour after arriving at the hospital. My body hadn’t failed me and Maura never stopped believing that I could do it even when I gave up on myself. We will be forever grateful to Maura and her encouragement and knowledge at our son’s birth. I couldn’t have done it her!

I recently used Maura for placenta encapsulation. Booking through her website couldn’t have been any easier. Following baby’s arrival, Maura was quick to pickup the placenta from the hospital and returned the following evening to the hospital with pills in hand. She was super helpful in answering any questions we had. This baby is my second. I did not do placenta encapsulation with my first, and experienced some serious baby blues, anxiety and milk production issues. With this baby, I have been taking the pills as directed, and am feeling so much better this time around. I would definitely recommend Maura for anyone considering this service.

A year late, but better late than never. Maura was a pleasure to work with and always very informative.
She was our doula, and we consulted her about many aspects of our birth experience from before and after the birth that went above and beyond just labor support. She always answered our questions thoroughly and would often send us resources after our meetings for us to read through.
I wanted a natural childbirth with no intervention unless there was a medical emergency. I would definitely recommend Maura if that is what you are looking for and even if you aren’t. She is just a great resource through and through.
She also did belly binding for me postpartum, which definitely really helped with making everything feel more «held together» after birth and my mom was amazed at how much my belly shrank after just the first week of binding.
Oh and my son was born naturally ! It was actually a super short labor and delivery — so short, she had to meet us at the hospital instead of at home — everything was worth it.

Maura was professional, timely and very responsive to emails and texts as we coordinated this process. Also reasonably priced. I loved having the option to have her pick up and drop off instead of us having to get it somewhere. This made my husbands post birth experience less stressful since he didn’t have to worry about getting my placenta home or to her house. Highly recommend Maura’s placenta encapsulation services!

I used Maura for my placenta encapsulation. She was always quick to communicate and thoroughly explained the process, which for a new mom, was important to me. The day of the birth she remained in contact with my husband and gave him clear instructions about the meet times, etc. making the process a breeze. While this is my first child I really have nothing to compare it to but I can say that with taking the placenta pills I feel like a million bucks. Really, I wouldn’t do it any other way going forward. Maura was extremely helpful and I am so happy I found her!

I chose Maura for my placenta encapsulation because she was close to where I was delivering my baby and also because she was very professional with all communication between us. Maura was also a great help as initially I was going to drop off my placenta and ran into trouble doing so, she picked up from hospital and was prompt with getting the encapsulation done. She was also so kind as to go out of her way to deliver my encapsulated placenta. I’m very glad I decided to get my placenta encapsulated, I’m usually very emotional after giving birth and very exhausted. This time around I have been doing great! I can’t say enough, I wish I had gotten this done with my previous baby 2 years ago. Thank you Maura!

I used Maura for my placenta encapsulation, and she made the process extremely easy. She was very responsive to any questions I had prior to the encapsulation. After the delivery of our baby girl, I was exhausted and recovery was rough, but Maura came by the hospital that same day and picked up the placenta. The following day, she returned with the capsules. It was great not having to worry or do anything on our end, which is especially helpful with a newborn. I was also impressed with her quick turnaround. I would definitely recommend her.

I couldn’t be more pleased with Maura and her placenta encapsulation services. Her process is very thorough, you can find all the details and options available for encapsulation on her website. The various options is why I went with her over others. She came to the hospital and took care of everything and dropped off my pills in a timely manner. She will answer any questions you have via text, email, or phone. I would highly recommend her to anyone interested or curious about placenta encapsulation.

Great experience working with Maura and having my placenta encapsulated. She was very easy and super sweet to work with and I felt comfortable with her from the very beginning. I highly recommend using her for placenta encapsulation, I have been able to tell a huge difference since I started taking them and I would recommend Maura to any of my friends or family who are considering using a doula or encapsulation or any of the other services she offers!

Maura is GREAT! It was just before Christmas and we ended up going to the hospital earlier than expected. Maura was supposed to go visit family for the holidays, but she came to the hospital FIRST! We are SO appreciative of Maura and the care and attention she gave us — not to mention the speedy turn-​around. Thank you! Thank you! We will certainly use Maura for the next time around!

I can not beieve that I can find someone does placenta encapsulation!!! When Maura came, I found she was such nice, friendly and professional doula… When she was making it, she also taught me how to feed/​care baby stuff, which was so helpful. The placenta encapsulation really helped the energy, the milk supply and overall health. I am so glad I did it, and especially did by her:)

Maura was a terrific Doula. I cannot say enough good things about her. This review, however, is for her other services. I used Maura for placenta encapsulation and belly binding. She took our placenta home after our birth and delivered the pills to our house an hour after we arrived home 2 days later. She did the belly bind and answered any questions I had at that time. The belly bind was pretty easy to master– my husband did it for me every day, although I could have done it myself (he is much stronger). The placenta capsules helped get my hormones and mood regulated. I lost quite a bit of blood during labor, and I was worried I would have a tough time once I got home. I truly believe the capsules helped me. I had no issues with milk supply. On days that I feel I am low in milk or lack energy (I’m 7 weeks postpartum), I take an extra capsule. Maura is very knowledgeable. Don’t let her age and youthful appearance fool you– she is amazing!

We used Maura for my placenta encapsulation. She was great! I already had a doula I had hired but really wished I could’ve had Maura instead. Next time I will be only contacting her! She was so sweet, helpful and professional. She came to the hospital the day I had my son to pick up my placenta and brought my pills back the next day. She stayed and talked to us a bit and really was knowledgeable about every question I asked her. I also loved the surprise keepsake from the placenta she gives you, so cute and thoughtful! I already recommended her to my sister-​in-​law if she wants to go that route.

I worked with Maura for her placenta encapsulation services. She is very nice and professional to work with. She was very quick to respond to any of my questions or concerns. She clearly explains how to have your placenta handled while at the hospital, so there isn’t any confusion. She picked up my placenta the day I gave birth and delivered the capsules to my house the day I was discharged. I was very happy with how quick she was. She also checks in with you after a week or so to see how you’re feeling. I will definitely use her services again in the future.

I had Maura do the placenta encapsulation for me when I had my baby in June of 2014. I was worried that this would be an extra hassle along with all the chaos of having a baby, but had heard about all the benefits and went ahead and booked it. My husband text Maura right before I delivered and easily set up the pick up of the placenta from our hospital (Rush) a few hours later. She came to the hospital the next day and delivered the finished capsules. It was very painless and worth it! I went with the Chinese method. I am a little over a month postpartum and have felt like this has really helped stabilize my hormones, as I can be a moody person, and have felt very content since delivering (overwhelmed on a few occasions but never depressed). I also am producing a lot of breast milk! The pediatrician has been very impressed with my sons rapid weight gain! I would highly recommend Maura and the encapsulation!

We worked with Maura for encapsulation services. Every aspect went perfectly and we were very happy. Maura is very kind and professional and I found her to anticipate my needs before I was even aware of them. (! Awesome!) She checked up on me for postpartum wellness and later made herself available for help on breastfeeding. She is wonderful and I am lucky to have found her. I highly recommend her as a very valuable part of your birth team or just for placenta encapsulation.

I can’t believe how easy it was working with Maura. When I first set out to get my placenta encapsulated (I was hell-​bent on avoiding post-​partum depression and anxiety) the first two doulas I found insisted on doing the dehydration and encapsulation process at my house. No offense to placentas, but I just wanted someone to «take care of it.» That’s exactly what Maura did. She not only drove an hour through a snow storm to retrieve it the day I delivered, but she came back the next day and dropped off two squeaky clean bottles of pills that provided instant relief from my super rage-​y hormones. She checked in on me a week or so later to see how I was doing and give me a heads up that the most hormonal days were coming up, but that I was almost out of the peak period. She’s extremely passionate about her work and very professional. My only regret is that I didn’t hire her to be my doula. Next time around when I attempt a VBAC, I’ll definitely be calling her.

Thank goodness for Maura and Placenta Encapsulation! I was trying for a VBAC and it didn’t work out. Maura came to the hospital, picked up my placenta, encapsulated it, and dropped it back off at the hospital before I was discharged. I was able to start taking the pills right away! She was extremely professional and packaging was eco-​friendly and adorable. I am prone to postpartum depression/​anxiety and having these helped tremendously! I still have blues, but notice a BIG difference in mood, milk production, and healing from the cesarean. She went above and beyond her contract. Answered questions I had on birth, hospital procedures, and even listened to my birth story like a friend would.
I can’t recommend Maura more highly! :-)

Maura was a joy to work with before, during, and after the birth of my little one.
She obviously approaches her work with a great deal of professionalism that isn’t always present in the birthing world. For example, her email communication is clear and prompt, she is obviously very well organized, and she gave me sweet little new-​mama-​related gifts at our first meeting, as well as after Baby’s birth. But all that is not reason enough to hire a doula, right?
When I first met Maura, I must confess I was a bit dismayed by her youth. Although I knew she had lots of experience supporting births and more medical training than most doulas, there was a part of me that wanted an older presence on my birth team. Well, thankfully the rational part of me won out over this other, ageist part, because Maura was wonderful and everything we (my husband and I) could have wanted. And I’m sure she’s probably not quite as young as she seemed that first day ;)
My labor and birth were pretty quick, uncomplicated, and relatively painless. I don’t think I actually noticed Maura much during the process. However, when I watched the video of my baby’s birth (which Maura was happy to film and photograph for us), I noticed Maura was the one who’d pick up on how I was feeling and cheer me on when I seemed to need it, and my husband and mom (who I wanted hands-​on with me) would follow her lead. She just seemed to have this way of fitting in and being exactly what we needed her to be at the time, even though we ourselves didn’t know what that was.
After Baby’s birth, she provided encouraging support and a postpartum visit to see that all was going well for our family. She was pretty awesome answering my questions via text, about all things from newborn poop to homeopathic remedies.
I know that she will soon begin to study midwifery, but if you find her still offering doula services, I would highly recommend adding her to your list of doulas to consider.