Anne Ferguson has been encapsulating placentas since 2011 and has been an APPAC since 2015. She has worked with well over 800 families as a birth and postpartum doula, childbirth educator (Hypnobabies childbirth hypnosis classes) and Placenta Arts Specialist.
Her interest in placenta encapsulation started in 2009 with the birth of her second child. She asked family members to encapsulate for her and loved the experience. When the capsules were gone, life with two young kids definitely got harder to manage! As someone with a history of depression (pre-kids), she knows how challenging mood disorders can be and is passionate about helping families have the best possible postpartum period.
Anne believes strongly in a multi-faceted approach to a happy postpartum. In addition to utilizing one’s placenta, Anne believes families need a positive and supported birth experience and tons of support in the postpartum period with breastfeeding, household chores, meals, and just people to vent to when things are tough! U.S. culture has such unrealistic expectations about what life looks like when a new baby arrives and Anne hopes to change that one family at a time through education and support.
In her free time, Anne enjoys spending time with her two grade-school-aged boys who keep her busy with sports and activities! They’ve grown up with birth, breastfeeding, and placentas all around and are used to mom saying “I need to run and pick up a placenta” even if it’s on the way to hockey practice.
Anne’s company, Bywater Birth, LLC, covers all of the Twin Cities Metro areas. Anne reports, “Since joining APPA my practice has continued to grow by leaps and bounds every year.”
We asked Anne why she chose to renew her certification with APPA. Here’s what she said.
“The founders of APPA were so supportive when I was first learning how to encapsulate and we were all just professionals networking and supporting each other online. When APPA was founded I knew I needed to be a part of this organization and didn’t waste any time doing so! I was the second graduate. 🙂
I chose to renew because I often hear scary stories of other people not using proper protocols and techniques. I worry about safety so I want to stay up on all the latest and greatest information to make sure we are always practicing safely. Everyone has always been so great to work with!”
How has your affiliation and certification with APPA benefitted you and your practice?
“APPA challenges me to continually improve my process and consider better ways to doing this work. Being part of APPA also provides so much support if I do every have questions about running a business that provides this service.”
Anne’s advice to anyone considering becoming a Placenta Services Provider-
“My advice would be to join APPA and get certified. It’s an intensive program but it is extremely worth it. Running a business is no joke and in order to be successful it’s important to put in the time and effort to really succeed.”
Thanks, Anne! We are so grateful for your membership and so proud of all your accomplishments. Keep up the great work with all you do to serve and support new and growing families. We can’t wait to see what the future holds for you.
To Learn more about Anne and her practice, be sure to visit her website- Bywater Birth, or on Facebook- www.facebook.com/bywaterbirth
