Being a new mom is a tough job, what with the crying and the pooping and the lack of sleep, but some women in South Florida are turning to a new mother's little helper that they swear is better than it sounds.

It's called placenta encapsulation, and though the preparation of the pills may be the grossest thing around, new mothers insist they help them beat the postpartum blues.

"I didnt have any depression after my baby was born, the nutrients helped to balance my hormones and make me feel good," said new mom Ahuva Gamliel.

The process of making the digestible pills is nauseating.

"What I do is clean it, then I steam it, then it takes six hours to dry in the dehydrator," said Naeemah Jones, a certified placenta encapsulation specialist based in Hallandale. "I grind it up with my bullet."

Jones' services cost about $175, and that includes in-home service.

South Floridian Natasha Stoute gave birth to little Khloe on the fourth of July, and a few days later she hired Jones to do her magic. Stoute had a C-section at Memorial Regional, where she says the staff were more than willing to let her leave with the placenta.

"I had to sign a release form and then they put it in a bucket and went 'There's your placenta, there you go,'" Stoute said.

Stoute is just one mother who said the pills give comfort during a tough transition to motherhood.

"I just had a lot of being very overwhelmed and anxious and emotional," Stoute said.  

After Julie O'Sullivan gave birth to daughter Crystal, she decided to try the pills for a few weeks, and she loved the results.

"I felt like the bleeding was minimal and my skin was fabulous," O'Sullivan said.

Though mothers are raving, local hospitals aren't exactly excited at the placenta-popping trend. A spokesperson from South Miami Hospital said all hospitals in the Babtist Health System have a policy of not giving placentas back to women for infection control reasons.

The American College of Obstetricians and Gynecologists wouldn't comment on the practice, and though the state doesn't regulate the practice, Jones says there's nothing to worry about.

"It's like my clients hired me as a chef, so I'm just in there cooking in their kitchen so they have nothing to say about that," Jones said.