Good enough to eat: what to do with your placenta

eating your placenta maternity and infant family

eating your placenta maternity and infant family
Don’t freak out! Eating your placenta is an actual option for new mothers. It’s called placentophagy, and we humans are the only mammals who don’t routinely eat our placenta. With many celebrities trumpeting the health effects of eating the placenta, we can’t help but have just a few questions. What are the effects of eating the placenta? What does it (gulp) taste like? Is it like liver and onions?

What is it exactly?

The placenta (also called the afterbirth) is the first organ your body develops when you conceive. It acts like a filter, providing much-needed nutrients and oxygen to your baby throughout pregnancy. It also provides the physical connection between you and your baby (other than them, you know, being inside you) and gets rid of the waste they make.

But why eat it?

Apparently eating the placenta can help with the baby blues (postpartum depression) by regulating hormones, assist with the recovery of the body after birth, and increase energy levels. It can also assist in bonding you with your baby, and if you’re breastfeeding, it can increase breast milk quality.

Okay, but who has actually eaten it?

January Jones ate her placenta after the birth of her son in 2011, saying she would advise it for all mothers. Kourtney Kardashian has also been vocal about eating her dried out and encapsulated placenta after the birth of her third child in 2012. Other celebs to partake include Alicia Silverstone, Kim Kardashian (it runs in the family) and Mayim Bialik, to name a few.

But how though?

Honestly, the thought of eating a raw body part makes me a little nauseous (and I’d rather not do a Daenerys on it) but it’s not all blood and guts apparently. Kourtney Kardashian showed a picture of her ‘placenta pills’ on Instagram, and they look like a perfectly respectable way to eat one of our internal organs. You can also make it into a smoothie, or put it on pizza without hassle (apparently).

https://www.instagram.com/p/xsZmoTE1vL/

It seems like this trend is becoming more and more popular…what do you guys think? Are you eating it, burying it or letting the doctors deal with it?

maternity & infant

Originally posted 2017-01-31 09:33:39.