9 Celebrities Who Consumed Their Placentas For “Life Changing” Postpartum Benefits

Even now, consuming your placenta after birth is considered pretty woo-woo by mainstream media, to say the least. While many new moms tout the laundry list of supposed benefits of consuming their placentas, others might react with abject horror at the thought. 

Us Weekly recently published a star-studded list of celebrity moms who have consumed their placentas. Some might surprise you, some not so much, but no matter the reason, these moms swear by the advantages and merits of placenta consumption post-birth.

To Eat or Not To Eat

Placentophagy, or the process of consuming your placenta after birth, is said by many to have tons of benefits. However, according to the Mayo Clinic, placentophagy may be considered dangerous due to bacteria within the placenta, which can pose a risk of infection for moms and breastfed babies. 

Moms who swear by placentophagy claim that it lowers the risk of postpartum depression, increases postpartum energy and milk supply, decreases pain and insomnia, and shortens the overall postpartum recovery period. Additional benefits include what some describe as a better bonding experience with their baby, as well as an immune system boost, due to the high levels of vitamins and nutrients the placenta contains. Some moms choose to eat the placenta raw or cooked, in smoothies, in supplement-like capsules, or dehydrated in powder form.

Bekah Martinez

Bachelor contestant Bekah Martinez eventually found her Mr. Right after being sent home by Arie Luyendyk, Jr. during Season 22 (to be honest, is he anyone’s Mr. Right?). Bekah now shares daughter Ruth and son Franklin with boyfriend Grayston Leonard. A couple of months following Ruth’s birth in 2019, Bekah shared on her Instagram that she’d had her placenta encapsulated, even going so far as to say that she felt it “really improved [her] mood and milk supply.” 

The Kardashians

The jury is still out as to what Khloe did with her placenta, but both Kim and Kourtney have been pretty forthcoming about consuming theirs. After the birth of son Saint in 2015, Kim shared on her blog that she feels a “surge of energy” every time she takes a placenta capsule, and that she highly recommends it “for anyone considering it.” Kim was also extremely vocal about the difficulties she faced during her first two pregnancies, including toxemia and preeclampsia, leading her to have her youngest two children via surrogate. 

Kim Kardashian said she felt a “surge of energy” every time she took a placenta capsule.

Big sister Kourtney also opted for placenta capsules after the birth of son Reign, her last child with ex-husband Scott Disick. Kourtney called the capsules “life changing” on social media, adding that she’ll be sad when they run out and encouraging her followers to look into placentophagy for postpartum benefit. 

January Jones

Consuming your placenta is something Betty Draper would probably never do, but Mad Men actress January Jones swears that eating hers after the birth of her son helped her avoid postpartum depression. January also says that initially, she was hesitant about placentophagy, but she’s glad she did it, adding “It’s not witch-crafty or anything! I suggest it to all moms!” 

Mayim Bialik

Not only is Mayim Bialik a ‘90s icon (see: Blossom) and an award-winning actress, but the current host of Jeopardy! also holds a doctorate in neuroscience from the University of California, Los Angeles. When talking about her choice to consume her placenta, Mayim unsurprisingly took the scientific approach. In 2012, she wrote on her blog that “human beings are the only mammals that have chosen to not routinely ingest their placenta, which is consumed by every other mammal for its protein and iron-rich properties that are critical in helping the mother’s body recuperate after giving birth.” 

"Human beings are the only mammals that have chosen to not routinely ingest their placenta."

Mayim Bialik has two children, Miles and Frederick, and has also written a book on parenting titled Beyond the Sling: A Real-Life Guide to Raising Confident, Loving Children the Attachment Parenting Way which covers topics like baby-wearing, gentle discipline, and co-sleeping.

Hilary Duff

When Hilary was a guest on Dr. Berlin’s Informed Pregnancy podcast, she disclosed that she’d consumed her placenta in a smoothie after the birth of her daughter Banks in 2018. Hilary called the smoothie “calorie-filled with juice and fruit and everything delicious.” 

Kailyn Lowry

When it comes to placentophagy, the Teen Moms 2 star has tried it all. In 2013, Kailyn tweeted that she was “feeling good” following her foray into the trend with placenta capsules. In 2020, Kailyn Lowry opted for a placenta smoothie following the birth of her fourth child.

Alicia Silverstone

Alicia Silverstone has been outspoken in the past – specifically on vaccine hesitancy – but the Clueless star is also the author of The Kind Mama: A Simple Guide to Supercharged Fertility, a Radiant Pregnancy, a Sweeter Birth, and a Healthier, More Beautiful Beginning. Undoubtedly, placenta capsules are part of Alicia’s postpartum regimen, and she speaks on them at length in her book. “It got to the point that my husband said, 'Did you have your happy pills today?' And I was really sad when they were gone,” Alicia writes. “They really helped me.”

“It got to the point that my husband said, 'Did you have your happy pills today?'”

Teddi Mellencamp

Real Housewives of Beverly Hills star Teddi Mellencamp is not only mom to Cruz, Slate, and Dove, she’s also a certified nutrition and wellness coach and fitness trainer. The fit mom of three swears that placentophagy made a difference in postpartum recovery in two out of her three pregnancies. “I’m scared for them to run out,” Teddi said on her Instagram in 2020, referring to her placental capsules. “When I did them with Cruz and now when I take them with Dove, I have so much energy.”

Closing Thoughts

Whether it’s on an egg sandwich, in a smoothie, a milkshake, or outsourcing the process of placenta dehydration to a boutique company that celebrities swear by, these moms are showing us there is no right or wrong way to consume your placenta. (Some celebs, like Real Housewives of Atlanta star Kim Zolciak-Biermann, even get their husbands in on the action by sharing a placenta-infused smoothie). 

Whichever way you slice it, there’s almost something refreshing about the normalization of placentophagy. True, it’s definitely not for everyone, but if celebrity moms can be forthcoming and raw about potential treatments for postpartum struggles and the celebration of motherhood, the rest of us can as well.

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