Having a baby? Maybe considering eating the placenta? By now most women whether they're expecting or not has heard about a celebrity, friend, or (in some women's minds) crazy person raving about the immense benefits of consuming their own placenta. As in eating it.

Okay, we don't mean sitting down at the kitchen table and dipping it in ketchup. Although, a expectant woman could do that if she wanted to!

It's starting to become more commonplace for women to ingest their placenta after they have a baby. Many new moms swear by the incredible benefits of eating this organ that worked so hard for them during those long nine months. It appears to have a multitude of benefits from increasing milk production to helping with depression and so much more.

The placenta is an organ that grows as it does its job to nourish the growing baby in our belly. It is quite the extraordinary organ. After having a baby, the placenta no longer is useful, and the body expels it. This is referred to as the after birth. We do actually birth the placenta. And then, some people eat it.

There is some science behind eating the placenta. As far as an animal stand point (and we as humans are technically animals), many mammals like us eat their placenta. The placenta is chock full of nutrients, and it's believed by some that by consuming the placenta after giving birth, we can take full reign of those benefits.

12 The Placenta Is Made Up Of Dense Nutrients

During pregnancy, the placenta develops inside the uterus. Its job is to provide the growing baby with nourishment during those long nine months, as well as waste elimination and oxygen. Some like to joke it is also a nice pillow for the baby! However, the placenta does serve an incredibly important purpose, one that without it, the baby would not be able to survive.

The placenta is comprised of a variety of vitamins and minerals, such as potassium, iron, zinc, calcium, copper, magnesium, as well as fiber and protein. Seems like something healthy, right? This is one theory as to why some believe the placenta is, and always was, meant to be ingested by the new mother after she has given birth.

11 Placenta Can Contain Stress Hormones

The process of ingesting the placenta, although around for centuries perhaps, is relatively new in our modern world. The idea of eating a bodily organ is strange to many, and some find it downright disgusting. Yet, it seems there are many health benefits to ingesting your placenta after you give birth.

Scientists and researchers who are interested in this concept have been studying it and learning more about it as it gains in popularity. There could be some risks, they say. After all, you are ingesting an organ, your own body's tissue.

For those women that have preeclampsia, the placenta could contain stress proteins, but again, there is no research on how this could affect a new mother. Basically, it seems there may not be many side effects for some, but scientists will continue to study this topic.

10 Placenta Pills Are The Easiest Way To Eat The Placenta For Mom

When some think of eating the placenta, they picture the mother giving birth, holding the newborn baby, and then having the doctor hand them their placenta to begin chomping down on. These thoughts can make women squeamish and they're justified in their beliefs.

Encapsulation of the placenta is becoming more and more of a common practice. Pregnant women, even some celebrities, are starting to look into this sought after practice. They are beginning to believe that there really is something to ingesting their placenta, especially if all it involves is taking a pill.

The way the pill is made is that the placenta is steamed and dehydrated. It is then ground up and put into a pill capsule.

Many women aren't able to stomach the flavor of the placenta whether it's raw or cooked. Taking a fork and knife to your placenta in order to ingest it is actually not quite the norm for human beings who wish to benefit from ingesting their placenta.

9 Some Women Will Be Protected From Postpartum Depression

Postpartum depression is scary. It can affect many brand new mothers, no matter how thrilled they are to have a newborn baby or if they have ever had depression before, it can hit anyone. Postpartum depression is when a new mother becomes seriously depressed after having a baby.

She may also have insomnia, no appetite, and perhaps the worst of all- have incredible trouble bonding with her new baby, when this period of time following birth is essential mother and child bonding time.

Proponents of Placentophagia, ingesting your placenta, believe it can have remarkable benefits in fighting off post partum depression. The placenta has all kinds of nutrients, vitamins, and minerals.

Some are important in helping the hormone balance of new moms as well, and that is the reason many say all new moms, especially those prone to suffering from depression, should ingest their placenta after giving birth.

8 A Connection Between Eating The Placenta And Milk Production

Most expecting mothers and new moms are told that breastfeeding is the best for the baby. Some women choose to not breastfeed for a variety of reasons, and still have healthy babies. Some new moms attempt to breastfeed and struggle, either because of poor milk supply or some other type of issue.

We know there are tons of nutrients in the placenta. It helps our babies grow in the womb, after all! While researchers are still learning about the benefits of ingesting the placenta, there seems to be a connection regarding a new mother's breast milk.

It seems that when taking a placenta pill, or simply eating your placenta, the protein and lactose in your breast milk may increase, giving your baby a healthy boost. It also is thought to increase a mother's milk supply.

7 Some Women Get An Energy Boost

All new moms need an energy boost, right?! You got no sleep when you were uncomfortably pregnant, and that lack of zzz's continues as you have to wake to feed your crying baby every few hours. It is exhausting just thinking about it!

Well, proponents of ingesting your placenta swear by its ability to give a much need boost to your energy level, that will remain as long as you continue to snack on your placenta (or take the pills!)

The placenta is an amazing organ, and full of health boosting nutrients that help your baby grow and develop in the womb, and also can assist mom's well being after baby is born. That is if you eat your placenta.

One of the spectacular benefits seems to be the thyroid stimulating hormone that is part of the placenta. When a woman eats her placenta, she receives an energy boost.

6 No Two Placentas Provide The Same Level Of Nutrients

As women, our bodies can do amazing things, there is no doubt about that! But the placenta is truly an extraordinary organ. It is an organ scientists continue to study, as there is still much unknown about it. A new placenta grows with each pregnancy, and our bodies know to expel the placenta after the baby is born.

That is pretty cool in and of itself.

And because a new placenta grows with each pregnancy, that means that each placenta contains different levels of nutrients. So even if a woman becomes pregnant over again, her placenta won't contain the same level of hormones and nutrients her first one did.

Interestingly, when foreign objects (and even organ transplants) enter our body, our immune system kicks into high gear and will (is supposed to) attack that foreign object. However, our immune system does not even attempt to attack the placenta. This is so incredible, that scientists are using the placenta as a base to study cancer.

5 Home Births And Placentophagia Have Become Linked In Recent Years

During the 1970s, a woman who gave birth in a community setting is believed to have been one of this first women to eat her own placenta in recent times. In the years and decades to follow, placenta ingestion by new mothers began to be more popular, and perhaps even trendy, at least during the last few years.

Typically, women who choose to eat their placenta (by whatever means they decide) and women who have home births, are correlated. Meaning, it seems more women who have home births also choose to eat their placenta. These women opt for a more non-medical setting.

Going back to their roots, so to speak. Like the way it used to be. Researchers are interested in this and why this segment of the population believes this to be a great idea.

4 The Chinese Believe The Placenta Contains Anti-Aging Benefits

Scientists were somewhat shocked as they found out that placentophagy was common in Chinese traditional medicine. Placentophagy has been in use in China from as far back as over 600 years ago. Traditionally it was the men who took placenta that was dried and turned into medicine, to boost their energy. Research is ongoing.

What did the Chinese medicine men know hundreds of years ago that we need to know today? Well they believe it has anti-aging benefits. The Ming Dynasty used eating the placenta as a way to extend their life expectancy.

Lately in China, the trend of eating a placenta has come to a fever pitch and people are selling placenta capsules on the black market. Rich and famous are eating placenta pills whether they've recently had a baby, or whether they are a man or a woman.

3 Placentas Are About A Sixth Of The Size Of The Baby

At birth, the placenta is usually 9 inches long and weighs just over a pound. The placenta is usually shaped like a big circle with the thickest part being in the center being as thick as 1 inch.

Of course as with everything pregnancy, each woman's placenta is different, so some women will have larger placentas and others might have smaller placentas.

Because the placentas are nutrient dense, and they supply the baby with everything they need to survive the size of a placenta does matter. If the placenta isn't able to do it's job due to it's size, it can put the pregnancy at risk.

And some medial professionals worry about the possibility of the placenta being contaminated which can cause mom to get sick if she eats it.

2 Animals Eat Their Placenta For Health Reasons

Placentophagia, in other words, the process of eating the placenta is quite common with animals. In fact, many mammals who live on land partake in the consumption of the placenta. Humans are also land mammals, yet we do not regularly take part in the practice of eating our afterbirth.

Interestingly enough, neither do camels.

They must know, or have the instinct, that their afterbirth is to be eaten and that doing so serves a purpose. Some of the reasons scientists believe animals eat their placenta is due to the safety of their young. Eating the placenta stops the scent of blood in the air, and attracting predators.

Part of eating the afterbirth includes cleaning their young, so it's also a grooming thing, and a bonding experience as well. Lastly, eating the placenta allows animals to get an extra amount of nutrients and hormones they need to begin healing.

1 Some Women Suffer From The Placebo Effect

Many researchers claim there is no scientific evidence that ingesting your placenta will give you any of the benefits we have discussed. They say that while it is certainly possible, nothing is scientifically proven just yet. After all, this placentophagia is new to our current generation of moms.

It is gaining more status and popularity, which will keep scientists on their toes as they continue to study.

However, researchers do say that eating the placenta can give a woman all those wonderful benefits, such as an energy boost or staving off post partum depression. But... it is not the placenta that is giving the benefit, it is mind over matter. That is, the placebo effect.

A woman takes the placenta pill, for example, truly believing it is really helping her, and it is that belief that is causing her changes or happiness, not the actual pill.