Mothers Putting Themselves And Baby At Risk With Crazy Placenta 'Witchcraft'

Placenta products for babies labelled ‘extremely dangerous’ as mothers turn to alternative therapies.

In a move that is shaking medical professionals to their core, Australian mothers are steeping their placenta in brandy and feeding the frankly disturbing concoction to their babies as a cure for irritability and teething. Likened to ‘witchcraft’ the practice has copped criticism from doctors due to the toxic impact it could have on a baby’s brain The Courier Mail reports.

Probably A Bad Idea

The popularity of placenta products has risen in recent years, in part thanks to celebrity culture, with influencers such as the Kardashians and January Jones endorsing the practice. They claim that it reduces pain, improves mood, increases milk production and may even have anti-aging properties, but two centuries of modern medicine has resulted in the conclusion that it is probably a bad idea to eat your placenta. There are simply no scientific studies that support it and there is a proven risk of infection, with an Oregon mother passing on a deadly blood infection to her breastfeeding baby caused by taking placenta capsules.

Discouraging the Practice

One recent study published in a medical journal said “Because placentophagy is potentially harmful with no documented benefit, counseling women should be directive: physicians should discourage this practice,” it states. “Health care organisations should develop clear clinical guidelines to implement a scientific and professional approach to human placentophagy.” Basically, ingesting your placenta or giving it to your baby is a risk that isn’t worth taking, but we’re sure that won’t discourage many from continuing with the practice.

As medical expert and reality TV star Kim Kardashian said, “I can’t go wrong with taking a pill made of my own hormones – made by me, for me. I started researching and read about so many moms who felt this same way and said the overall healing process was so much easier.”

We respect that everybody is entitled to their own opinion, but we think anything that could be potentially harmful to your baby just isn’t worth the possible benefits.

Would you ingest your placenta or give it to your baby? Tell us in the comments.

61 Comments

- - mom152736 said
  - 25 Oct 2019
    9:10 am
nope…researched it more on the web. NO way .

- - Ellen said
  - 25 Oct 2019
    8:36 am
No thanks

- - mom245659 said
  - 25 Oct 2019
    12:02 am
Yuck, no thanks. I’ve seen my guinea pigs eat the placenta after giving birth and it’s a bit sickening to watch. They have a good reason to do it, we as humans don’t. Just because some crazy celebrity does something weird doesn’t mean others need to copy them.

- - mom265671 said
  - 24 Oct 2019
    11:57 pm
Nope, it leaves your body for a reason!

- - Mum2archer said
  - 24 Oct 2019
    11:32 pm
Nope I couldn’t do this! It grosses me out too much

- - mom152736 said
  - 24 Oct 2019
    9:05 pm
Oh noooo… No way! Not done this and not going to do it anyway.

- - BellaB said
  - 24 Oct 2019
    7:13 pm
Nope. As you say, not worth the risk. And kinda gross.

- - ashna9 said
  - 24 Oct 2019
    5:48 pm
I didn’t use my placenta at all afterwards. I don’t really get the appeal of it?

- - mummaonmatleave said
  - 24 Oct 2019
    4:07 pm
Just the thought of this makes me feel ill. Unless there’s medical research and it’s encouraged by my obstetrician then I think I might pass….

- - mom81879 said
  - 24 Oct 2019
    3:26 pm
To be honest, just thinking about this makes me want to hurl. I know what the placenta does, I realise it has potential health benefits, but I couldn’t digest it myself. Nor could I feed it to my baby, steeped in brandy, what do they think the brandy will do to bub?!?!

- - mom323673 said
  - 24 Oct 2019
    3:16 pm
Ummmm what? And who is doing this? I wouldn’t take that myself let alone to my baby!!

- - curlytops said
  - 24 Oct 2019
    3:15 pm
Personally I could not eat it. Alcohol to baby’s is harmful full stop!

- - mom330666 said
  - 24 Oct 2019
    3:13 pm
Defenetly no….

- - Blossom said
  - 07 Dec 2018
    10:04 pm
Animals eat the placenta of their young. Do they actually feed it their babies??? Some mothers process it for consumption for themselves. This is the first I’ve heard of them giving it to their babies

- - rachel1970 said
  - 30 Nov 2018
    5:31 pm
I know its a common thing to do within certain cultures. Now it’s becoming the “trendy” thing to do. I couldn’t do it. Makes me feel sick just thinking about it.

- - mom101628 said
  - 27 Nov 2018
    9:49 pm
I heard so many people objecting to breast feeding their babies because they felt like a cow, and now this? Animals eat the placenta of their young, not because it is a nutritious thing to do, but because it stops predators from realizing and then finding a new born. I thought humans had risen above the animal instincts they were born with, don’t remember hearing wondrous stories of the Kardashians breast-feeding, so I would through this idea out along with the trashy Kardashians.
- Ellen replied
  
  25 Oct 2019 , 8:42 am
  Very true !
- - littlehandsofmine said
  - 27 Nov 2018
    8:44 pm
I know this is somewhat common but I can’t bring myself to do this

- - MrsA said
  - 27 Nov 2018
    2:33 pm
I know someone who did it because it is supposed to protect against PND, well she got PND. I wouldn’t ever consider it.
- MrsA replied
  
  27 Nov 2018 , 2:33 pm
  Obviously I mean the capsule part, not the brandy part. I don’t know anyone who would do that.
- - mom111059 said
  - 27 Nov 2018
    9:59 am
Not something I would ever consider.

- - mom325275 said
  - 27 Nov 2018
    9:06 am
This actually sounds pretty disgusting to ingest even though it’s been made in a capsule form..