A doctor has shared his concern about the rising trend of stars promoting drinking or eating placenta after giving birth, saying it's 'unsafe' for mothers to do so.
It's become very common to see celebrities sharing on social media how they ingested their placenta - or even gave it to other family members - after they've given birth.
But now a doctor is warning mums about the dangers of ingesting your placenta after giving birth, saying that there is no evidence of the benefits and that it could actually be 'harmful' for the mum.
'It's not safe! The placenta safeguards the baby from harmful substances such as heavy metals and bacteria which can accumulate', Dr Nick Fuller, an obesity expert at The University of Sydney, told The Daily Telegraph.
He added that there is no evidence that it placenta smoothies are a 'rich source of nutrition, can aid in boosting milk supply and returning the uterus to pre-pregnancy size', and that mums shouldn't rely on influencers for health advice.
'We need to stop listening to influencers for health advice — just because Kim Kardashian does something doesn't mean we should! Zoe Marshall is the latest to post and write about her experience at birth. But should we really be consuming our placenta after giving birth? Quite simply, no!', Dr Nick said.
His comments come after Zoe Marshall, wife of professional rugby league footballer Benji Marshall, posted a picture of herself drinking part of her placenta following the birth of her first baby earlier this year.
Alongside the picture on Instagram, she wrote: 'This is me with my placenta in a shake.. a small piece of fresh placenta blended with banana and berries and yes I drank it! Thank you @georgiejhet for bringing it so promptly. Gotta have that fresh placenta. I also got Georgie to make me placenta capsules, a tincture and an essence to take post natal. I think this needs a blog post. I will get @georgiejhet to share all the reasons why it’s important to consume your placenta #placenta #postnatal.'
In the UK, Danielle Lloyd sparked controversy when she posted on social media a picture of her placenta made into pills, moisturiser and face cream, just days after giving birth to her fourth son in September.
After welcoming her third child, Kit, Coleen Rooney also revealed that she was 'looking forward' to eating her placenta pills, while Amy Childs revealed shortly after becoming a mum for the first time that she was turning her placenta into pills and face cream.
Kim Kardashian West is another celebrity who's been vocal about ingesting her placenta after giving birth to her second child Saint, saying that she was hoping it would keep the 'baby blues' away.
Writing on her blog at the time, she explained: 'I really didn’t want the baby blues and thought 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.' Did you or would you eat your placenta after giving birth? Let us know your thoughts in the comments section!
