Former Hallmark actress Danica McKellar, 51, candidly opened up in an interview with Bobby Bones on his “Bobby Bones Presents: The BobbyCast” podcast, revealing that after giving birth to her son, Draco, 15, in September 2010, she ate her placenta.
“My doula said, ‘Do you want to taste the placenta?’ I’d just given birth,” McKellar recalled. The actress noted that after giving birth, “you’re not in your right mind,” adding, “And I’m like, ‘Sure.’”
“She gave me a piece of it,” the Great American Family actress added before telling Bones, “It was like the best filet mignon that I have ever tasted. But more.”
Danica McKellar Says She Was ‘Embarrassed’ About Liking the Taste of Her Placenta
McKellar went on to admit that she was embarrassed about enjoying the taste of her placenta, despite its health benefits. “I was embarrassed about how much I loved it,” she shared. “It was bizarre. I thought, ‘What is this, some sort of weird satanic?’”
During her personal moment of honesty, the “Dancing with the Stars” celebrity said that although she wasn’t in her right mind when she agreed to eat her placenta, she soon realized it wasn’t abnormal. “We are meant to have that,” she said.
According to the Cleveland Clinic, the benefits of eating your placenta after giving birth include pain relief, an increase in breast milk production and a lesser likelihood of having postpartum depression.
In the last few decades, women eating their placenta, which is the vital organ where a uterus develops, has become a recognized tradition. Often, with careful handling due to safety concerns, placentas are blended into smoothies or transformed into pill form known as placenta encapsulation, “meaning the organ is dried, powdered and turned into pills taken by mouth,” according to the Cleveland Clinic.
Danica McKellar Fans Share Stories of Eating Their Placentas After Birth
A recording of McKellar’s placenta comments from the podcast was shared on Bones’ Instagram account, where he thanked McKellar for being open about such a vulnerable moment. “I appreciate the openness. The generosity of her stories,” Bones wrote. “And the vulnerability from the whole episode. But especially here.”
Fans poured into the comments to share their own stories of eating their placentas after birth and to thank McKellar for raising awareness of its rarity.
“I encapsulated mine no postpartum and amazing milk supply,” wrote one.
“I encapsulated mine with my second and my post partum depression was non existent!❤️🙌,” shared another.
“Other mammals eat their own placentas…. Just saying,” a third noted.
