Kailyn Lowry is known for making nontraditional choices, but her latest one might’ve just been the craziest of all.
After giving birth to her fourth son, Creed, on July 30, Kailyn had the placenta encapsulated for consumption. Yes, consumption- she ingested her placenta, a practice that’s catching on among some new mothers.
Kailyn discussed the idea on Instagram
Kailyn took to Instagram to talk about the process of placenta encapsulation.
“Not only did Callie encapsulate my placenta, she made me a smoothie too and I noticed I had more energy pretty quickly after I drank it!” Kail explained.
The Callie she’s referring to is Callie Landis, the founder of Lancaster Placenta Co. According to Callie, placenta encapsulation is “a process where a whole placenta is transformed into pills that can be taken #postpartum for several weeks to months. It’s one of a few different ways women choose to consume their #placenta but it’s by far the most popular.”
In addition to placenta pills, Callie can turn placentas into tinctures, balms, keepsakes, or- in Kail’s case- smoothies. Callie documented the full process of encapsulating Kailyn’s placenta in a video that is now up on Kail’s Youtube channel.
Kailyn recommended Callie’s services to her followers, saying, “I was so excited to partner with @lancasterplacentaco for my placenta encapsulation! Callie was AMAZING, so knowledgeable and friendly as well. I highly recommend her company if you’re even thinking about encapsulation!?”
The Teen Mom 2 star even shared a discount code for her fans to use.
Why???
If you’re thinking the whole process sounds a bit disgusting, you’re not alone. Many of Kail’s followers weren’t into the idea of placenta encapsulation.
“Animals eat their placenta to cover the smell to predators. It is nothing but waste and toxins, ?” one follower commented.
Another fan thought pictures would speak louder than words and simply posted “???” emojis.
Nevertheless, Kail stood behind her decision to consume her placenta.
According to Callie, 99% of her clients say that they would go through the process again. She says that there is an abundance of anecdotal evidence on the benefits of placenta consumption, including increased energy and improved mood.
Scientifically, there is very little evidence one way or another about whether placentophagy- the scientific name for eating a placenta- is beneficial, harmful, or neutral.
Some doctors strongly oppose the practice, and there has been at least one recorded case of a baby developing neonatal sepsis after his mother ingested placenta capsules.
Teen Mom 2 returns to MTV on September 10.