Hilary Duff gave birth to her second child, Banks Violet, in October, and she went full hippie this time around. Not only did she give birth to Banks at home in a tub, but afterward, she ate her own placenta.
Placenta-eating is a growing trend among health-conscious moms. Advocates say the placenta prevents postpartum depression and post-birth bleeding, among other health benefits. So Hilary opted to try it out.
The 31-year-old's placenta was frozen into cubes after birth. Ten days later, she blended the organ ice cubes with berries and fruit juice. She says it was delicious and "calorie-filled."
"It was the most delightful smoothie I’ve ever had," Hilary said in an episode of Dr. Elliott Berlin's Informed Pregnancy podcast. "I haven’t had a smoothie that delightful since I was 10."
Hilary says her partner, Matthew Koma, supported her natural approach to childbirth. Hilary also has an older son, Luca Cruz, with ex-husband Mike Comrie.
Hilary Duff just welcomed her second child, Banks Violet, into the world in October.
For her second birth, Hilary wanted to go all natural. She had Banks at home in a tub full of water, with no drugs.
And after the birth, she took the natural approach a step further and ate her own placenta, a practice that's becoming increasingly popular among open-minded mamas. The placenta reportedly provides health benefits to moms, including the prevention of postpartum depression and post-birth bleeding.
There are many ways to eat a placenta, but Hilary's choice is definitely among the least squeamish — she put it into a smoothie.
The actress and singer opened up about it in an interview on Dr. Berlin's Informed Pregnancy podcast.
"It was the most delightful smoothie I've ever had," Hilary said in the interview. "I haven't had a smoothie that delicious since I was 10. It was calorie-filled with juice and fruit and everything delicious."
(Side note — you gotta love that Hilary remembers the exact year of her last delicious smoothie.)
Hilary drank the smoothie 10 days after giving birth to Banks. The placenta was first frozen into ice cubes, then combined with berries and fruit juice.
Hilary says she made the decision to go all natural with Banks after her experience giving birth to her older son, Luca Cruz, 6.
"I just started thinking that I wanted a different experience. I’m older now — I love motherhood more than anything," Hilary said on a previous episode of Dr. Berlin's podcast. "I never thought it could be this way. I never thought I could be so happy and so fulfilled.”
“And I thought to myself that I want to get the full experience of what it is to bring a baby into the world and how incredible our bodies are," she continued.
She's been incredibly open about the experience this time around, even sharing a snap of herself breastfeeding Banks on her Instagram story.
Hilary isn't the only celebrity mom who has openly discussed eating her placenta. Chrissy Teigen did the same, as did Kim Kardashian West and Alicia Silverstone.
In addition to making a placenta smoothie, moms can choose to have their placenta made into easy-to-take capsules, or even eat the placenta raw after delivery.
The practice is, not surprisingly, pretty controversial among both moms and doctors. Some doctors warn that there are risks to eating the placenta, which could be contaminated with bacteria, and that there are no clinically proven benefits.
On the other hand, other birthing experts say eating placenta can improve a new mom's mood and energy, increase milk production, and reduce pain and bleeding.
And hey, mama knows best.
