Women trying to recover from postpartum depression are taking pills made of their own placenta. The pills are meant to help the body avoid a hormonal crash after pregnancy.
The practice is common in eastern culture, but it's still considered alternative in western medicine.
Mother of three Tamara Guida tried it after her midwife suggested it and had such a positive experience she started a business to help other women turn their placentas into pills.
"After my second daughter Blake was born, I took the pills right away. Tamara got the pills back to me within 24 hours of her birth, and I started taking them immediately and I had no baby blues. A lot of the home remedies that people use, you know, just come from their moms or their grandmas, and this is just another one of those," said Guida.
"The small amount of research out there says if things are healthy at the time of delivery and this is the route you take, there's probably no side effects to it," said Dr. Diana Baca, OB-GYN.
Most hospitals are on board with this. However, you need to tell them what you're planning in advance so they can preserve the placenta properly.
