New mom Christina Anstead joins other celebs in eating placenta, declares it's 'working'

A week since she gave birth to her son, Christina Anstead shared that she's helped along postpartum by her placenta.

In her Instagram Story over the weekend, the HGTV star showed a bottle of gray placenta encapsulation pills.

"First time I’ve tried it — and I think these placenta encapsulation (pills) are working," she wrote over a photo in which son Hudson London sleeps in a bassinet in the background.

Exactly how it's working is unclear, but Anstead has plenty of celebrity mom company.

Hilary Duff, Chrissy Teigen, Kim Kardashian West, Katherine Heigl, Alicia Silverstone and January Jones have all ingested their placentas, either in pill form, smoothies or by some other method. (Tacos, alcohol-mixed drinks and truffles are the methods other moms choose.)

You can, but should you?

The placenta is the organ shared between mother and child that provides nutrients and support to the fetus. Proponents of eating after it has served that purpose say it can boost mood and energy in new moms. It also is said to reduce pain and increase milk production.

The American College of Obstetricians and Gynecologists has no opinion on placenta eating.

"ACOG has no guidance on eating placenta because there is no real scientific data behind it," Megan Christin, the director of media relations and communications, told USA TODAY.

The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, however, says consuming placenta is dangerous for newborns. The Oregon Health Authority documented a 2016 case of an infant developing late-onset group B Streptococcus as a result of the mother ingesting contaminated placenta pills.

The CDC also stated that inadequate scientific evidence exists to back claims that consuming afterbirth is beneficial and advises against taking placenta pills because the process does not get rid of harmful pathogens, like salmonella, that can make you or your baby sick.

The "Christina on the Coast" star,36, and television host husband Ant Anstead, 40, welcomed Hudson with an Instagram post the first week of September and he appears to be doing fine.

Anstead also has daughter Taylor, 9, and son Brayden, 3, with ex-husband and "Flip or Flop" co-star Tarek El Moussa. Ant has a son and daughter from his first marriage.

Contributing: Rasha Ali

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This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: HGTV star Christina Anstead eats placenta and says it's 'working'