January Jones of Madmen Does What?

Okay, so I'm noticing tons of stories online today about Madmen because of their season 5 premiere. It is a long awaited and satisfying continuation of the popular story. Don Draper has turned the dreaded 40 years old and has remarried. Joan has had her baby. The new ad agency is still in business. The show is back and likely to continue on for at least a few more seasons, making Mad Men fans extremely happy.

However, amidst all these many Mad Men headlines, one jumped out at me and made me say out loud, "January Jones is doing what?" The headline reads, "Mad Men star January Jones eats her own placenta to maintain energy on set." Wow! Okay. Now I vaguely remember hearing of women doing this, and everyone is free to make their own choices when it comes to their health. However, this headline mixed among all the others just really took me aback.

It seems like Jones went back to work less than two months after having her baby, and she decided this was a good thing to do to keep her energy levels up while she was working. She says her doula (or labor coach) suggested this as a technique to get through long hours of activity so quickly after giving birth.

Fortunately, the practice is not as gross as it at first sounded to me. The placenta has been dehydrated and made into capsules that she takes along with her daily vitamins and teas. And it apparently took some convincing to get her to consider it in the first place. When the doula explained to her that all other mammals eat their placenta and that there are various health benefits to be gained from it, she finally accepted the idea.

Jones says she realizes she is opening herself up to scrutiny and wisecracks at her expense by engaging in the practice, especially since her Mad Men character is such a cold mother with no redeemable mothering skills. She assures everyone that her own qualities as a mother are far removed from her onscreen character.