January Jones returned to the set of Mad Men just seven weeks after giving birth to her first child, but found an unusual way of building up her strength. The actress, 34, opted to chomp on her own placenta in order to maximise her energy levels while shooting season five of the show, which premiered on Sunday (March 25, 2012).
The actress told People magazine that returning to work was "tough" to begin with, but falling back into a routine helped with raising her baby-boy Xander. She said, "I have a great doula who makes sure I'm eating well, with vitamins and teas, and with placenta capsulation", later explaining that the process involves the placenta getting "dehydrated and made into vitamins". Eating a placenta is becoming more common with mother's looking to build up their energy after a birth, and January said, "It's something I was very hesitant about, but we're the only mammals who don't ingest our own placentas.It's not witchcrafty or anything! I suggest it to all moms!".
Jones, who plays Betty Draper on AMC's critically acclaimed series, has never revealed the identity of her son's father.