If you have ever had the pleasure of watching an animal, such as a cow, dog or cat give birth – then you have probably also witnessed the not so pleasurable act of these animals eating their afterbirth. In nature, the birthing mother almost always ingests some or all of the afterbirth. With humans of course, the afterbirth and placenta are collected and sampled and shipped off and most mothers don’t even get to see this part of the childbirth.