Before I dive into this unique story, let me give you a quick biology lesson.
According to Mayo Clinic, "the placenta is an organ that develops in your uterus during pregnancy." It's attached to the wall of the uterus, and it's where the umbilical cord forms.
The placenta provides oxygen and nutrients for the baby and removes waste products from their blood. A lot of parents decide to take the placenta home with them for various reasons. Some people encapsulate it into pill form and take it as a supplement, some people plant it, and some people even create art from it!
Ariana and Manny Luna recently welcomed their first child into the world — a baby girl named Kehlani — and decided to create a painting out of her placenta.
They told BuzzFeed that they first came across the painting idea on YouTube. "At first, it seemed a little weird because I had never seen it or heard of it," Ariana said. "But it's such a beautiful thing once you really understand that you're looking at the organ that literally took care of your little one."
Some TikTok users were really supportive in the comments.
Others were grossed out.
And a few people didn't know how to feel about it.
"It was not messy nor smelly like you might think," Ariana and Manny said about the art project. "It was a beautiful experience."
