Lotus Birth

[majazama]

I'm planning on doing this with this baby. I read a book on lotus birth saying that it's more of a spiritual connection to the placenta that is allowed to fall away with time. At first I thought it was kinda gross, but after reading the book and hearing about peoples stories about their very empowering experiences with lotus birth, I'm ready to try it.

Anyone else done it before or planning on it?

[tcooper]

I think it is a cool idea, but I would rather put the placenta to use. I am having mine encapsulated. I just can't see tossing it after the lotus (even planting it in the garden). It has done all that work for me and my baby I would like to continue to honor it.

[chase_mommy]

but I also plan on making a placental tincture out of it too... I may bury the cord and plant something over it though. My family thinks I am crazy.

[Jlse]

We have had 2 semi-lotus births in that we waited til the second day or so. The first birth the cord fell off within that two days so was very quick. The second it took much longer and we clamped and cut the cord more for our convienance and travel. We don't have lots of visitors and family lives too far away so that wasn't an issue. We are planning to do a lotus birth again - don't really have strong feelings about it but it does feel more peaceful and certainly keeps us resting more. I will say the cord feels cool when nursing skin to skin and the cloth diapers I had went too high so used disposable diapers for that time - but my babies are small (7lbs or under) so that may not be an issue for you.

It is certainly something you can decide and then change your mind about after a few hours.

[Amynf1]

I'm going to eat mine so I need it I like the spiritual aspect of lotus birth but I had a pretty bad case of PPD the first time, so I feel like I need the placenta more than the baby does and baby needs a level headed mama more than it needs the placenta. I feel good, it's being put to good use either way.

[jennica]

I was thinking about it, but had a severe postpartum mood disorder last time so am more vulnerable to that this time. Therefore I will be encapsulating the placenta - though the benefits of doing this are just anecdotal at this point, I feel it makes strong evolutionary sense. However, I think we will be waiting a few hours to cut the cord. It is really important to me that we decide as a family when to cut it and are all involved in the process. With Ds it was clamped and cut and I didn't even see it happen.

[majazama]

I prepared my DD2's placenta with the dehydrating, grinding it up and encapsulating it.. but I never ended up using it. I didn't have PPD with her because it was a very peaceful unhindered UC. I ended up giving the dried placenta to the garden. I actually did not digest the placenta very well, and think it was partly because of my diet in pregnancy.

Also, part of the idea with lotus birth is that the placenta is the baby's. It's it's companion, it's pillow, it's air and food engine. The idea is that baby's should be allowed to let go of the placenta when they are ready. In some cultures they say it's the baby's other half.. as they were once just a few cells; together with it. I just see how fascinated my girls are with the umbilical cord and the placenta.. there is something very sacred about the placenta.

I would only eat the placenta again if I was super healthy before and during the pregnancy (like all organic foods, spring water, that sorta thing).. the placenta is like a liver, it filters the blood, so I think that it gets a lot of toxins in there, unless one is super healthy.

that being said, I have heard that you can preserve your placenta in a cooler with ice, and still do a lotus birth.

[imhavingababy]

I'm thinking of encapsulating my placenta as well...I've only heard/read positive things about eating your placenta. Does anyone know of any negative side effects of doing this?

[craft_media_hero]

Originally Posted by majazama

that being said, I have heard that you can preserve your placenta in a cooler with ice, and still do a lotus birth.

Yes, I have heard that, too. You just pack it into a little iced lunchbox cooler and keep it cold til the cord detaches and then you are able to encapsulate it still.


I don't think we're doing the lotus birth . . . I'd like to in a way as a method of saying, this is our time together before the baby is revealed to the world and not take any visitors til the cord detaches. But I just don't see it really happening. A friend has offered to encapsulate the placenta for me.

We will definitely be doing delayed cord cutting, though. I want to nurse and cuddle with the baby with placenta attached for quite a while before we clamp it and cut the cord.

[FloridaBorn]

Save the placenta in Florida in the summer time? No.

I will be encapsulating it.

[jennica]

Originally Posted by majazama

I didn't have PPD with her because it was a very peaceful unhindered UC.

You might be confusing PPD with Postpartum PTSD. PPD is a biologically based depression and has nothing to do with how good the birth experience was. Postpartum PTSD on the other hand is the postpartum mood disorder that follows a traumatic birth. It's an important distinction to make, and many women with natural beautiful births can develop PPD.

That being said, placenta encapsulation is not just to prevent PPD, it is also gives the body back essential nutrients. Our species evolved eating our placentas. There is no reason to believe they hold onto toxins either. It feeds the baby, and it wouldn't work very well if it was storing toxins.

[majazama]

Originally Posted by jennica

You might be confusing PPD with Postpartum PTSD. PPD is a biologically based depression and has nothing to do with how good the birth experience was. Postpartum PTSD on the other hand is the postpartum mood disorder that follows a traumatic birth. It's an important distinction to make, and many women with natural beautiful births can develop PPD.

ok, well in my experience, I suppose I had PPPTSD with my first birth, but it sure felt like PPD to me. I had a traumatic birth experience. With my second, I believe that because of my experience in birth, that I was not triggered into going "down the rabbit hole" again, KWIM? I'm saying it was this way *for me*.

Originally Posted by jennica

That being said, placenta encapsulation is not just to prevent PPD, it is also gives the body back essential nutrients. Our species evolved eating our placentas. There is no reason to believe they hold onto toxins either. It feeds the baby, and it wouldn't work very well if it was storing toxins.

For sure, I understand the reasoning behind placenta consumption. If you look back at the history on MDC of placenta threads, I actually started this thread back in 2004 http://www.mothering.com/discussions...reparation+ppd which is a major reference for many.

I don't know how a placenta could not hold toxins in our highly toxic world. It tries to protect the baby. My Dd2's placenta smelled like the "community" mayonnaise that I thought was healthy enough to eat for lunch every day, but apparently not.

[Landover]

Um.... no. I live in Georgia and can't imagine an organ hanging around in 90 degree heat until the cord rots away. Nothing spiritual there except a lot of praying that it would fall away quickly! Plus, we have lots of friends and family that will be here celebrating this newbie with us.

Seriously though, there is nothing spiritual there for me as I am a devout catholic. I will not be eating it either because of all of the "crap" that goes into my body during pregnancy. I see why animals eat it as their diets are so pure, but my placenta had to deal with medications, pesticides, and way too many skittles.

[jennica]

Originally Posted by majazama

ok, well in my experience, I suppose I had PPPTSD with my first birth, but it sure felt like PPD to me. I had a traumatic birth experience. With my second, I believe that because of my experience in birth, that I was not triggered into going "down the rabbit hole" again, KWIM? I'm saying it was this way *for me*.

Oh yeah, that makes sense. Many people who have a traumatic birth experience symptoms similar to PPD/PTSD that might not qualify as full blown PTSD. They are often misdiagnosed, or just assume, they have PPD when in fact they actually have suffered trauma and are experiencing the effects of that, or even have full blown PTSD. Also, once having PTSD, you would definitely be at risk of suffering from PPD after the next birth, since the brain has already been there so to speak. However, in general you can't avoid PPD by having a "good" birth, since it biologically based.

[Surfacing]

Lotus birth is very interesting, and it's lovely to read about how other cultures honour the placenta, and have rituals around them.

We planted dd1's placenta under a tree. I have dd2's placenta still in the freezer, 2.5 yrs later. I have been considering NOT keeping baby #3's placenta because really, I don't see when I will get a chance to plant it.

Lotus birth sounds like a very beautiful and respectful ritual. We won't be practicing it (personally I find the smell of the cord stump to be raunchy and can't imagine a whole cord and placenta hanging around - BLEH!!!!!). But if you or anyone else does it, it would be great to hear about it.

I have seen some placenta art -- people who press the placenta onto a paper to make a picture of it's size, patterns, etc. Hmmm, never considered that until now... might be a fun craft project for the 5 y.o. and 2.5 y.o. after the birth. I can just see my mother's face now....

[majazama]

Originally Posted by Surfacing

I have seen some placenta art -- people who press the placenta onto a paper to make a picture of it's size, patterns, etc. Hmmm, never considered that until now... might be a fun craft project for the 5 y.o. and 2.5 y.o. after the birth. I can just see my mother's face now....

lol!

[craft_media_hero]

Originally Posted by majazama

I don't know how a placenta could not hold toxins in our highly toxic world. It tries to protect the baby. My Dd2's placenta smelled like the "community" mayonnaise that I thought was healthy enough to eat for lunch every day, but apparently not.

EEEeeeewww! but cracking me up! Totally makes sense. I think my diet's been healthy enough to re-eat it in the placenta again Okay, maybe one too many pepsi's and a couple of take-out pizzas but really I've been super-conscious about eating lots of organic and made from scratch foods. Hardly anything pre-made or processed.



This distinction btwn PTSD and PPD is really interesting to me. As a sexual assault survivor, I suffer from ptsd and have had a few flare ups during this pregnancy, mostly triggered from outside stress or feeling like I have no control of my life. I actually was just about to mention this on the bad dream thread. Anyways, I don't remember having a ptsd episode after I had my first which was a not so peaceful hospital birth with like zero support from the father. I'm looking forward to a much more supported and loving atmosphere this time and hope that there's nothing to lead me down the rabbit hole, kwim?


Majazama, I think it's great that you're doing this. I'm looking forward to hearing about your experience after the birth.

[isras1]

Originally Posted by imhavingababy

I'm thinking of encapsulating my placenta as well...I've only heard/read positive things about eating your placenta. Does anyone know of any negative side effects of doing this?

Here is a great website that may answer your question:
Placenta Benefits

[majazama]

thx, CMH..
I hope you have a really sweet birth experience this time. :

[kettunainen]

Hi -- I just had my little guy (UC waterbirth!) and we're doing a lotus birth. I didn't read about the rosemary until yesterday and we're already at Day 11.

Here are a few things I've discovered in this journey:

We didn't opt for salt at all and I'm glad: apparently it can absorb more humidity and create a situation where rotting occurs instead of desiccation. We opted for a blend of various spices and herbs that have antibacterial, antiseptic, and astringent qualities to help draw out moisture and keep bacterial growth at bay.

As long as we change the dressing within 24 hours, there's no smell, except for the smell of what has been put on the placenta.

We didn't know about putting anything on the navel end and, if there's ever a next time, we're definitely doing that.

While it's been fabulous for giving me time to heal and chill next to the babe, it's also been rather frustrating for us: we can't effectively burp him after nursing, so there've been some gas issues, which results in a lot of crying. Not the peaceful transition I'd been hoping for.

Also, as I mentioned before, we're at Day 11, and the cord's still not ready to come off. I'm going a bit stir crazy, to be honest. And the ambient humidity in our apartment is only around 40%, so that's not really a factor. I wonder how much different it would have been had we used the ground rosemary on the navel end to help dry that out faster...

Part of the reason I chose to do a lotus birth was because I was under the impression that the intact cord falls away sooner than a cord stump. That has totally not been the case here. His brother's cord stump fell off at Day 9. Granted, it wasn't fully healed and looked really upsettingly freaky.

With the navel end being kinda ready to come off for days now, we haven't been very mobile at all for fear of aggravating his navel. I worry about him spending so much time lying down when he spent the past 9 months being moved all about in utero. And there really hasn't been much in the way of any sort of palpable "auric egg of energy" surrounding him. He's just chillin' on the bed.

I certainly don't regret doing this -- there have been several times when I was tempted to break off the dried cord so that he could be free to be moved all about and worn and whatnot, but that just felt wrong. My partner went through the same sort of thing several times, too.

If there's a next time -- we're currently not planning a third babe -- we'll go with the ground rosemary on both placenta and navel end, air the whole thing out a lot more (we have D's placenta in a prefold inside a cotton bag), and if we get frustrated and aren't seeing any end in sight, we may decide to do a partial lotus birth after a few days. I don't think I can do nearly two weeks of waiting again.