lotus birth or eating the placenta? - Page 4

[amberskyfire]

Originally Posted by zoebird

i'm not sure that "all mammals" eat the placenta.

honestly, i've never seen certain mammals eat the placentas--particularly wild herbivorous herd mammals. typically, the cord and placenta fall out/off the baby in a few days or within hours. i think this would "qualify" as a lotus birth.

i may be wrong, though. i don't spend a lot of time studying on the habits of "all mammals" in regards to placentas.

i do believe it is beneficial to eat the placenta if one wants to, and that it is just a bit is needed to confer benefits (that is, you don't have to eat the whole thing). and, that it isn't necessary to eat the placenta either.

one can lotus birth, toss it, or eat it--whatever--regardless of what 'all other mammals" do.

Not just talking out of my behind here All mammals definitely DO eat their placentas. Mother birds even eat their babies' eggshells. I can definitely say it with experience from having veterinary training. Cows, horses, deer, monkeys, cats, etc. We're all placenta munchers.

It DOES seem weird that herbivores do it though, doesn't it? I didn't have a "drive" to eat mine. I wonder what drives horses and cattle.

[earthie_mama]

Well, not ALL mammals, but yeah most. Camels do not eat it, but they don't lotus birth either, they stand up when they want the cord severed. (http://www.isrvma.org/article/61_2_4.htm)

Also excluding marsupials (who apparently either don't have one, or absorb it if they do?) cetacea (whales, dolphins and porpoises) and pinniped (walruses and seals).

Some chimpanzees in captivity have been observed to eat the placenta while others leave it. Primates, in general, do consume the placenta.

Not that any of this really makes any difference heh.

[KariM]

I was concerned about long bleeding (bled way TOO much after DD1's birth - 7 or 8 weeks) and since I was UCing I decided to try eating the placenta in a smoothie.

I did consume it all in about 3 days in various batches of smoothies and I had a VERY quick and easy recovery from DD2's birth. I bled for less than a week and have been spotting for about 4 weeks. My energy level was great and I didn't have the muscle soreness and other issues I had after DD1's homebirth.

I also kept the placenta attached to DD2 for at least an hour. We didn't time it, but I didn't ask DH to cut the cord until I wanted to shower and it was a LONG time after the birth. Then we cut the cord and DH held our DD2 while I showered. Then DH took the placenta downstairs and blended about 1/4 of it into a fruit smoothie for me.

In our case, DD2 didn't seem to notice the cutting at that point.

[kaylee18]

Cows do not always eat their placentas. The cords usually break during birth and the placenta stays on the ground; the cow might or might not eat it after that. I don't think elephants do either.

The cords of such animals must clamp themselves off much faster after birth than human cords, because if a human baby's cord breaks during birth, it bleeds very fast and can be fatal to the baby if not clamped quickly. Calves, by contrast, seem to do just fine after their cords break and without the mom biting it.

Cats most definitely do eat the placenta (usually). Their teeth clamp as they chew, it's not like just cutting. I cut a dry hours-old cord from a foster kitten whose mom had neglected to eat the placenta, and it still bled until I clamped it.

Chimpanzees have been reported to "lotus birth." They have also been reported to eat the placenta. I don't know how common each practice is among chimps.

[desertpenguin]

i will be eating the placenta raw, blended into smoothies and such...my recovery from ds's birth was not quick or easy and i had PPD...i really want to do everything i can to prevent this PP recovery period from being as hard as ds's was, especially since i will now have 2 children to care for instead of just 1.

[JesseMomme]

Well, this thread has come back to haunt me and it looks like I'll literally be eating my words! :

Or drinking, it seems like the smoothie option sounds the easiest to me, and we have a blender now.

Originally Posted by Moi

Since I'm four-for-four on PPD and anxiety issues and would never want to do meds again, if I had another baby I would definately be working on ingesting the placenta. A lotus birth sounds lovely, but I really need my mental health to be stable

[kaylee18]

Originally Posted by BlessedOne

I have always had great recoveries and no emotional issues.... all without having to eat part of my own body.

The placenta is part of the baby's body. It's an external organ that comes from the same original cell as the baby.

[amberskyfire]

Originally Posted by kaylee18

Cows do not always eat their placentas. The cords usually break during birth and the placenta stays on the ground; the cow might or might not eat it after that. I don't think elephants do either.

The cords of such animals must clamp themselves off much faster after birth than human cords, because if a human baby's cord breaks during birth, it bleeds very fast and can be fatal to the baby if not clamped quickly. Calves, by contrast, seem to do just fine after their cords break and without the mom biting it.

Elephants' umbilical cords actually detach while they are still inside their mothers. They can go without oxygen for about 1/2 an hour before being born. Pretty neat! (Hehe, though a little off topic)

Oh hey, here's a video!
http://youtube.com/watch?v=F4MzcpX3viY

[BlessedOne]

Originally Posted by kaylee18

The placenta is part of the baby's body. It's an external organ that comes from the same original cell as the baby.

then that is even worse......I am not eating ANY part of my kid......or my body.

To each their own....

[~Mamaterra~]

Originally Posted by amberskyfire

It DOES seem weird that herbivores do it though, doesn't it? I didn't have a "drive" to eat mine. I wonder what drives horses and cattle.

For herbivores, it is based upon survival of the baby. These animals eat up the evidence of the birth in order to protect their baby from carnivores out looking for a meal.

The baby is scentless but the placenta and all items of afterbirth carry an odor that would give away the position of the newborn and mother.

Originally Posted by BlessedOne

then that is even worse......I am not eating ANY part of my kid......or my body. To each their own....

I believe this is a discussion about the choice between lotus birth or eating the placenta. Please remember Georgias post about the UC forum guidelines.

FWIW, I plan on a full lotus birth repleat with placenta pictures and a wet bag but if I need to, I will slice off a piece of the maternal side with a razor to hold under my tongue. We will plant the placenta when it detaches on its own accord under a tree.

[BlessedOne]

Originally Posted by ~Mamaterra~

For herbivores, it is based upon survival of the baby. These animals eat up the evidence of the birth in order to protect their baby from carnivores out looking for a meal.

The baby is scentless but the placenta and all items of afterbirth carry an odor that would give away the position of the newborn and mother.



I believe this is a discussion about the choice between lotus birth or eating the placenta. Please remember Georgias post about the UC forum guidelines.

FWIW, I plan on a full lotus birth repleat with placenta pictures and a wet bag but if I need to, I will slice off a piece of the maternal side with a razor to hold under my tongue. We will plant the placenta when it detaches on its own accord under a tree.

I like the idea of planting the placenta. I tried to do this but where we live the ground is so hard and rocky, I did not think I could acheive it. So I got a big planter and planted the placenta and then planted seeds in it. Well in no time there were huge flies hanging around and it stunk like crazy! It was on my deck and I could not handle it very long, so I drug the planter out in the woods behind my house and found a not so rocky place, dug a hole as deep as I could (only about 1ft) and dumped the planter out into the hole and covered it up. I have never gone back to check to see if animals dug it up or not.
I liked the idea of planting the placenta with a small plant/tree and letting it grow as my child grew....but well that did not work for me. Maybe if we did not have such hard rocky ground! With this afterbirth, I will probably just take it out to the woods in the first place. I also like the idea of donating the cord blood and such, but that is a hassle with homebirths.

[crystal-mommy]

I have never heard of "lotus" or eating the placenta... although I do vaguely remember something about putting a piece of placenta inside your cheek w/ PPH.

I am a L/D nurse and would prolly pass out if my patient told me they were going to be eating their placenta! I am not saying it is a bad thing. I actually think it is a neat thing. Our bodies are meant to have babies, so it would make sense that we should be able to postpartum complications naturally. Very interesting!!

going to have to do some more research on lotus birth. Our dr's usually don't like to prolong the cord cutting b/c of increased complications w/ Jaundice.. any experience w/ increase problems w/ that??

[BlessedOne]

Originally Posted by crystal-mommy

I have never heard of "lotus" or eating the placenta... although I do vaguely remember something about putting a piece of placenta inside your cheek w/ PPH.

I am a L/D nurse and would prolly pass out if my patient told me they were going to be eating their placenta! I am not saying it is a bad thing. I actually think it is a neat thing. Our bodies are meant to have babies, so it would make sense that we should be able to postpartum complications naturally. Very interesting!!

going to have to do some more research on lotus birth. Our dr's usually don't like to prolong the cord cutting b/c of increased complications w/ Jaundice.. any experience w/ increase problems w/ that??

all of my kids were jaundice to a degree whether the cord was immediately cut or if I left it on for an hour or so.
I do not know about with lotus birth.

[JesseMomme]

Originally Posted by crystal-mommy

going to have to do some more research on lotus birth. Our dr's usually don't like to prolong the cord cutting b/c of increased complications w/ Jaundice.. any experience w/ increase problems w/ that??

Hmmm...the only baby I had that had jaundice was the one whose cord was clamped and cut two seconds after birth. No jaundice at all with my other three.

[KariM]

All three of mine have had jaunice. The first had it the worst, though. Poor guy was delivered via c-section. I'm sure they cut the cord immediately. They also fed him glucose water and formula in the nursery as they kept him away from me for 24+ hours.

My DD1 had mild jaundice. The HB midwife cut the cord after it stopped pulsing, but I couldn't tell you how long.

My DD2 had mild jaundice. DH cut the cord an hour + after birth.

[mamafirst]

ok so i dont mean to sound at all judgmental or in any way mean... i just have never in my life heard of this and now i am obsessed with finding out why and how many ppl do this and, how and when, and anything about it...

[amberskyfire]

Originally Posted by mamafirst

ok so i dont mean to sound at all judgmental or in any way mean... i just have never in my life heard of this and now i am obsessed with finding out why and how many ppl do this and, how and when, and anything about it...

If you're interested and want to find out more about it do a search on "placentophagia" I thought it was really weird when I first heard about it, too.

[amyjeans]

I ate a piece after birth, then encapsulated it. I'm not up for lotus birth myself- Ineed the benefits of the placenta to keep me from ppd.
my1st baby- born at hospital
#2- UC, ate placenta, discarded most of it
#3-UC, ate placenta, planted it in garden under new tree
#4- UC, ate some, and encapsulated the rest.
gross? maybe- but my history of pp bleeding forces me to do everything possible for a speedy recovery.

[HerthElde]

Here's my thought on this now.

I've read/heard so many who talk about the benefits of lotus birth because many babies are visibly upset by the cutting of the cord. And I completely believe it.

However, because it is a spiritual/energetic issue rather than a purely physical one, it strikes me that perhaps the degree of reverence paid when the cord is cut (if you're inclined to look at it in this way - if you're purely on the physical plane, please feel free to just ignore this), in whatever ritual feels right to the parents (and baby, ideally), inversely correlates to the amount of discomfort when the cord is cut . . .

I was going to do a lotus birth. I even made a bag. Then I remembered the northern tradition (my own spiritual tradition) of braiding a red cord during labour to tie off the umbilical cord. And, I think that is what I will do. It resonates more deeply with me and, I feel, with my baby as well.

I'm also prone to PPD and did hemhorrage (almost) with my first and am going UC. So, I think eating a portion of the placenta will be good for me. I plan to just eat it raw.

Interesting discussion!

[accountclosed3]

i think my big stickler about language is the use of the term "all" and with that, it's extension that because "all others are doing it, we should too!"

first, i contest that "all" isn't necessarily true. second, the reasoning of different animals/groups will differ (as others have demonstrated), and thus our reasoning will differ also. and third, there are so many reasons to eat the placenta, that to do it simply because "all, most, or many" animals do it is just not that great of a reason.

i'm not saying this to "defend" lotus birth per se. lotus birth makes sense to me on a lot of levels, but also placentaphagia does as well.

for my own part, i'm open to both and my experience of lotus birthers who are also placentaphagists is that they only consume a portion of the placenta--which apparently confers the same benefit as eating the whole of the placenta from a biological standpoint.

for my own mind, there's no "right or wrong" way to treat the placenta. it really is about resonances with individuals. you can do whatever you want and it doesn't mean that you're bad or good, defying nature or being more natural, or anything else.

it just means that this is what you decided to do with the placenta.