[majikfaerie]

I wanted to find a thread on Lotus Birth - the practice of not cutting the umbilical cord, but I couldnt find one with a search, so, assuming there isn't one, I'm starting one.
(if there is already a Lotus Birth thread, direct me too it!)

My dd was born unassisted, and we chose not to cut the cord, as a part of non-violent birth.

Of course, this is a very personal issue that everyone must decide for themselves, but for me, I saw the cord and the placenta as a part of the baby, and I didn't feel right to just cut it off.

After all, my baby's placenta was with her in the womb for 9 months, was her connection to me, was her life support, nutrients, oxygen...

So, we didn't cut the cord, we cleaned the placenta and the baby together, wrapped her up in a blanket and let her release her placenta and cord when she was ready. It took just over 48 hours, and the cord detatched fine, placenta and all. Her navel healed almost instantly into a beautiful 'innie'.

We cured the placenta with salt and kept it in a special crocheted bag for a while, and eventually planted it in the Mata Atlantica Rainforest in Bahia, Brazil, where we were living at the time.

I really believe that leaving the cord uncut as long as possible is best for baby, and being very mindful to the baby's feelings when going to cut the cord, for even if parents choose to cut their baby's placenta off, it can't hurt to wait just a little bit longer if the baby seems distressed.

As a doula, I have witnessed many babies born peacefully and joyfully without any interventions, and then, shortly after birth, the cord is tied and cut. Many times, as soon as the cord is tied (even though it has stopped pulsing), the baby begins to cry and fuss, and I've seen these babies become hysterical when the cord is cut. (not saying that it happens every time, but enough to make me think).

Babies who are born with a lotus birth tend to grow into very secure and independant children, because they have been allowed to let go of the connection to the mother when they felt ready to do it, naturally.

I know the idea can be a little shocking or even gross at first, but I wanted to share my experience with mothers, just something to think about.

If any one wants more information, drop me a line, and I'd love to hear any other Lotus birth stories!

 

[The Lucky One]

Huh.

I've heard of lotus births but I never understood the reasoning behind them. Interesing. Don't know that I necessarily agree, but very interesting nonetheless.

 

[littleteapot]

Lotus is something I'm very very seriously considering in this birth...

I'd really like to know more, especially about the practicality of having the placenta attached. My daughter's cord stump took 11 days to fall off and I think I accidentally pulled it off when it stuck to her diaper. I was HORRIFIED at the stump, it was something I could not handle (I've done projectile poop and foamy vomit into my hand, but the cord stomp? UGH!) so part of me is worried that this would be the same, and that it would hang around for the same amount of time, too...

I crochet: how did you make the bag for it? How did you clean it?
The only way I'd heard to take care of the placenta was to place it in water and salt it, and to then carry that bucket around.

 

[beansavi]

It's not shocking to me...

I considered doing it with number three/my homebirth babe. What ended up feeling right is that we just waited a long while. Then when we intuited that it was okay, we cut it, clamped it and got into the herb bath.

We froze the placenta and umbilical cord until the 40th day, and then buried them underneath a new hydrangea bush. Funny thing is, I've only seen blue, purple or white hydrangea, and supposedly the blooms vary in color according to the acidity of the soil. But THIS hydrangea, planted over Finn's placenta, has RED blooms!

I believe the placenta is a manifestation of our children's guardian angels and the umbilical cord is a manifestation of the invisible cord we all have to our angel and the spirit world.

There was a beautiful artical in Mothering about Lotus Birth last fall (2005) sometime.

Great thread!

 

[littleteapot]

Quote:

Originally Posted by beansavi Funny thing is, I've only seen blue, purple or white hydrangea, and supposedly the blooms vary in color according to the acidity of the soil. But THIS hydrangea, planted over Finn's placenta, has RED blooms!!

Wow!! Do you think you could get a picture? My mom was just working with a gardener who said this is impossible.

:

 

[swampwitch]

Anyone got pics of how they bundled ds/d and placenta during those first few days? There is certainly a gross factor, especially after the picture I saw last night at class of a newly birthed placenta...how would I carry that thing around with me?

 

[DreamsInDigital]

I am no good at crafts. Any ideas where to get a nice crocheted bag to hold the placenta?

 

[arlecchina]

we're UC+lotus for this child's birth also. we plan to salt it as well.

 

[annarosa]

interesting post majikfaerie .......

 

[Rockies5]

We did "lotus" with #3 (homebirth).

we bundled the placenta (can't recall if it was salted, but we did dry it and pick off the membranes...this was almost 5yrs back...) in two target bags. I did not bundle it with the baby because he was an awesome nurser and pooper and we were changing him constantly. So the bags are simply close to him. I felt like I had "siamese" twins I was caring for. It because a bit much for me (I had an almost 2 and 3yo and was alone by day 2 caring for all 4 of them lol) so we only lasted for a few hours as "lotus parents"

The cord was already thread thin on day 2. We cut it because it was also very sharp and brittle and I thought it would break off too soon.

Oh even picturing it brings me back to how soft and fat and RED that boy was. mmmmmm I love my baby. He'll be 5 next week and I've been choked up a bit.

I had 2 children after that...but never really considered Lotus again, because I preserved my placentas for other uses. We simply wait 2-3hrs before cutting the cord when we can.

 

[Synchro246]

My plan is to eat my next placenta. How long do you think you can let the placenta be before you eat it?

 

[majikfaerie]

Well, I'll try to answer about the placenta care for our lotus birth.
My dd's placenta was an unusually small one, about the same size as my hand if i stretch my fingers out as far as they go.

We treated it as if it were a part of her body (which I believe it is), we wiped it dry and wrapped it in a cloth diaper (the old-school square of cotton kind), and then swaddled her with it. we washed the placenta with dd in the bath when she had one (at 24 hours old), dried it carefully, salted it with organic natural sea salt, and wrapped it again in a cloth diaper, and then in a crocheted cover.

The cover was made from 2 hearts that I had made - I crocheted a bunch of rainbow-coloured hearts and patchworked them together to make a baby blanket while I was pg, (I still add more hearts from time to time), and we just sewed 2 hearts together to make a pouch for the placenta. One could use any bag, just sew a couple of pieces of fabric together in the right shape, or use any bag or material to wrap the placenta.

I found it easier to swaddle the placenta in with the baby (I placed the placenta on her belly) than to work with carrying the 2 seperately. I guess it's best (like with most things) to do what works for you.

If anyone REALLY wants a placenta bag crocheted and will cover the postage, I'm happy to make and send one in any style/ colour, drop me a line.

About eating the placenta, I'm sure that after it's been salted, which I think is a good way to keep it preserved and clean, it becomes like jerky, and I dont see any reason why you couldn't eat it after that. you could probably soak it to rehydrate it if you wanted to.

Its true that it can take up to 14 days for the cord to detach, it comes off on average at around 5 days, I think. In any case, you're always free to cut the cord if you really feel that the time is right. I do believe that its best to wait as long as possible, and to be very sensitive to how the baby feels about it.

I have seen the results in my dd, she is now, at age 3 (and has always been) the most confident and independant child I've ever met. People are constantly commenting about how confident she is. She is really fine with strangers (though from time to time she gets a bad feeling about someone, and I usually agree with her

)

The cord dried out and becomes stiff and brittle, you can moisten it and shape it to be in a position that is easy for you to manage. You still need to take care of the cord and navel, just as you do with a cord stump, but there is less risk of infection, as there is no cut and wound.

here are some links to photos of my dd with her placenta.

dd at two days old with cord leading into the crocheted bag
dd's first bath at age 24 hours
dd with her placenta

And I'm still happy to answer any more questions about Lotus Birth.

 

[mezzaluna]

yes, the placenta is part of the baby... if you took a dna sample from the placenta it would match your baby, not you. pretty cool, huh?

i've been curious about lotus birth but it still sounds strange to me to have to tote around the placenta for a day or more... what are the advantage to this over just waiting a couple hours? so many animals in the wild sever the umbilical cord themselves, right? it seems natural to me to want to cut it once there is no blood pulsing through it.

 

[mary3mama]

This is a new one to me. I'd never heard of not cutting the cord at all. Interesting. Like PP I'd love to know if there are any advantages/dangers to this method (physical ones, not emotional or spiritual).

Since I've only just learned of this, I don't know what I think. But it will be interesting to ask the midwives what they think at this months' appt.

 

[MamaTaraX]

Someone posted an awesome link about Lotus Birth recently. I can't remmeber it though! It had wonderful history and pictures.

Me, personally? I don't ike the idea of dragging around a decaying piece of meat attached to my sweet new baby. Something about cuddling up in bed to a placenta doesn't sound 100% cozy to me. I think it's a fine idea though and totally support the people who do it! When I first heard about it I aslike "hellz yah! I wanna do that!" Well, then I thought about it and decided that no, that didn't sound like loads of fun. But hey, more power to eht lotus birthin' families out there!

ETA: I found the aforementioned Link (for Mary or anyone else interested)
Namaste, Tara

 

[DreamsInDigital]

Quote:

Originally Posted by mezzaluna yes, the placenta is part of the baby... if you took a dna sample from the placenta it would match your baby, not you. pretty cool, huh?

That's amazing. I never knew that.

 

[Kellym]

While it is a part of the baby, I guess I've always (and still do) view it as fingernails or hair. I cut the baby's fingernails (which are her DNA) and will cut the baby's hair (also her DNA). The baby will lose the placenta at some point after birth so yes, it's a part of her, but it's not, imo, a part that is usable after birth. I've not had any of my 4 babies cry after cutting their cord. Usually they are crying prior to that due to their first breath, etc. not because of having the cord cut. It's part that helped nourish and sustain life, but once she is born and the cord stops pulsing, it no longer is sustaining her life, "I" am.

I guess you wouldn't be one to eat the placenta to stop hemorraging then huh?

 

[littleteapot]

Quote:

Originally Posted by Kellym I guess you wouldn't be one to eat the placenta to stop hemorraging then huh?

I would still cut a piece out for hemmorhage, I just wouldn't sever the cord.

 

[majikfaerie]

Wow, thanks for the link mamatarax.
Actually, while I was pregnant, I thought a lot about what to do with the placenta, I was all set to eat it, but I'd heard about lotus birth (i'm from australia and it's quite common there amongst alternative folks) and I wasn't sure if I wanted to do a lotus birth or eat the placenta. I figured I'd just do what seemed right at the time.
But during the pregnancy I got so many 'signs' that drew me to the Lotus birth, and when I was about 8 months, we went to Salvadore (da Bahia, Brasil) for carnival, and to buy material to make our tipi and we stayed with some friends of friends (whom we'd never met before) and they had a book on Lotus birth, (that they'd never read since it was in English and they didnt even really know what it was about) and they gave me this book and it all just RESONATED with me.
I was still decided to do whatever felt right at the time, and I never felt to cut the cord.
On the other hand, my dd's cord detatched after just 2 days, so if it had gone longer then i might have

and if it would have been an issue of needing to eat the placenta for hemmorage or anything, I would have cut some off, or all of it, to do so.

I know that most mammals to bite off and eat the placenta, but most mammals also get up and walk around shortly after being born, to which end a placenta dragging around would be a big detriment.

I see it as a part of the concept that a baby's first 3 months are like a 'fourth trimester', since humans are born before they are developmentally ready for independant life, like most mammals are. Incedentally, there are a couple of species of mammal that leave the placenta on and even some traditional human tribes that do it.

For me, the most powerful part of it was a healing from my own birth, which was a ceserian done because "it's nearly 5 o'clock and I want to go home". I didnt see my mother at all until the following day and after that I was brought to her for 20 minute visits every 4 hours, and not at night.

I just felt so deep in my heart that I didnt want to cut the cord, I wanted to let my baby let go of it for herself. When the cord did break off, For some reason I couldnt put the placenta down. I just hugged it and cried, rocking it. I had such a strong sensation that it was me, as a baby, and I poured into it all the love and closeness that I had missed as a baby. After about an hour (through which my own baby slept), I felt... better, more whole.

Of course, I'm not suggeting that everyone should do a lotus birth, or that the reasons for doing it are to help heal past traumas, or that if you do decide to cut the cord it will surely traumatise the baby. This is just my own experience, and aside from the 'spiritual' connections I personally had with it, I really think Lotus birth is the ultimate in 'non-violent' birthing.

still, everyone should be free to make their choice to do what feels right for them in birth. It just helps if all the options are known!