I had heard of water births, home births, c–sections and standard hospital and epidural aided births, but not lotus births. Instead of cutting the umbilical cord after delivery, a lotus birth requires the child stay attached to the placenta until they naturally separate, which takes between three to 10 days.
Mothers tend to the placenta and often create special pouches for it, as it must stay close to the newborn during those postpartum days. As the placenta dries up, the infant's body prepares to relinquish the attachment, which can be a painful experience. Family doctor Sarah J Buckley of Australia chose to have lotus births for the last three of her own four children. She describes the experience:
Lotus birth has been, for us, an exquisite ritual which has enhanced the magic of the early post natal days. I notice an integrity and self–possession with my lotus–born children, and I believe that lovingness, cohesion, attunement to nature, trust, and respect for the natural order have all been imprinted on our family by our honoring of the placenta, the Tree of Life, through Lotus Birth.
Would you ever consider having a lotus birth?
Source
LK Bennett
OMG. They don't contract any infections, I hope.
1wow Not for me!!
2
I really didn't need to see that.
3Gross....
4this one is very bizarre to me. I don't think of this as natural. I don't picture the cavemen walking around with the baby still attached to the placenta, it is natural to cut it..the baby begins getting nourishment from the breastmilk, that is natural (to me).
5wow...seriously...i've never heard of this before...and wouldn't it get sorta smelly? attract flies or whatnot due to the blood?
6Ew. Do some good instead and donate the cord blood.
7I can't imagine carrying it around with me and the baby wherever we went until it came off. I agree with the comment about donating the cord blood - much better benefits.
8Nature also created flint to cut things with. Bizarre.
9That would be a little too much for me to handle. I don't have the background knowledge, but this doesn't seem right.
10I've heard of it, but no way. I agree that there's no reason to, it's not like there's a continued bloodflow of nutrition from mom to placenta. It's just a slowly dying piece of flesh attached to the baby, isn't it?
11wow. so glad i just ate before seeing that pic.
12That sounds and looks nasty!
13there goes my lunch.
14the worst part of the delivery... was that whole placenta business... i cant even IMAGINE living w/it... for DAYS... ON PURPOSE.
15That's just messed up.
16Um no way.
17Gross! Bleh I just ate too, not the best picture.
18why is the question, would anyone want this
19I'm utterly baffled as to why your site would include a photo that is so clearly intended to shock readers. The information could be included, perhaps, but why oh why the photo?? This is not the type of thing that should be included for innocent readers to unexpectedly view. Perhaps you can include it as an option for those readers who want to see it, but as for myself I am strongly considering avoiding the "pop" websites so that I don't have to be bombarded by something that truly made me heave.
20I don't think the photo's unnecessary or meant to shock readers. It's a photo that relates to the story, seems to me that any writer would include that.
21agree with ya greggie! it may have a ewww factor, but for those who don't know what a actual placenta looks like...well there ya go! now you do.
it all ties in with the story. i was actually wondering what they did with the placenta with
it still attached to the baby, seeing how they just plop it in a bowl..that pretty much tells me.
22It was hard enough having my little guy using the billi blanket light system for a weekend when he had the jaundice, I can't imagine trying to care for a newborn with a big bloody placenta attached. To each their own but I'm going to say "pass"
23gross picture... maybe it could have waited until after the jump with a warning for us squeamish people - ha.
this wouldn't be for me, but as long as it doesn't harm the baby, to each her own
24While I think childbirth is one of the most beautiful things in the world I am not sure if I could have my child attached to the rotting placenta days after the birth. It just seems very unsanitary to me. I did keep my son's cord after it fell off when he was 12 days old. But I stuck it in a zip lock baggie and attached it to his baby book.
25I couldnt do this, my cats would make off with it and the baby attached in the middle of the night.
This sounds more like something for those really nature spiritual granola types that "think" too much.
26that is gross. just the fact that its just there sitting in a bowl...ew
27weird.
and kind of wasteful.
I've heard of other rituals with the placenta (burying it, eating it, whatever), but never this. There are significant studies that suggest ingesting the placenta can ward off post-partum depression by easing the hormone crash giving birth is.
You don't have to consume it looking like that though -- you can bake it and then put it in pill capsules and take it daily.
It's not for everyone, but it certainly is interesting!
28that is disgusting.
29seriously?! ICK!
30No thanks!
31ooooo hithatsmybike I see a yumsugar cross post opportunity!
32This is the part that seriously disturbs me:
"As the placenta dries up, the infant's body prepares to relinquish the attachment, which can be a painful experience."
Why would you subject an innocent newborn to that???
33The same could be said of circumcision and immunizations, though. But I agree that the "painful" part threw me for a loop as well.
34That is just gross. And I completely don't get the point. There is nothing normal or natural about that.
35caterpillargirl.. HAH... your cats would make off w/it... too funny!
36I don't think I need to say it, but reason #689: Lotus Births.
37Leah, that point about it being painful got to me also, it is one of those things that it can be cut and not hurt right after birth why would you subject your child to that. Does it actually have any type of medical need for it or is it just for the soul? I understand immunizations because it is helping but does this really help a child?
38The picture didn't really bother me, but I found the post interesting as I didn't know about Lotus births. I read that the placenta is the only disposable organ — amazing how there is a natural process for everything even the detaching of the umbilical cord.
39You might as well eat the placenta like animals do.
40I have had 3 home births all of which were Lotus births, two under water. My daughter Ilan Lotus was named after her birth experience. Its is truly an amazing experience. Her placenta turned into the shape of a heart before it detached from her belly button. Before being too judgmental on how it looks or sounds do some more research and you will find out that Lotus birth is not only a more natural way of your child to take its first breath (it allows the lungs to slowly transition) instead of when the cord is cut they normally scream due to the oxygen supply being cut off abruptly with a pair of scissors. It also allows up to 1/3 more blood volume pump into your childs body and also supplies your baby with the much needed cord blood (that is apparently so vital doctors want to freeze it for a fee) why not give that to your child at birth. Their immune systems are more complete. The statement about it being a painful experience is totally false. The baby does not feel any pain, they refer to the placenta falling off as a traumatic experience in that part of the baby is actually dying off after supporting its life for 9 months. Its a spiritual pain, not a physical one. I had my placenta capsuled and took it as vitamins following the birth and did not suffer any post-partum depression or hormonal drops. The other two were buried in our back yard with a beautiful plant that blossoms every year to remind us of our wonderful birth experience. Before being quick to judge why not take a closer look at Lotus Birth, home birth, water births etc that have been around for centuries without fear.
41rplant,
I love that you were here to tell us about your birth experience. When I wrote that it can be a painful experience, I should have mentioned that it was often described as more spiritual than physical.
I think it is so interesting to learn of how other people birth their children. It sounds like an amazing experience and I thank you for sharing it.
42I didn't find this article gross or weird but just left me curious about it.
I was hoping someone would talk about having done this. Being able to read a real experience is much better than just reading the article. Thanks rplant!
43I had a natural birth with my son, but I absolutely did not want to see the placenta. No thanks. I couldn't handle the smell of raw meat while I was pregnant and just after, so that would have made me sick!
44rplant, why can't you have a simple physiological 3rd stage (delivery of placenta)? It means the baby get the blood and nutrients etc. When the cord has stopped pulsating and therefore no more good is going to the baby, cut the cord. It sounds a lot more hygienic than carrying a bag of rotting flesh around a vulnerable newborn for a week. I'm a midwife and take it from me, cold placenta smells terrible. It is the only part of my job that makes me nauseous.
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