LilSugar

Baby Bump: Lotus Births

babysugar — Mon, 18 Aug 2008 08:00:13 -0700

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?
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Reinventing the Afterbirth: Placenta Becomes Food or Toy

LilSugar — Mon, 05 Oct 2009 10:00:57 -0700

Chitchat about mucous plugs and episiotomies doesn't make most moms squeamish, but as a lady near the end of my third pregnancy, I just reached my limit in learning about the placenta teddy bear! Our friends over at Inhabitots are polling their green readers as to whether the toy made from the disposable organ to commemorate the birth is cute or creepy.

While some women believe in lotus birth and create a pouch in which to store the placenta until their child naturally separates from it, others like Matthew McConaughey and Camila Alves follow the Aboriginal tradition of planting their babe's placenta in an orchard. Then, there are parents who indulge in placentophagia, the eating of the placenta, which is rumored to curb postpartum depression and hemorrhage. Preoccupied with my new bundles of joy, I don't even remember delivering the afterbirth and never gave any thought to taking it home, perhaps because at the time, I was ignorant of all these options. Were you?

Baby Wellness: Caring For Umbilical Cord

babysugar — Thu, 23 Apr 2009 05:00:52 -0700

Unless a lotus birth is the plan of action, a mother will have to tend to her baby's umbilical cord until it detaches on its own. Typically cut in the hospital immediately after birth, the cord is clamped and quickly begins to shrivel into the newborn's belly button. The appendage usually falls off between 10 to 14 days after birth but can last longer in some cases.

Until then, parents should simply try to keep the bloody stump clean and dry. The best way to achieve this? Sponge baths. Avoid submerging the baby in a full tub and limit cleanings to sponge baths. If the cord appears dirty, a q-tip or damp cotton ball will do the trick.
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