Baby K with her placenta encased in herbs
Just recently we had parents who decided to have a lotus birth and it was a beautiful experience to watch the herbalist prepare the placenta, so we wanted to share with you all more about it!
First of all, we need to know what a lotus birth is! A lotus birth is when the placenta is left attached to the baby via the umbilical cord until the cord dries up and falls off on its own. The cord is not clamped or cut at all. A partial lotus birth is when parents decide to leave the placenta attached for at least 4-6 hours before clamping and cutting the cord.
In our midwifery practice, we usually delay cord clamping for 2-3 hours, or when the cord has gone completely white which usually means that the blood has finished transferring between the placenta and the baby’s circulation. A lotus birth allows for an even slower transition for babies from being nourished by their placenta to being nourished by milk.
The lotus birth is a tradition in some cultures and it makes for some beautiful photos! It is also a way to let nature take its course without intervening and cutting the cord. We also saw that this baby’s umbilical cord fell off after only 2 days, whereas most umbilical cord stumps take 5-7 days to fall off without the influence of all the herbs and salt that are included with a lotus birth. Plus, it encourages moms to rest by making it more difficult to move the baby around, since the placenta has to follow the baby.
Something to be aware of while preparing for a lotus birth is that the placenta is an organ, so it needs to be preserved while waiting for the cord to separate. Traditional birth workers can prepare herbs and salts to keep it from decaying or creating an unpleasant smell.
There is a small chance of infection for the baby if the placenta is not properly cared for. This risk increases if there was any trauma to the umbilical cord.
Another aspect to be aware of is that the placenta cannot be consumed in pill form after being used for a lotus birth because it was not kept cold and processed in a timely manner. The option you would have for your placenta after a lotus birth would be to plant it outside and let it nourish the soil.
Overall, a lotus birth can be beautiful if done properly, as you can see from these photos! We want all parents to know that they have options regarding what to do with their baby’s placenta.
