When planning a birth, something most people do not think about is what they will do in the third stage of labor with the umbilical cord and the placenta once the baby has been born. The majority of women who birth in a hospital setting with a doctor will have the cord clamped and cut very quickly after birth. This is not only detrimental to the baby mentally, but physically as well.
Delayed cord clamping and cutting is when the cord is cut once it stops pulsating. It is usually cut within 15 minutes after the birth. The baby has been connected to this vital organ throughout the entire pregnancy and has relied on it to provide them with all the essential nutrients needed to grow, provide them oxygen, as well as clean out any toxins. When the cord is not cut right away, the baby is able to get the blood and oxygen that is still in the placenta. The health benefits are quite apparent with delayed cord cutting but a lotus birth takes it even further in a more spiritual sense.
With my first child, cutting the cord was something that did not even cross my mind. She was born in a hospital via cesarean section and her cord was cut immediately after birth. The one thing I will not forget is her crying as soon as they had cut the cord. While the nurses assured me she was not feeling pain from the severance, I just knew that she could and it did not feel right. Needless to say, my husband and I have learned a lot since then about gentle and natural birthing and parenting and this time around we are making very different decisions. We really wanted to bring this baby into the world in the most peaceful and gentle way possible which is why we decided on doing a full Lotus Birth.
I remember the first time I read about someone doing a Lotus Birth with their newborn baby. This was something I had never heard of but as soon as I read what it was all about, something resonated with me and I knew that there was no other way I would want that part of the birthing process to go. For those who do not know what a Lotus Birth is, it is when the parents choose to not have the umbilical cord clamped or severed when the baby is born. The placenta is left with the newborn baby still attached by the umbilical cord until the cord dries up and falls off naturally in its own time. This process generally takes between three and ten days. I am very much looking forward to the Lotus Birth experience. I have not experienced it yet, however from what I read the days following the birth while the placenta is still attached are very slow and intimate. The mother and baby can bond deeply for those first few days because the movement is meant to be kept at a minimum. The days after the birth for the mother and baby are generally spent in bed so the mother can focus on tending to the baby and healing her own body as well. I feel that the Lotus Birth is the most natural and gentle way to welcome the baby into this world. The placenta has been with the baby throughout the whole pregnancy journey and I feel it is only right that they get to choose when the separation occurs from the placenta.
Since the placenta is an organ that will no longer be living once it is delivered, it is important to take care of it in the days that follow the birth until the cord has naturally separated. I have looked into a few different resources in order to decide what we will do with the placenta after the birth. We will wait until the cord stops pulsing before handling the placenta at all so that the baby will able to receive the full transfusion of the umbilical blood uninterrupted. When we feel it is time we will then wash the placenta and make sure all of the clots are off and will be placed in a colander for 24 hours so that it can drain. After draining, the placenta can be coated in salt and herbs and wrapped in an absorbent cloth and placed in a basket or a bowl. We have chosen to use a basket for extra ventilation. The cloth will be changed once a day or more if we feel the need to. We plan on limiting movement and dressing the baby loosely or not at all while the placenta is attached. You can use pretty much any herb that you want to as long as the salt is incorporated in the mixture which ensures it will be preserved. I have put together a mixture that includes my favorite herbs. We decided to use dried lavender, sage, rose petals, rosemary, and nutmeg with Himalayan sea salt. The salt and herb mixture will be changed daily as well when we change the cloth.
Two books that I highly recommend reading are Placenta- the Forgotten Chakra by Robin Lim and Lotus Birth by Shivam Rachana. These books go more into detail about the spiritual aspects of a Lotus Birth as well as include personal stories of Lotus Births. I will also be writing a detailed post with our Lotus Birth experience once the baby is born!