Lotus Birth is the practice of leaving the umbilical cord uncut, so that the baby is attached to its placenta until the cord naturally emerges from the navel, between three and ten days after birth, just like a umbilical cord has been cut at birth. This prolonged contact can be viewed as a transition time, allowing the baby away from her marriage to the mother's body in a smooth and gradual.
Although we have no written records of cultures that do not cut the cord umbilidal, many traditional peoples have the placenta in high esteem. For example, the Maori of New Zealand's placenta is buried in an ancient ritual meeting place, and the Hmong, a tribe of South East Asia, believe that the placenta must be retrieved after death to ensure physical integrity in the next life . The Hmong baby's placenta is buried inside the house where they were born.
Lotus birth is a new ritual, which before 1974 had been described only in chimpanzees. Clair was then Lotus Day, pregnant and living in California, began to question the routine cutting the umbilical cord. Her search led her to an obstetrician sensitive to their wishes. His son Trimurti was born in a hospital and returned home with the umbilical cord uncut. Lotus birth practice is named Clair, and his seed went on to Jeanine Parvati Baker in the U.S., and Shivam Rachana in Australia, who were strong advocates of this practice.
Since 1974, many babies are born this way, at home or in hospitals, land and water, and even by cesarean section. Lotus birth is a beautiful and logical extension of natural childbirth, an invitation to claim the so-called third stage of labor, delivery, for ourselves and for our babies, and to honor the placenta, the primary source of food for our children.
The birth of Zoe Lotus
I experienced Lotus birth with my second daughter and my children following after I have been fascinated by it during my second pregnancy through my contact with Shivam Rachana and its Center for Human Transformation (Centre for Human Transformation-CHT), in Yarra Glen, near Melbourne, Australia. The Lotus nacmiento sense to me at that time, because I remembered my experinecias in hospital obstetric services, and the strange and uncomfortable sensation of cutting fleshy and cartilaginous cord connecting the baby to the placenta and mother. For me, the feeling was like cutting a finger without bones, and I loved the idea of avoiding the court when my baby was born.
Thanks to the CHT, I talked with women who had decided not to cut the cord of their babies, and had lived a beautiful postnatal period. Some women also described their children born and full of serenity and fulfillment. Others described it as a challenge, from the emotional point of view and practical. Nicholas, my partner, was worried that it might interfere with the magic of those early days, but agreed with my wishes.
Zoe, our second daughter, was born at home, September 10, 1993. Her placenta had oval shape, something unusual was perfect for the red velvet bag that I had sewn for storage. Shortly after birth, the placenta wrapped in gauze fabric, then the velvet bag, and then with the baby wrapped in a shawl. Every 24 hours, we watched the placenta, dried ourselves with taps, and she poured generous amounts of salt and a few drops of lavender oil. Emma, aged two, was delighted to participate in the care of her sister's placenta.
A few days later, Zoe's cord dried from the navel area and became thin and brittle. He formed a 90 ยบ turn very timely to be filtered through his clothes, and not scratched or irritated skin. The placenta also dried up and wrinkled with our salt treatment, and developed a juicy smell our cat was really interesting.
Zoe's cord fell off at six days old, without any fuss. Other babies were crying inconsolably or grabbed their cord tightly before separation. When Zoe turned one, plant the placenta under a mandarin that our dear friend and neighbor Annie later dug up and planted again in a pot in his garden when we moved to another state. Annie told us later that the mandarins of the tree were the sweetest she had never tried.
Lotus Birth of Jacob
Our third child, Jacob Patrick, was born at home on December 25, 1995, in the water. Jacob and I stayed a while in the water, so while I nursed him, picked up the placenta in a plastic container, ice cream with lid and a hole through which we pass the cord. This time, during the first day we put the placenta in a sieve to drain. Not dressed for Jacob, but I stayed in physical contact with him in a quiet place while Nicholas cared for Emma (four years) and Zoe (two). Jacob cord fell off after four days, and felt that he was deeply imbued with the tranquility of the moment.
It was perfect, because my parents came from New Zealand the next day to help with domestic commissariat. Later, Jacob chose to bury a jacaranda its placenta in our new home in Queensland.
Maia Lotus Birth
My fourth daughter, Maia Rose, was born in Brisbane, where Lotus birth is still very new, on July 26, 2000. We had a beautiful home birth, and intuition told me that this time the cord would follow soon. I decided not to apply any treatment to the placenta, but put it in a sieve over a bowl during the day, and our red velvet bag at night.
Maia's cord fell off just past three days, and though it was winter and it was pretty cool, had become brittle and smelled enough (if he had treated with salt, could have prevernirlo). We buried the placenta in our garden, and planted a rose on top. I cut a piece of cord and dry, he had formed a very curious and beautiful turns to save it for her.
Children remember
My older kids have blessed me with stories of his experiences in pregnancy and childbirth, and agreement is unanimous in favor of not cutting the cord. Emma, above all, remember the unpleasant feeling that he cut the cord (after it had stopped beating), which, she says, "He was grieved in his heart." Zoe, when she was five, told me that was linked to "a loving thing" in my belly. You may remember your placenta as a source of food and love in the uterus.
Lotus birth has been, for us, an exquisite ritual which has heightened the magic of the first days after birth. I felt a wholeness and serenity in my children born in this way, and I think that love, fusion and harmony with nature, and the confidence and respect for the natural order, have left a mark on our family to honor the placenta, the Tree of Life.
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