Lotus Birth

I just heard about this pregnancy technique called lutus birth,not sure how long its been around, I've never heard about it before tonight, I personally won't do it, it makes me sick just thinking about it but basically Lotus birth is the practice of leaving the umbilical cord uncut, so that the baby remains attached to his/her placenta until the cord naturally separates at the umbilicus- exactly as a cut cord does- at 3 to 10 days after birth. This prolonged contact can be seen as a time of transition, allowing the baby to slowly and gently let go of his/her attachment to the mother's body.

Anyone else hear about this? Whats your opinion?

Can't say I'd want to carry a placenta around as well as a newborn baby for days.  In my birth plan, I specified that I didn't want the baby's cord cut until it has stopped pumping blood, which only took a few minutes as it is.  Besides, how do you put clothes on the baby when it's still attached to the placenta, which btw is quite large? 

'Here, would you like to hold the new baby?  Wait, here's the placenta as well! 

Can you imagine the pong after 10 days? 

No thanks.  May work for some folks, but it's deffo not my cuppa tea.

lol the pong!

omg no WAY, i could never!

lol. I can see it now, going for a family photo.. Mummy,Daddy,Baby,and Placenta 

For those who dont know what this looks like. Heres a rather graphic photo of it http://www.humpath.com/IMG/jpg/placenta.jpg

Can't say I'd want to carry a placenta around as well as a newborn baby for days.  In my birth plan, I specified that I didn't want the baby's cord cut until it has stopped pumping blood, which only took a few minutes as it is. 

OT: but, wow, expat, you're the first person i've come across who did this also:) i did this as well...

I am going to have to pass on carry around a placenta.

I can see the reasoning behind this, but it is so amazingly impractical.  You'd be tied to the house for 10 days, in addition to having this thing slowly going rank over the course of a week.  Plus, I've got cats!  I'd have to lock them away for a week so they didn't try to "get closer" to the placenta.  Not for me, thanks.

Ick.  That can't be right.  I mean, even animals cut the placenta off right away!  And as a person who was carrying around a baby kitty and it's placenta a week ago I can tell you that it's messy and cold and well, unpleasant really. 

I vote no.

Heres a thought...How are you even suppose to put clothes on the baby? Cut a special hole for the cord and placenta to go through???

That sound awfully dangerous as well as gross.  We also let the cord stop pulsing before it was cut, but we were told that it's all about timing.  Once the placenta stops pumping blood into the baby, the baby's blood is free to start leaking out the of placenta.  You would have to be walking around with some major hardware on it to keep the baby from bleeding to death.  Anyways, it took over 3 weeks for DS's stump to fall off.

Plus, I've got cats!  I'd have to lock them away for a week so they didn't try to "get closer" to the placenta. 

In addition to cats, we've got another small child about.  I'm sure she'd find a rank placenta a suitable plaything.   

Yuk! 

I've known a few people who did lotus birthing.  If the placenta is salted after birth, it quickly dries and doesn't smell.  It can be kept in a bag until the cord dries and separates.  It's not something I'd do but I don't really think it's that gross.  There are tons of websites out there that tell you how to care for the placenta to prevent all the things everyone has expressed concerns about.

Can't say I'd want to carry a placenta around as well as a newborn baby for days.  In my birth plan, I specified that I didn't want the baby's cord cut until it has stopped pumping blood, which only took a few minutes as it is.  Besides, how do you put clothes on the baby when it's still attached to the placenta, which btw is quite large? 

Oh man, I can't imagine carrying around a placenta like that.  I've heard of people burying them in the garden or something, but not leaving them attached for days.  No thanks!

Just out of curiosity -- what is the benefit of waiting until the baby's cord has stopped pumping blood to cut it?  Is it better for the baby and less shocking to its system?  I've never heard of that before!

Just out of curiosity -- what is the benefit of waiting until the baby's cord has stopped pumping blood to cut it? Is it better for the baby and less shocking to its system? I've never heard of that before!

All of the blood in the cord is the baby's blood.  By waiting until it's done pumping, you ensure that the baby has all of it's blood back in it's body instead of getting thrown out with the cord.  Most of it's extra blood, but if the cord is cut to soon, you can leave the baby a little deficient.  It's not a problem for health babies, but imagine if you had run a triathlon and then donated blood, how would you feel??  It one less thing for their little body to do when they are born.

In addition to cats, we've got another small child about.  I'm sure she'd find a rank placenta a suitable plaything.   

Yuk! 

Ooh, hadn't thought about that.  I can just hear it - "Jasper!  Placentas are for looking, not for touching!"

I was just wondering... once the cord stops pumping blood to the baby, it and the placenta don't really serve a purpose, right?  So I guess I don't understand how it does any good for the baby to stay attached to it.  I mean, after the trauma of going through the birth canal, getting various orafices sucked clean, thrown in a blanket and attempting to get the whole breastfeeding thing down, is anything really going to make the experience of birth any better?