I am going to write about crazy people who aren’t directly involved in parenting but first, I have to do this one particular topic. Anyone who read my recent article on mothering.com might have seen a brief discussion of Lotus Birth in the comments section. This article will expand on this practice that taught MattMcBoy an important lesson: Never play the “I dare you to Google this” game with BBQ. My own husband won’t play that game with me. Warning: If you Google Lotus Birth images, you have only yourself to blame. There is a reason there are no images in this article.
You know how sometimes you feel that a little something is missing in life? Like, you’re not complete or you haven’t reached spiritual fulfillment? Well, there’s a reason for that. It’s because after your birth, your umbilical cord was immediately severed. This was highly traumatic and this abuse is performed thousands of times every day on newborns. The child comes out of the womb only to be separated from his in-utero security blankets – the umbilical cord and the placenta. Frankly, it’s violence and has no place in the lives of peace-loving people.
Lotus Birth is the practice of leaving the umbilical cord attached. It is the most natural way because that’s what chimpanzees do. The baby needs to adjust to the outside world and has a metaphysical connection to the placenta. So, instead of clamping the cord and cutting it, the way most Western births are performed, the cord and placenta stay with the baby until they disconnect of their own accord (pun!) According to practitioners, Lotus babies are more relaxed and Zen than those who have been assaulted by a cord clamp. Clamping and cutting the cord is violent and disturbs the baby’s aura. It is unnecessary cosmetic surgery. Babies retain spiritual energy and avoid feelings of violation when they keep the cord and placenta
The placenta is placed in a bowl, cloth diaper or a colander and allowed to dry out naturally. It’s important to note that the placenta is still attached to the baby via the cord. The cord dries and falls off in about 3 days (longer if you’re in a tropical climate). I assume that if you’re in a desert climate like Colorado or Arizona, it will fall off even faster. Some practitioners rub the placenta with oils or salts to preserve it. Otherwise, it resembles beef jerky after a couple of days (their words, not mine). After the cord and placenta dry out, you can plant it in the garden, eat it (that’s what chimps do) or store it somewhere special. One commenter on mothering.com keeps her daughter’s in a special box and they get it out and reminisce. Doesn’t that sound like a great way to bond with your child?
There are numerous recommendations about Lotus Birth on mothering.com and one of their experts, Sarah J Buckley, MD has written many articles about the practice. Your odds of having a successful Lotus Birth are much greater if you have the baby at home. Doctors are very anal retentive and often won’t let the parents take the placenta home at all, much less leave it attached.
This website explains Lotus Birth in depth and finds a way to link it to Martin Luther King Jr.’s civil rights marches. It also has something to do with Jesus and Ghandi. Again, be careful as there are pictures which could scorch your retinas. Here is one argument for the practice that I think bears discussion: “Their [Lotus Birth babies] greater capacity for relaxation, compared to nurslings who had early cord severance and placenta loss, is apparently a metabolic foundation for life, and makes teething and other developmental stages much less distressful. It could be concluded that Lotus Birth gives babies lifelong coping skills.”
Please discuss.
