“When I am asked, ‘Why don’t you cut babies’ umbilical cords?’, I say, ‘Isn’t the real question: Why do you cut?” ~IBU ROBIN LIM
(WARNING: Graphic content!)
And so there were many curious clicks at my previous Lotusbirth link,
here are two more interesting and easy read on Lotusbirth if you are interested.
1. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Lotus_birth
2. http://www.lotusbirth.net/
Researched-based and secondhand stories aside,
I have fallen in love with the idea of Lotusbirth since I first understood its ahimsa (non-violence) concept:
- No cruelty.
- No cutting.
- No separation (mother & baby, baby & placenta).
My Prenatal Padmasana (Lotus Pose) at 24-weeks pregnant
Following the birth of my daughter leaving her umbilical cord attached to both the baby and her placenta, without clamping or severing, and allowing the cord the time to detach from the baby naturally - I am beyond pleased, grateful and humbled by the differences I notice in my baby and many other newborns I know.
PJ playing with her ‘bestfriend for 10 months’, day 3
- PJ is very strong for a newborn. At only two days old, she started raising her head up if she were to be lied on her stomach on her daddy’s chest and she can push her feet to standing up if I tried to make her burp vertically on my belly. At almost 20 days today, she is already beginning to turn her whole body / roll sideway by herself!
- She is also a very calm baby. She hardly ever cries, she only squeaks if she needs to be fed or changed, even at night. Aside from the spiritual and meditation work I did when I was pregnant which I also believe helps contributed to this, I have came across many stories of Lotusbirth babies who are very peaceful, alert, responsive and possess almost superhuman-like strength wise.
- I have not heard of many newborns who did not get jaundice during their first week. Alhamdulillah, PJ managed to skip jaundice altogether (read the very bottom of THIS).
In preparation for a planned Lotusbirth, I assembled this:
Lotusbirth Kit from Yayasan Bumi Sehat Bali, a sterile stainless steel bowl
and a copy of Ibu Robin Lim’s Placenta book
In the Lotusbirth Kit (Rp250,000 = RM75 = USD25), which you can easily prepare yourself:
- high absorbency small square / hand towel
- herbal powder (with mixture of nutmeg, cinnamon, clove)
- sea salt
- finely shaved pandan leaves
- ‘mengkuang’ (pine) leaves woven basket, no cover
- bamboo box
- carrier with shoulder sling
- instruction sleeve of Lotus Birth (what is Lotus Birth, why Lotus Birth, what will you need for Lotus Birth & how to prepare for Lotus Birth)
Not included in the kit:
- 100% essential oil (lavender)
- bio-degradable diaper / chux pad / underpad
- stainless steel bowl
- Ibu Robin Lim’s Placenta book (Rp200,000, buy e-book here)
How To Prepare for Lotusbirth?
1. After the birth of the placenta, it can be placed in a bowl. It is important to keep the placenta level with the baby after birth until the gelatinous substance (Wharton’s Jelly) has solidified. After several minutes, blood transfusion s complete and the cord stops pulsing.
2. Place the placenta into the colander to drain off any excess blood. Using a jug of warm water, gently rinse the placenta as thoroughly as possible, taking care to remove any blood clots as they decay quickyly. Pat dry and air for 24 hours.
3. Your placenta is now ready for embalming preparation. You can salt the placenta on both sides in order to preserve it better. How much salt is up to you. Not everyone chooses to salt the placenta - and if you will be using it to plant a tree over, the less salt the better. Aplication of salt is repeated each day for a few days, depending on how quickly the placenta dries out. Essential oil is used to stave off any unpleasant smell the placenta might make.
4. An alternative to salting is the use of powdered herbs. This is the Egyptian embalming method. Start by softly covering one side of the placenta with turmeric powder and then sprinkle the salt. Add the powdered herbs and / or powdered spices. Repeat the process for both sides. The essential oils and dried herbs apllied encourage drying, help neutralize the smell of decomposition and are used for their antibacterial properties.
5. Use the cloths to wrap the placenta in as they are absorbent and allow the placenta to breathe and can contain all the salts, herbs, spices or dried flowers that have been used to pack the placenta to aid the drying process. Then place the cloth inside the Bumi Birth lotus box which holds the placenta during the Lotus period.
It is important to take extra care when moving your baby, so as not to pull at their belly with the cord. Also, keep placenta at the same level as the baby or slightly higher. In most cases, the placental cord will dry and separate from the baby’s navel within three to seven days.
(from Yayasan Bumi Sehat’s Lotus Birth Kit)
Why Lotusbirth?
- possible faster healing of the umbilicus
- to avoid unnecessary risk of cord infection
- personal preference for cruelty-free birth
- no need to worry about clamping or cutting the cord
- respect for nature, baby and placenta’s spiritual reasons
- to encourage mother / baby bonding
- limits visitors who may prefer to wait until cord separates
- less passing around of the baby
- to allow most gradual and peaceful transition into this world for the baby
- baby and mother get maximum rest in quiet & still environment
(from Yayasan Bumi Sehat’s Lotus Birth Kit)
PJ, day 5
It was an absolute eye opener and humbling experience for me after having honoured my baby and her ‘twin’ by embracing Lotusbirth.
And a particular friend observed ’something else’ too..
‘Rosemary pizza for baby’ (click HERE for bigger photo), really Henry?
O_o
wow what a revelation! i have gone through the usual delivery process but i have never seen my daughter’s twin. and to see it repeatedly here is..eye-opening. i suppose it would definitely scare off some people ey ninie? not for the faint hearted, this post!
i can really understand it though when you feel humbled by the presence of the twin together with your daughter, even tho it has been days after the birth. lucky momma ninie!
dahlya
22 Feb 13 at 3:43 PM
Hi ninie.congrats on your delivery.
I was really amazed with your experience undergoing the lotus birth.
As a paeds Dr, its definitely a paradigm shift of sorts for me as it is not what most of us are trained to do.what we are taught of cord clamping is that if done too early will lead to anaemia and if too delayed, will result in excessive infusion of red blood cells, a condition known as polycythaemia.Polycythaemia in neonates can cause a host of problems ranging from the benign to more potentially life threathening complications,jaundice being one of them, something that we almost universally see in babies who for some reason or the other has their cord clamped late.The usual scenario is the baby who gets delivered before hospital arrival.Having said that there is no universal concencus as far as I know as to how long is too long, but I stand corrected.
It is definitely an interesting concept and the rationale as well as benefits of lotus birth does sound plausible and it certainly appeals to me both scietntifically and spiritually.
To be honest, i myself would be a little antsy if the obgyn team tells me that someone has decided on delayed or no cord clamping for their baby and I would diligently
aylaf
23 Feb 13 at 7:44 AM
Oops..prematurely pressed the send button.
As I was saying, I would diligently look for complications of polycythaemia. I’m just wondering why our babies develop them and those who underwent lotus birth did not.I think there could be other factors interplaying and more studies are definitely needed.
Anyhow, congrats again and all the best to you and your adorable baby.
aylaf
23 Feb 13 at 8:08 AM
Congratulations, Ninie + PJ + family. Well done!
Ninie, It is altogether enligthening to observe a way of birth not conventionally practiced by hospitals and your explainations and supporting references make sense. However, I am interested to know how you managed to get support from your medical assistance (obgyn / mid wife etc) to honour your wishes when it’s not something they may ordinarily be trained in or familiar with whilst respecting their professional knowledge and experience?
Wishing your new family loving joy!
Ling
23 Feb 13 at 3:09 PM
Hi Ninie,
I just wanted to thank you so much for being such an inspiration by the way you live life. Reading your blog all these years has never failed to make life looks and feels brighter. Especially on a day like today, I woke up to some unhappy thoughts and findings but your writings and mantra in life just reminded me again of how it all comes from within. THANK YOU!
And I wanted to say a big big congratulations on baby PJ! It’s definitely an eye opening experience to read about the way you handled the pregnancy, childbirth and parenthood with so much calmness, gratitude, optimism and peace. Despite being a biology and health major, I have never seen nor heard about leaving the placenta attached to the baby after he or she is born.
So happy to hear that baby PJ and yourself are recovering super well! I hope that we’ll be able to meet in person someday soon.
Thank you again for everything you’ve taught me. And have an amazing day ahead!
Warmest wishes,
Caryn
Caryn
25 Feb 13 at 4:47 PM
As usual, amazing & inspirational! TQ so much for the insights, really an eye opener
puteri
26 Feb 13 at 11:43 AM
My friend and I agreed to have a lotus birth for our son. My daughter had her umbilical cord cut at the hospital (completely natural birth with midwife and doula).
The difference is phenomenal.
I know it’s not ALL because of Lotus, but there are certain things that I think are precisely because of it.
My little baby boy is much much stronger than other little boys his age.
He doesn’t cry unless it matters.
His immune system seems to be strong.
His appetite is great.
Apart from the physical attributes, he is so calm and smiley.
Many differences from his sister and other kids around that did not get the placenta seperation gently.
Despite the reasons FOR cutting, I would continue to recommend lotus by default.
Congratulations. This is where a better world starts.
Generic Freeman
27 Feb 13 at 4:58 AM
Hi Ninie, congrats again, and thank you for your inspirational piece on lotus birth. Very informative and I wish people can be made aware and be given more info and choices when it came to birthing.
Fern
5 Mar 13 at 7:31 AM
Congrats Ninie…your baby so cute
zuliyati
11 Apr 13 at 9:49 PM
After our baby was born, the placenta was scooped up with the strainer and left to drain while we got out of the pool. It was then placed onto a cloth square and liberally salted. She also sprinkled over lots of dried rosemary, which is supposed to help with the drying process and keep the placenta cool. It was the middle of summer so we didn’t want it cooking or decomposing! The placenta was then wrapped in the cloth and placed into the basket. Later that day I used the ribbon to cover the long umblicial cord.
Mildred Oconnor
9 May 13 at 4:30 PM