What is Lotus Birth

Lotus Birth should not be confused with delayed umbilical cord cutting . The first not recommended by the Italian society of neonatology.

Il Lotus Birth

The Lotus Birth has nothing to do with plants or strange yoga positions but only with the name of the person who decided to “invent” this birth practice. Clair Lotus is precisely the name of a Californian nurse who had an illumination regarding this different type of birth; more than her birth, he can talk about the reception and care of the umbilical cord and the placenta .

It is said that Clair who had the gift of seeing people’s auras, which is an energy field that surrounds people and that is perceived only by some, and that she understood how the aura of those people who had not cut the cord was intact and still very vibrant. So she decided that when her daughter was born, she would not cut the umbilical cord and would wait for her to detach herself from her son’s navel. This happened in 1974. At the end of the 70s this type of newborn care takes the name of Lotus Birth, then Birth at the Lotus in honor of the nurse who started this practice which was supported in the United States by Jeannine Parvati Baker and Shivam Rachana in Australia.

A certain coincidence or correspondence can also be had with Buddhism. In Tibet and for Buddhists “to be born in the lotus” is a description for great teachers such as Gautama Buddha and Padmasambhava and indicates how they entered the world “intact”, as sacred children.

This practice was already present in some cultures such as the Balinese and some aboriginals such as the Kung.

So, when the baby is born, you choose not to cut the cord and expect it to dry out and fall off on its own as the days go by. The cord remains attached to the placenta. Well, I suppose a lot of questions are going through your head now if it’s the first time you’ve read about this thing. I hope that reading the doubts are resolved!

The child will always have this string which after a few hours will look like a slightly dry string, and the more days go by the more it will dry out. The child can be dressed normally, perhaps more comfortably with clothes that are not overalls so it will be easier to manage. The cleaning of the navel will be like for the stump: to always be kept dry and clean!! The evidence does not say that disinfectants or scars are needed, it is enough that it is kept dry and clean. After 2,3,6 days, but sometimes even 10 or 12 days, the umbilical cord will come off by itself. Of course if the parents at any time change their minds they can cut the cord!!

The placenta, on the other hand, must be kept in a container wrapped in some cloths that can absorb the liquids it releases , for example wrapped in a towel. If the baby leaves the house, the placenta can be placed in a bag, around there are some made specifically for placentas and they are very beautiful!! Sometimes the placenta, if the cord is slow to detach, can take on an unpleasant odor and it could be helpful to sprinkle it with coarse salt to improve the situation. Salt could also be used from the second day. There are some people who prefer not to treat it in order to then create homeopathic products with the placenta.

This was the complete Lotus Birth , there are other forms of welcoming children that may perhaps be easier for everyone to accept and experience, such as the delayed cutting of the umbilical cord.