Our Lotus Birth Experience

Today I wanted to talk to you about something close to my heart called Lotus Birth?

If you want to hear my personal experience with the Lotus Birth of my daughter read on.

Its always good to learn new things right?
Here Goes...

In 2000 I brought a magazine because I knew a man in it, it was called 'Mother Magazine', a photocopy magazine from England about natural parenting, pregnancy and birth.  I read the magazine with interest but at that stage in my life I still did not want children.  I had no idea that by buying that magazine for a totally different reason, my childs life would be so hugely affected.

I had read about Lotus Birthing.  The practice of not cutting the umbilical cord when a baby is born, where you carry the placenta with the baby until the baby is ready to let go of the cord, not our decision but theirs.
When I became pregnant in 2007 I knew that I was planning for a lotus birth, I read everything I could which wasent that much at all, but enough to know that this seemed the only way to bring a child into the world for us, once we were educated we just couldn't go back.

What are the benefits of a lotus birth?

The extra blood received by a baby is 600mls which is the same as 1.5 litres for an adult, that extra blood gives them an amazing start and they donot experience the first week jaundice or weight loss.  The amazing part for us was how relaxed India was, she slept and slept, some moments for 11 hours, once for 14 hours (cue first time parent paranoia!) but we trusted and just let her do her thing, right from birth she only ever woke once in the night, and kept the exact same pattern as what she had when inside the womb, 1.30am feed.  Feeding was the other amazing thing, she didn't feed for the first 4 days, we were so blessed to have a maternity ward who allowed us to just watch our baby and not force the normal routine on her.  So I expressed some colostrum to squirt in her mouth, she didn't want it!  When she did start feeding the feeds were 8 hours apart eventually increasing to four hours in the day.  So after birth sleeping was great in our house, before birth I was getting up 7 times a night to go to the toilet because I had a bladder the size of a mouse!  Finally we were getting some sleep.

Crying was rare, when she did cry, she cried like a very pissed off baby, but she could go a whole day and not cry once.  We had a very relaxed baby who knew what she wanted and had very amazing communication skills.  Independence was something we had to get used to, I thought being a mother meant I had to do everything, but when India was only 4 months old she was feeding herself and by 1 wouldn't let us play the feeding game at all.  There never seemed to be an attachment phase at all.  Teething was a breeze, waking with teeth we had no idea were coming, I have heard some horror stories of teething and had prepared myself for hell.

Health wise she has been amazing, she only seems to get the tail ends of colds and is never held down by them, at 3 1/2 she has had 2 fevers, one ear infection, no stomach bugs and has never spewed.  We decided against immunization, for fear of what the chemicals could do to her body, so we felt that a lotus birth was the best way for her to build a naturally strong body, give her the best start and let her body complete its journey into the outside world at her own pace.

So How Does It Work?

We had an amazing birth, although at our local hospital (to calm my nerves) we have an amazing maternity unit where you are primarily in charge of your experience.  We organised with our midwives that what we were after was an unassisted birth, and compromised on the midwives talking to my partner who would then talk to me.  I didnt want to hear about how dilated I was or if I was taking too long too fast etc. 

  

I had a water birth which was very centered around my intuition, I talked about how I felt and we just watched my body until I finally birthed.  Everything went perfectly.

SO after Indi was born we waited around for 40 minutes for the placenta to come away and also be birthed. 

,(please look away if this is too much, I promise its the only bloody photo)

Once out we had a good look at our daughters previous home and took photos,  then the placenta was placed in a colander over a bowl, brought especially for this day. 

A midwife took the bowl and Kel took Indi over to the sink to rinse off the placenta, we first made the mistake of putting it under cold water which made our poor baby jump.  This is when we first realised how sensitive and connected babies are to their placentas.  Warm water was then used and she lay comfortably, we towel dried the placenta which now looks like a piece of ...meat and lay her back in the colander to drain more. 

After weighing and measuring our daughter was dressed and she held onto her cord the whole time.  By now it was midnight so we all went to bed after an exhausting 24 hours.  What we found is that no matter how much clothing our baby was wearing, she couldn't get warm, after feeling the placenta and its cold wet temperature we decided to wrap it up and put it in its special bag to keep warm.  Her temperature rose straight away, another piece of proof to us, of how connected they were.  

The placenta, which by now had a name too. Ishtar. was carried around in its special bag, it layered as, placenta, disposable nappy, cotton nappy, towel, bag.  Its quite nice that your child isnt too easy to handle, it gives you a reason for people to leave her alone, I just cringe when I watch new borns being handed around in circles, there is plenty of time for cuddles. 

  

So each day we salt the placenta, the first mistake we made was just crashing in and unwrapping the placenta without asking, my god did she scream, and like for an hour!, so next day we asked if it was ok and told Indi what we were doing in stages, she was very calm?? who knows right??  Each day you salt the placenta with lavender scented salt, the rate that it dehydrates and shrinks is amazing.  It doesn't smell at all.  The cord is quite hard looking after only a day, this of course depends on the weather, a soggy day Vs a hot sunny day. 

It took 6 days for her placenta to be pulled off, she was always holding her cord, one day it just let go.  

  

It was amazing to have my first cuddle, chest to chest, to really embrace her,' her second birthing' we called it,  this was the day we also gave her her first bath too.

We took her placenta and buried her under a tree with Kelly dreadlocks which he cut off the day she let go of her cord too, both were buried under a tree we hope will one day be a climbing tree for her to have a tree hut in, the cord we kept, it is so dry, maybe resembling one of those pigs ears you get for dogs to chew on!  we have coiled it up and sewn to a wall hanging in our lounge next to a few of daddy favorite dreds.

So probably the question we come up against most is 'How can you be bothered doing that?' and I guess the answer is, that its only one week out of your life, sometimes less, and if it makes for an easier time for the good of your child and family, wouldn't you do it too?  I never found it to be anything but normal seeing as I have never had a baby before.  But the child we ended up with is an eye opener to our family.  Don't think for a second that she isn't a normal child, my god is she loud, naughty, destructive, funny, loving, polite, rude, beautiful, generous, infuriating, inspiring, exhausting, creative, stubborn and smart.  She is extremely capable of everything but she also knows what is right and wrong for her and will not be changed by anyone, ohh believe me I have tried, but we are so proud of the person she is becoming.

I highly, so highly recommend a Lotus Birth to all that can go thru with it, the risks are practically none and the benefits seem to go on and on, its such an interesting journey to watch.

And where to from here, just more learning on this magical journey like all parents.
Please ask questions if you have them, and I have stared to make 'Lotus Birth Kits' for those interested in giving this a go.

Here are some other useful links to learn more

Lotus Birth Campaign

Lotus Birth Q & A

Sarah Buckley MD, Queen Of Lotus Birth



much love and cookies to you all

xxx
Sheree

P.S.  i guess its a momentus post because Im writing it on my new MacBook
Love Love Love this thing
xxx