if you believe in the spiritual side of things (baby and placenta are "one" lifeforce) then I think as long as it's done properly with the placenta and cord sanitized it's okay
I have read about the spiritual side of Lotus Birth but most of the families I know didn't choose LB for this reason but because of how different both the babies and their familes behave throughout the Lotus birth.
I'm not sure what you mean above about the placenta and cord being sanitized. There is no need to treat the placenta any differently to the baby in this regard. Dr Sarah Buckley who has written about Lotus Birth has this to say about infection:
"We don't have any formal research in this area, so I am answering from physiological principles.
From a physiological perspective, I would expect less risks from infection with lotus birth, as there is no cutting of the cord so no conduit for infection to enter the baby's body. In many countries, a major risk for the newborn is from infections such as tetanus entering the baby through unsterile instruments used to cut the cord.
Some worry about infection from the drying placenta somehow getting inside the baby's body, but again, this does not make sense, as all the bacteria that coat the placenta have also coated the baby from birth, so he/she has already been exposed to these bacteria. These are the bacteria from the mother's own gut flora, which colonise the baby's skin and gut and optimise the immune system from birth.
If there are other bacteria such as group B strep (GBS) in the mother's vagina, these will affect the baby during the birth process rather than during the lotus birth period.
Lotus babies are also less likely to be passed around, and so less likely to be exposed to viruses and bacteria from outside the family, which may also reduce risk of infection.
Lastly, I would like to add that many people are a little cautious about lotus birth, which is understandable as it is new and uncommon. So when a lotus baby has for example, some redness or slight discharge around the cord base (which is generally healthy and normal and is part of the cord separation process). or an umbilical hernia, this may be blamed on lotus birth when it is not in fact related. "
When you witness a transitioning Lotus Baby you can see a marked difference in their behaviour...they are serene, they don't have closed fists, their arms and legs are loose, they are so relaxed, they often sleep with their arms above their heads, they don't fuss or cry hard and barely cry at all, they are alert and make intense eye contact when awake, they aren't sleepy. Think of a newbaby who has had an undrugged vaginal birth and how they are in that first hour after birth...transitioning Lotus Babies are like that but for an extended time.
I only had 2 visitors during our Lotus Birth but they both commented that entering our home felt like entering a Church. That was because we were all still in that same state that occurs immediately post birth. We kept our voices and the lights low. Nobody was passing the baby around. I was brought whatever I needed and only got up to shower and use the loo and aside from those times baby and I were constantly together skin-on-skin (baby remained naked and I remained topless for the whole transition). Baby wasn't passed around, not even to immediate family and our visitors didn't touch her. In this way she was only cultured with family friendly bacteria. Of course, you could do all of that without the LB but in our culture it is common for there to be visitors early post birth and lots of passing the baby around whereas with the LB this is less likely to happen.
It does decay though, like any other organ which no longer has a blood supply and function etc. nature will take it's course and it will begin to breakdown.
It does decay in that it becomes smaller and drier but it doesn't rot. If tended properly i.e. drained thoroughly, washed thoroughly, dried thoroughly and not covered with anything non breathable it dehydrates becoming preserved the way fruit might if dehydrated properly, or perhaps the process of making beef jerky is a more accurate comparison.
3 days is optimistic for natural seperation - a week to 10 days is more realistic.
I know many babies who have been Lotus Born and it is usually 3, 4, or 5 days when the cord detaches, however, one LB baby I know took a full 14 days to release her placenta.
"The average time for a Lotus Birth babys cord to come off naturally is three to ten days after the birth. Research has found that there is a direct relationship between the time the cord is cut after birth and the number of days it takes for the navel to heal. When the umbilical cord is cut immediately, the average length of time required for the navel to heal is 9.56 days. When cut after the cord stops pulsing it is an average of 7.16 days. When later, as happens in a Lotus Birth, the average time is 3.75 days. "
There are a few medical studies which show less anaemia in delayed cord clamping.
This is true and even waiting a short 5 minutes has a huge impact. A baby receiving a full transfusion of blood from the placenta receives 40% more blood containing prescious stem cells, plasma, red blood cells and hemoglobin than they would if the cord is clamped and cut early. This increased blood volume is still present in the baby who has experienced delayed cord clamping even after 48 hours and iron stores of these babies was still higher at 6 months of age. Basically, a baby who has had delayed cord clamping has all the iron needed to get them through to 6 months...at time when most babies begin solid food.
For preterm infants it seems that delayed cord clamping is even more important as they find it reduces the incidence of intraventricular haemorrhage (bleeding in the brain's ventricular system) and when it does occur it is less severe plus it greatly reduces the incidence of sepsis.
A baby who has had it's cord clamped/cut is placed in the traumatic position of having to breath very quickly or suffocate whereas the baby whose placenta is left alone post birth is receiving oxygen for a longer period of time making the transition to breathing less urgent. Sometimes, a baby not breathing is given as a reason to cut the cord early, so that they baby can be removed from the mother in order to rescusitate it but to my mind this is a reason not to clamp and cut but to keep the baby with the mother when rescusitating allowing the placenta to continue providing oxygen until the baby starts breathing.
There is no evidence that early cord clamping is safe nor that it has benefits and it is purely a cultural practice of convenience which I feel isn't a valid trade off based on what we have alredy discovered.
If you wait for the placenta to stop functioning fully there is no need to clamp before severing the cord. You can find more information about all of this at academicobgyn.com.
Every one might be scared to hold baby! lol
