Lotus birth!?

[Tiff]

I too think its okay for people to not want to do something. As for lotus birth, I wouldn't be able to do that personally... but that's just me and my own comfort levels.

"Disgusting" is definitely a negative term and I can see how it can be offensive... but again people's comfort levels come into play. Bit of a random story, but I posted on FB a long time ago something about rinsing my ground beef after I cook it (before I put in spices etc). This was before I switched to ground turkey and would do it to get the fat off.

My hubby's cousin commented that doing so was "gross, disgusting and creepy". I didn't understand but hey-ho can't please everyone.

Then a while later she goes on about how she has her placenta frozen and ground up and was taking it in capsule form. I didn't comment on that but was quite unsure how rinsing off ground beef was "disgusting" but drying and capsuling your placenta to ingest was completely normal and whatnot.

But there you have it - comfort levels. I don't think I would have been so off-put if she had just either not commented at all or used a term a bit less negative.

Definitely not saying ANYTHING against capsuling your placenta. Again, not for me but all the more power to people who want to!

 

[Tasha]

Interesting thread. I first read about lotus births almost six years ago and it really interests me. It has never been an option for me as my clotting disorders mean the placentas are always in a mess.

 

[MommyJogger]

Haven't read all the comments, so sorry if this has already been brought up. I'd totally go for a lotus birth, but I think I would stop short of storing it in the ornate glass nut cup like the FOB seems to be doing in the article's picture. I would love to carry my newborn around walmart that way: baby in one arm, fancy glass placenta cup in the other. I feel like he must have grabbed it off the table, dumped out the pistachios, and put it in there without the mom realizing yet.

 

[Mrs Mc]

Didnt realise this had been moved. Assumed it had been closed like I ask.
I'll expand on why I started it as some people seem to think Ive done it to get everyone to agree with me.

I had never heard of this before I read the article and as the article said that the midwife of x amount of years had only done this 100 times I asseumed (rigtly or wrongly) that it was not a common/popular thing.

I do still stand by my comment that I find it gross thinking. But only as some people find blood gross or raw meat, etc. Its a little like me and my sister have a joke between us because vomit doesnt bother me but poo does and she is the other way round so we have a joke that we'll help each other with our baby clean ups, me, vomit, her, poo!

I just see it as carrying around a piece of rotting flesh and there must be a risk, however small, of infection, damage (it being pulled, gettin caught) and I know I would not want to put my baby in that position, however small the risk may be of becoming seriously ill or hurt.

Placental encapsulatin, bury it, planting a tree, frying it up have no risk to your baby and althoug its not for me I have no issues with other peope doing it.

I dont even really care if people would do this, your life your choice but I should be able to express an opinion.

I have quite happily read everyones opinion and never said your wrong for doing it! As have other people that havent agreed. Its other people that seem to have the issue of us not wanting to do it!

 

[Tasha]

Didnt realise this had been moved. Assumed it had been closed like I ask.
I'll expand on why I started it as some people seem to think Ive done it to get everyone to agree with me.

I had never heard of this before I read the article and as the article said that the midwife of x amount of years had only done this 100 times I asseumed (rigtly or wrongly) that it was not a common/popular thing.

I do still stand by my comment that I find it gross thinking. But only as some people find blood gross or raw meat, etc. Its a little like me and my sister have a joke between us because vomit doesnt bother me but poo does and she is the other way round so we have a joke that we'll help each other with our baby clean ups, me, vomit, her, poo!

I just see it as carrying around a piece of rotting flesh and there must be a risk, however small, of infection, damage (it being pulled, gettin caught) and I know I would not want to put my baby in that position, however small the risk may be of becoming seriously ill or hurt.

Placental encapsulatin, bury it, planting a tree, frying it up have no risk to your baby and althoug its not for me I have no issues with other peope doing it.

I dont even really care if people would do this, your life your choice but I should be able to express an opinion.

I have quite happily read everyones opinion and never said your wrong for doing it! As have other people that havent agreed. Its other people that seem to have the issue of us not wanting to do it!

The thing about the infection though is that cut cord's get infections regularly and therefore the mothers *could* think that cutting the cord puts their LO at greater risk.

 

[Mrs Mc]

^^
True but I would imagine keeping a cut cord clean and dry and sorting out an infection would be a hell of a lot easier.

 

[Feronia]

^^
True but I would imagine keeping a cut cord clean and dry and sorting out an infection would be a hell of a lot easier.

But the risk of infection in a lotus birth is incredibly small, almost unheard of since there is no open wound to be infected. It's much easier for a cut umbilical cord to become infected. You can be grossed out about it all you want, but it's still disrespectful to express your disgust in such a way publicly.

Really though, since the risks are smaller in a lotus birth compared to cutting the cord, you shouldn't even mention the so-called risks (even though the risks of cutting the cord are also very small if you delay the cutting for a few minutes until it stops pulsing). You don't like it because you think it's gross, not because it's dangerous. That's fine though -- you don't have to like it!

 

[Emerald87]

^^
True but I would imagine keeping a cut cord clean and dry and sorting out an infection would be a hell of a lot easier.

But the risk of infection in a lotus birth is incredibly small, almost unheard of since there is no open wound to be infected. It's much easier for a cut umbilical cord to become infected. You can be grossed out about it all you want, but it's still disrespectful to express your disgust in such a way publicly.

Really though, since the risks are smaller in a lotus birth compared to cutting the cord, you shouldn't even mention the so-called risks (even though the risks of cutting the cord are also very small if you delay the cutting for a few minutes until it stops pulsing). You don't like it because you think it's gross, not because it's dangerous. That's fine though -- you don't have to like it!

That doesn't make sense to me logically. I'm not denying the risks of cutting (which is minimised by aseptic technique, BTW) however I still foresee risks in leaving a rotting organ attached to a child. Yes, the cord naturally clamps, however there is still a point of connection and not all closure is complete until complete detachment. Therefore theoretically an ascending infection could occur. Infections can occur with a degrading cut cord ascending into the child through the open umbilicus and therefore they could occur through a whole organ remaining intact.

Expressing disgust publicly does not make it disrespectful. Opinions and emotion are allowed here; just as your discontentment with others' views is allowed to be expressed. Telling someone their opinion is not allowed to be expressed the way they actually feel about such a thing is on par with the aforementioned expression of disgust of a ritual they do not agree with.

 

[Emerald87]

Methinks we need a limerick

Robinator?

 

[Feronia]

It's only attached for a few days and is dried and salted. There shouldn't be a smell and it certainly won't be rotting in that amount of time! Unfortunately, it hasn't been studied so there's not much we can say about it in terms of factual data. I couldn't find any instance of infection when I searched around though.

As I've said earlier in this thread, it's okay to have opinions! There are certain topics that you don't want to come right out and say "I'm disgusted by that" though -- there are better ways of putting something as not to offend people who made this choice. I see it akin to saying on a public forum that breastfeeding is disgusting, that gay people are disgusting, or that somebody's religious ritual is disgusting. You'd obviously offend some people by saying those sort of things, and since lotus birth is a cultural practice in parts of the world, it's similar. Just because it's less common than my other examples doesn't mean it's not disrespectful to call it disgusting.

 

[Emerald87]

It's only attached for a few days and is dried and salted. There shouldn't be a smell and it certainly won't be rotting in that amount of time! Unfortunately, it hasn't been studied so there's not much we can say about it in terms of factual data. I couldn't find any instance of infection when I searched around though.

As I've said earlier in this thread, it's okay to have opinions! There are certain topics that you don't want to come right out and say "I'm disgusted by that" though -- there are better ways of putting something as not to offend people who made this choice. I see it akin to saying on a public forum that breastfeeding is disgusting, that gay people are disgusting, or that somebody's religious ritual is disgusting. You'd obviously offend some people by saying those sort of things, and since lotus birth is a cultural practice in parts of the world, it's similar. Just because it's less common than my other examples doesn't mean it's not disrespectful to call it disgusting.

True, I see your point

 

[meli1981]

but people are saying the placenta is gross, not the baby or the mother. are people that sensitive about their placentas?

 

[Emerald87]

but people are saying the placenta is gross, not the baby or the mother. are people that sensitive about their placentas?

I personally have no issues with any organ, bodily fluid, bodily function etc. (being in med helps on that front). However the idea of having a partially rotten/partially fixed organ still attached to my newborn baby isn't my ideal. But that's just me.

 

[meli1981]

but people are saying the placenta is gross, not the baby or the mother. are people that sensitive about their placentas?

I personally have no issues with any organ, bodily fluid, bodily function etc. (being in med helps on that front). However the idea of having a partially rotten/partially fixed organ still attached to my newborn baby isn't my ideal. But that's just me.

i agree tho i get a bit light headed about blood etc!

 

[MommyJogger]

but people are saying the placenta is gross, not the baby or the mother. are people that sensitive about their placentas?

I personally have no issues with any organ, bodily fluid, bodily function etc. (being in med helps on that front). However the idea of having a partially rotten/partially fixed organ still attached to my newborn baby isn't my ideal. But that's just me.

I guess to me the difference between the whole organ and a cut open part of that organ isn't much different on the 'ick' factor. Either way, you have a dying piece of flesh. If it's true that the lotus birth makes it fall off faster, then that's definitely what I'm doing next time. My son's took FOR.EV.ER. I think I'd need to do it at a different hospital or at home, though. I asked for a delayed clamping and she said I couldn't hold the baby until the cord was cut "because the blood would rush out of my baby's body and into the placenta". DH didn't like the way she was holding DS, so he told her to "just clip the damn thing". No delayed clamping for me. Or pretty much anything else she'd previously agreed to in my birth plan.

 

[Tiff]

but people are saying the placenta is gross, not the baby or the mother. are people that sensitive about their placentas?

Hard to say. I was sensitive about my ground beef

 

[meli1981]

but people are saying the placenta is gross, not the baby or the mother. are people that sensitive about their placentas?

Hard to say. I was sensitive about my ground beef

 

[MommyJogger]

Can I offend everyone? Am I the only one that thinks birth is gross? I still get phantom 'gushes' where it feels like my water/blood is leaking and nothings there. Makes my skin crawl.

 

[meli1981]

its definately messy business! i dont know why the whole thing is taken so seriously! its just a means to an end, the baby is the important thing, not leaving the placenta attached etc

 

[Tasha]

I have to say cut cords (as in the cord stump left on baby) make me feel a bit sick, so a whole placenta would make me feel really sick. I have seen mine too and they dont look good due to the clotting disorders, they are already a black colour when they come out so it really doesnt appeal.

However I can relate to why people would feel sensitive about their placenta because it is due to that organ, that their little one made it. I sorta hated mine cos my two girls died in part due to it.