Lotus birthing is an option for mums who want a "more tranquil" start to their baby's life outside the womb.

Lotus birthing is not all that common - in fact, many of us haven't even heard of it. Yet for a number of women, it feels like the natural thing to do, and is viewed as an extension of the bond they establish with their baby.

Believed to have physical and emotional benefits for newborns, the practice of lotus birthing – also known as umbilical nonseverance – means the umbilical cord is not cut after birth. Instead, it remains attached to the baby and placenta until it falls off naturally. This can take anywhere from three to 10 days.

Kim Vale, mum to one, decided on a lotus birth with the support her husband.

"We wanted to allow for maximum transfer of valuable nutrients and other goodness from the placenta to our baby while supporting a slower transition to the outside world," she explains.

"We also felt that we should allow this dependent and delicate new baby to let go of her/our organ she'd been attached to for her entire life in her own time. Research supported this technique and we felt it was a very natural and healthy process."

Vale says that her experience of lotus birthing was one of calm and tranquility, and offered her baby a happy way to start life in this busy world.

"As a person who usually rushes from one place to the next, I really feel like our method of birthing was very grounding and allowed both my husband and I to slow down and appreciate this time."

But the benefits for Vale didn't just finish there.

"Having an organ attached to your baby prevents the usual 'pass around' because visitors can be a bit hesitant about holding baby and placenta. Being a protective new mum this suited me very well," she says.


As far as Vale is concerned there were no disadvantages to lotus birth, and it's something she would highly recommend to others.

Pippa Buxton, midwife and parenting blogger, agrees.

"My first birth experience felt sidetracked from what would have been ideal for me," she says. "So I felt that by choosing a lotus birth for my second child, I would have an opportunity to reclaim possession over the placenta and to respect the importance of the role it had played in nourishing my baby within."

Buxton cherished the time that her daughter was attached to the placenta, and felt it was a good reminder of the newness of things.

However, when the placenta separated on the third day, she was ready for it.

"I was speaking to her about wanting it to be separated so I could have less concern over moving around," she explains.

Buxton has since gone on to have another son, who she also lotus birthed.

"The gift of stillness, even if forced by the practical challenges of carrying around a placenta with the baby, was a precious thing for me. I'm definitely grateful to have embraced lotus birthing and to have had that ownership over the process."

Avalon Darnesh, a birth educator, is a strong advocate of lotus birthing. She believes this process allows the baby to have a gentle transition from womb to world.

"Physically, the job of the placenta is finished within a few hours of birth, but on an energy level the benefits of remaining connected to the placenta continue until the baby is ready to let it go," she says. "It's a way to honour this connection for a few more days, rather than severing it immediately after birth."

Having experienced two "peaceful and tranquil" lotus births herself, Darnesh now promotes the benefits of it to other women.

So what exactly does it involve?

"On a practical level, once the baby and placenta are born, it's helpful to have a bucket of warm water and a strainer handy to clean the placenta, preferably within an hour or so of birth," explains Darnesh. "Doing this thoroughly will prevent the placenta from smelling, and allow it time to drain."

Darnesh recommends rinsing the placenta again a few hours later in a fresh bucket of warm water to remove any remaining residue, then leaving it to dry carefully. She then advises covering it with dried rosemary.

"It's worth being a bit pedantic about covering every nook and cranny of the placenta with rosemary to avoid smells," she says. "It's also worth dusting the cord and sprinkling rosemary liberally around the navel end of the base of the cord to assist in it drying out."

Following this, the placenta can be placed in a suitable container – Darnesh used a bamboo steamer – with a towel in the base to absorb any moisture.

Additional rosemary sprinkling can be done over the next 24 hours to aid in the dehydration.

After the initial drying period, the placenta takes much less maintenance.

"Our baby held onto her cord and placenta for six days, which is a relatively long time," says Darnesh. "The day before she let her cord go I could tell she was moving into a new level of awareness. Her eyes were becoming more focused, her breastfeeding was more eager. She was beginning to settle into this world."

Darnesh says she has no regrets about it all, adding, "It really broke everything down into baby steps, and gave her and us the space to fully immerse in each new experience, rather than being bombarded with everything all at once."