pregnancy

Lotus Birth by G.Bertelli

Generality

Lotus Birth (or Lotus birth ) is a special procedure that involves not cutting the umbilical cord after giving birth.

After birth, the child remains connected to the placenta, which spontaneously separates from the navel in the days that follow. In this period, the umbilical cord and the fetal appendages are kept in a special bag.

According to supporters of Lotus Birth, this practice would introduce the newborn to life in a sweet and more gradual way: the detachment would occur when the child and the placenta ended their "relationship", spontaneously marking the passage from prenatal life to the outside world. On the other hand, neonatologists advise against its use: at the moment, no scientific evidence is available to prove the real advantage and, for a number of aspects, the practice can be risky for the health of the child.

What's this

Lotus Birth is a mode of birth characterized by the failure to sever the umbilical cord at birth. The newborn remains connected to the placenta for a few days, until its spontaneous detachment .

Lotus Birth: definition and characteristics

  • The Lotus Birth consists in giving birth without cutting the umbilical cord, that is without separating the child from the placenta after birth.
  • The term " Lotus " comes from the name of the Californian nurse Clair Lotus Day, who, for the first time in 1974, requested not to sever her son's umbilical cord at birth (in English: " birth "), but to leave it connected to its placenta. The woman claimed, in fact, that the cutting of the cord was a traumatic practice for the child, supporting Lotus Birth as a sweeter and more respectful way to enter life.
  • The Lotus Birth is also called " integral childbirth ": the placenta remains attached to the child even after the second birth (ie the last phase of the birth that occurs approximately a quarter of an hour after the birth of the newborn, with the expulsion of the annexed parts).

Why do you run

The purpose of Lotus Birth is to make the separation of the newborn from the placenta spontaneously. This process takes place three to ten days after the birth, when the cord dries and detaches from the navel.

What happens normally

The placenta is the organ from which the fetus receives oxygen and nutrients. At birth, with the cut of the cord, the child is separated from it.

How to do it

Lotus Birth: what does it consist of?

Lotus Birth provides that the separation of the newborn from the placenta occurs naturally. Therefore, the umbilical cord is not severed and remains attached to the newborn even after the secondment.

Usually, the cord dries and spontaneously detaches from the navel after 3-10 days after delivery. During this period, the placenta is always transported with the newborn and is stored in a special bag or container.

When it can be done

Lotus Birth is possible both in the case of natural birth and in the case of a caesarean section, provided that:

  • The placenta has no problem whatsoever;
  • The child does not suffer from any kind of disorder or malformation.

How to manage the newborn?

  • Immediately after birth, the placenta must be kept intact, buffered from excess blood and isolated from the external environment .
  • In the days following the birth, the placenta must be carefully controlled, keeping it in a container (preferably not made of plastic) or simply wrapped in a cotton cloth, then placed next to the child.
  • To allow the umbilical cord to come out, the baby should be dressed in front-fastened clothing.
  • To encourage drying, sometimes this residue attached to the newborn is sprinkled with coarse sea salt on both sides; this procedure can be carried out 24 hours after birth and must be repeated every day. The application of a few drops of perfumed oil, on the other hand, is useful to mask the smell. Some mothers decorate the placenta with aromatic herbs and flowers.
  • The detachment of the umbilical cord from the child must not be forced in any way, but must be natural.

Where Lotus Birth is practiced

In recent months, there has been an increase in interest in Lotus Birth: the choice to practice it often involves the parties at home, but, in some hospital facilities, parents who request it are allowed, subject to signing a form specifically drafted by the Regional Health Service .

It should be noted that the ministerial guidelines on childbirth are clear and do not "officially" contemplate this practice ; at present, in fact, if complications related to Lotus Birth arise, possible repercussions of a judicial nature are possible for the hospital in which it was carried out and for the specialist doctor who is willing to implement it.

Pros and cons

Benefits and alleged benefits

Lotus Birth is considered a practice that makes birth more gentle and natural: by not severing the umbilical cord, the child's passage from prenatal life to the outside world would occur in a less "violent" way. Those who support Lotus Birth believe that the separation between mother and baby can take on a traumatic meaning, as well as the impossibility of following the moments immediately following the cutting of the umbilical cord. The newborn, therefore, would be given the opportunity to enter a period of transition, with tranquility and in accordance with his own times.

Some sources support, then, the fact that the child would receive all the blood contained in the cord at birth, taking advantage of a support for the immune system and a precious iron reserve (in reality, this advantage is exhausted after a few minutes, when the blood exchange and the pulsatility of the placenta).

Another hypothesized advantage of Lotus Birth is that of acting as a medium for energy transfer, which, according to supporters of the method, would contribute to:

  • Considerably improve the physical harmony and metabolic stability of the newborn;
  • In the first hours after birth, limit the loss of energy in an attempt to stabilize your respiratory system;
  • Do not subject your child to stress, trauma or pain.

Risks and complications

Lotus Birth is a rather controversial practice in the obstetric and neonatological field, as the potential benefits are without foundation: to date, there is no scientific evidence to prove the real advantage or to support the alleged benefits, both for the mother and for the child.

The Italian Society of Neonatology (SIN) contraindicates this practice for various other reasons.

First of all, the danger of infections, even rather serious (such as sepsis), is not excluded: in Lotus Birth, the placenta that remains attached is a possible growth medium of infectious agents, even if scientific studies are not yet available that quantify this risk .

Added to this is the poor manageability of the newborn : in the first days of life, one must be careful not to pull the cord in any way. Furthermore, the presence of the placenta after Lotus Birth can make some operations - such as washing the baby, holding it or breastfeeding it - not too easy.

Speaking of cord blood, then, we need to make some brief clarifications:

  • From the moment the placenta detaches from the insertion point in the uterus, it loses its function;
  • At the moment of detachment, the pulsatility that makes it possible for blood to flow from the child to the placenta and vice versa ceases. In the first minutes after birth, this blood must be guaranteed to the newborn (for this reason, it is advisable not to cut the cord early). When the contractions that allow the passage of nutrients and blood between the two districts end, the cord collapses and dries up to mummify. In practice, the placenta still remains rich in maternal blood, but this is not usable and no longer provides any nutrients to the newborn.

From a strictly regulatory point of view, in Italy the ministerial guidelines on childbirth do not include this procedure: as such, Lotus Birth is not recognized nationally.

Some Italian hospitals have refused to introduce Lotus Birth, finally, due to the fact that it does not allow compliance with the hygiene and health regulations in force . The placenta could not be taken out of the hospital, as it is considered a special waste and, as such, it should be disposed of according to a strict procedure .

Some advice

The Lotus Birth is a not very widespread practice, therefore, before choosing it, it is essential to get information and collect as much data as possible: this procedure requires particular attention and care, both at the moment of birth and in the days following this event.

Future parents will then have to find a midwife or hospital that accepts their request and is available to support this procedure.

In any case, if the Lotus Birth was carried out, the neonatologists recommend a careful and strict supervision of the child to identify early clinical signs of an eventual infection or other complications.