Re: [ozmidwifery] lotus birth

[Tina Pettigrew]

Hi everyone, as a midwifery student, one of the women I followed thru planned a lotus birth at home thru water...as her birth unfolded, she required transfer to hospital and an em luscs, but we still managed to negotiate with a very curious O&G registar for her to have a lotus birth c/s.....the c/s went well and the placenta was the 'neatest' c/s placentaI have ever seen...the reg taking great care....however what was disappointing was that the midwives on the PN floor caring for the woman afterwards refused to care for and her baby unless the placenta still attached to the baby was put in one of those yellow 'hazardous waste bags'....yes believe it or not!! The woman had the placenta in a handmade velvet bag and it was not 'exposed'...we had salted the placenta, but still staff refused....so day 2 (<48 hours post c/s) the woman's midwife and I took her home and continued her recovery there..   Yours in reforming midwifery Tina Pettigrew. ----- Original Message ----- From: Robyn Dempsey To: ozmidwifery@acegraphics.com.au Sent: Wednesday, October 19, 2005 3:07 PM Subject: [ozmidwifery] lotus birth I have attended several women choosing lotus birth. We've had no infections, and no problems. The hardest time seems to be the first 24hours as mum gets use to handling bub with the cord attached. The cord goes tough like a piece of wire, so it's good to bend it to a more manageable angle for breastfeeding. Lotus birth allows for a very special time indeed....it makes mummy rest and stops the 'pass the parcel' of the baby ( relatives usually aren't keen to handle bub and placenta). It is every woman's right to give birth where, how  and with whom they choose.   Now for the caregiver..........recently I waited 8 hours for a placenta, as the mother was choosing lotus birth, which means no synto, no cord clamp and NO fiddling with the fundus or cord. I can cope with this , can you?   On another note.....animals are smart, they eat the cord and placenta not only to ward off predators as Andrea said, but to replace all the goodies/nutrients they may have lost from the birth. It's interesting to note that when my guinea pigs give birth, if one of the babies has something wrong, or has died, the mother doesn't eat that cord and placenta. Aren't they just amazing how they 'know'!   Cheers Robyn Dempsey