Lotus birth: why I chose it and what you need to know
“It is time for babies to be born in wholeness and stay whole. It is time to practise birthing techniques that support the innate radiance of our babies and protect their innate oneness. Lotus birth is a choice, a gift from parents who recognise its significance.” Sunni Karll, Sacred Birthing
I’m going to tell you why I chose lotus birth for my first child, and why I think this practice creates a unique bond for the baby and their sacred passage into life. This blog post will not discuss any evidence-based information because in this case the evidence came from myself and my heart.
At the time I was a devoted yoga student. The core yogic value of ahimsa, to do no harm, had become something I tried to live by, and it shaped the way I thought about birth, about separation, and about the kind of entry into the world I wanted for my baby. I believe peace begins at birth. Spiritually and physically, the baby and placenta grow as one, thriving together as a unit, creating life together.
Long before I was pregnant with Ikey, I had sat with Robin Lim in Bali. If you don’t know Robin, she is one of the most extraordinary midwife. A woman who has dedicated her life to gentle birth. I had heard her speak about the placenta with such reverence that nothing else made sense to me after that. She has written the book: Author of The Placenta: The Forgotten Chakra.
Bali is a sacred place for our family. It holds us in a way that is hard to explain. Ikey was conceived there. And it was in Bali, more than once, sitting with Robin, that the seed of lotus birth was planted in me,long before I knew I would one day choose it for my own child.
I’m going to take you to the day of your birth, to the moment after you just birth your baby…..
This is the story of you and your baby’s first minutes of life, and I want you to imagine this beautiful picture in your heart and in your mind, especially if you are waiting to meet your baby.
Your baby is born. You have done it! You have birthed your beautiful baby.
They open their eyes for the first time, their first breath, and you are flooded with relaxing and loving hormones. Your intuition is saying: “all is well, you are safe.” This message lands in your body and speaks to your brain, your brain speaks to your hormones, and they speak directly to the placenta:
Your baby travelled from the universe to the womb to earthside and is now safe and well, ready for this lifetime earthside.
This message ripples through and allows you to soften and relax, and your placenta completes its work. She is ready to detach and leave your body, preparing for her own birth.
Within three to five minutes, sometimes a bit longer, the cord starts to feed the baby progressively less oxygen, gently encouraging the baby to continue to breathe on their own.
Did you know that there is no need for a baby to cry aloud? Their lungs can open gently and breathing is initiated, sometimes quietly. But hey, hearing that first cry is such a wonderful relief.
What happens after this? Well, what should happen is a slowing down, honouring this time of recognition, for you and your baby. You have chosen each other and now you are meeting for the first time in flesh and bones. There is surprise, disbelief, some kind of shock, mystery, joy, awe, all at once.
I say I should, because often this time is rushed. This need to end and finish the birth is embedded in many midwives on the labour ward. Maybe it comes from a need to feel safe, finally, after the unknown. Maybe it is the third birth of the night and they are really done with it. Maybe they need a room, maybe it is just how they practise, maybe it is necessity, maybe it is not knowing, or having forgotten how precious this moment is after many moons of working as a midwife. I don’t know.
What I know is that I live for this moment. I work to witness this beauty and it is the most magical time.
So what is a lotus birth?
“Leaving the cord attached to baby until it naturally falls off offers the baby and the family a rare opportunity to maintain a sacred space of patience and non-violence.” Robin Lim
LOTUS BIRTH happens when you leave the cord connected to the placenta and the baby until the cord falls off naturally. This means that you have to preserve the placenta for the next few days by covering it with salt, herbs and essential oils.
There are things that are unseen, and sometimes that can only be felt, like lotus birth. In addition to all the physical aspects of delayed cord clamping, there are as many spiritual and emotional reasons why we decided to have a lotus birth.
What we wanted was to honour our baby’s time on the earth and be at peace with it. We wanted to observe and tune in to him, connect, and hold the space during this transition to his earthly life.
What I wanted for my baby was to keep him in the security of our newly born family and slow down the pace of life. Having a placenta still attached to your baby makes you slow down in all aspects.
And when the separation happened, I knew it was the right time. We moved from the bedroom and took our baby around the house, took him outside and introduced him to the stars and moon, sun and rain. Those first few days happened in perfect timing, aligned to our baby’s readiness.
Our baby and his placenta were connected for ten moons. We wanted to acknowledge their time together.
We are beginning to understand, both as a society and from a scientific perspective, how much our early attachments matter, how being truly held as a child changes everything about how we move through the world as adults. I wanted that for my child. Infinite love with no conditions. Boundaries that feel like safety.
I want to raise a human who trusts their instincts and cares for others and for this planet. And I think one of the ways we get there is by letting go of parenting practices rooted in separation and distance, and choosing something gentler instead. Birth is where life begins, so it feels like the most natural place to start.
How to prepare for lotus birth
When the placenta is born, say a big thank you for keeping your baby safe and alive and well nourished. Spend some time looking at her and acknowledging her sacredness. The baby’s side looks like a tree, the tree of life.
If you want to take a piece for a smoothie, or for homeopathic constitutional remedies and tinctures, now is the time to do it. See the recipes at the end of this post.
Drain the placenta for the first 24 hours in a strainer or bowl kept next to the baby. The next day, wash the placenta in warm water to remove any blood clots and pat dry. Place the placenta on a cloth and allow to air-dry, then wrap in a breathable fabric, cotton or bamboo work well, avoid synthetics, with salt and herbs. The salt helps with the drying process. You can also add essential oils, dried flowers or powdered spices.
There are kits you can purchase online, or you can forage your own. I foraged mine.
I used yarrow flowers, picked on a walk through the fields on a late summer evening and left to dry for a few months. I didn’t know the meaning of the flower until I looked it up afterwards, and it was remarkably fitting. What a magical herb.
“Helps to clarify boundaries between people: particularly useful for those who are easily influenced and depleted by others and their environment. It acts to strengthen and solidify the self, allowing and enhancing their ability to heal, teach, counsel or follow their chosen path.” Anne McIntyre
A few months before the birth I travelled to Italy to visit my family, and I gathered more herbs from our land there: lavender, sage, rosemary and mugwort. I prepared them in a glass jar with pink Himalayan salt, though sea salt or rock salt work just as well. I added rosemary essential oil and crystals: rose quartz, black tourmaline, amethyst and lapis lazuli.
You will need a small bag or basket to hold the placenta until she detaches. I made mine.
Make sure to place the placenta close to the baby to avoid any tugging on the cord. Be mindful of her when feeding or holding your baby, your little one may be sensitive to the touch of the cord. As the placenta dries, the cord will become brittle until it falls away naturally.
After the placenta detaches
Once the placenta separates, normally between three and seven days, you can choose to store her in the freezer for future use, or to honour her by burying her in the earth, often with a small ritual, and planting a tree above her.
I had the honour to support many families with lotus birth before and after my own child.. To look after mum baby and placenta as well, it feels like connecting the sacred circle of life. It is truly magical!
This is Pincha and her lotus placenta. She was one day old. I had the honour of looking after them in 2013 in Malaysia. She was the very first lotus birth ever in Kuala Lumpur. Her little brother Andre was a lotus birth too, a few years later.
As a family, we enjoyed our sacred time after birth so much. The days went slowly, and the nights were for love, milk, and staring at the stars and the moon. We would look into each other’s souls and let the magic unfold. We had Covid arrive soon after he was born, uncertain in so many ways, but also quietly perfect for us. It gave our family the time and space to bond, to be together, to keep going slowly
Download our free lotus birth guide here.
Further reading
Resources
If you are considering a lotus birth and not sure where to start, I am here. Book a Power Hour consultation and let’s talk.
And if you are having your birth with me, it will bring me so much joy to help you facilitate this ceremony for you and your family.
With love, V
