Lotus Birth

spupazza

Does anyone know if there is a maternity hospital in Dublin that uses the lotus birth as a new technique instead to cut the umbilical cord?

Thanks every one

Nevyn

Honestly I doubt it, but the only way to be sure is to get in contact with the hospitals and ask.

krankykitty

Sorry for derailing thread but oh my goodness I had no idea that the placenta was so large, I expected it would be like a little blood clot or something :eek:

bogtotty

It's practically impossible to even harvest the umbilical cord with its store of stem cells, and that is for potential medical applications, so I seriously doubt they'd allow a lotus birth.

SanFran07

spupazza - lotus birth isn't very common in Ireland but as long as you have a natural first/second stage of labour it's possible to do. Most caregivers won't have a clue what you're talking about so you'll need to first discuss having a physiological (natural) 3rd stage - that means no injection to increase the contractions, no clamping/cutting of the cord and no pulling on the cord get the placenta out. Basically you'll want to have have skin to skin contact with your baby - initiate breastfeeding and let the placenta come out without any medical intervention. It can sometimes take up to an hour for a natural third stage but when you're enjoying your newborn it doesn't seem like a long time.

Even if you decide not to go ahead with the full lotus birth. Requesting a natural third stage has huge benefits for your baby but it's routine in Ireland to medically manage the 3rd stage.

HTH

Tracy

tfak85

SanFran07 wrote: »

spupazza - lotus birth isn't very common in Ireland but as long as you have a natural first/second stage of labour it's possible to do. Most caregivers won't have a clue what you're talking about so you'll need to first discuss having a physiological (natural) 3rd stage - that means no injection to increase the contractions, no clamping/cutting of the cord and no pulling on the cord get the placenta out. Basically you'll want to have have skin to skin contact with your baby - initiate breastfeeding and let the placenta come out without any medical intervention. It can sometimes take up to an hour for a natural third stage but when you're enjoying your newborn it doesn't seem like a long time.

Even if you decide not to go ahead with the full lotus birth. Requesting a natural third stage has huge benefits for your baby but it's routine in Ireland to medically manage the 3rd stage.

HTH

Tracy

midwives will know about lotus birth, doctors on the other hand will not.
third stage of labour (delivery of placenta and membranes) is actively managed because you have increased risk of bleeding following delivery if it is not, you can request not to have it actively managed but this is at your own risk, you will have to push the placenta out, it's not an easy task. if you really want a lotus birth you will need to discuss it with your midwives and/or doctors before hand, if you are going to use a bag of salt then make sure you bring it and have everything you need etc.
also remember with any birth plan changes may be essential to deal with emergency situations etc..
best of luck!

SanFran07

Hi Tfak -

When I was writing my book - out of 20 Dublin area midwives interviewed about alternate birth practices such as lotus birth, placental encapsulation, moxa etc only 3 had ever heard of lotus birth....that was 4 years ago so I definitely get the impression that it's not widely understood.

The evidence around 3rd stage management isn't so clear cut. One of the latest studies out of New Zealand from last year showed reduced bleeding when the 3rd stage was completely physiological (with midwives that followed the guidelines) no fundal 'fiddling'...cord traction etc... Of course a managed third stage has it's place especially for a birth that has been actively managed or there have been complications. Trinity College are involved with the Irish version of this study.

Delayed cord clamping has significant benefits for the infant including reducing the risk of anaemia and there's quite a bit of evidence around this. Delivery of the placenta without cord traction is very easy...there's really nothing to do except wait especially if Mum has initiated breastfeeding....have you had experience with a difficult placenta delivery?

Cord traction brings about it's own set of problems especially when the cord snaps.... Natural third stages of labour is promoted in Midwife Led Units such as in the Lourdes, Cavan and the Community Midwives at H.Street as well as homebirth.

A mum can only make an informed decision about her care when she's presented with all of the options and risks for both practices - and what the implications are for her baby also.

Tracy

Moonbeam

I didn't know that it was not normal just to deliver the placenta yourself after the baby.
I thought it was just normal that if you have a natural birth that it all follows through.
If I ever have more kids I am gonig to make a list of what I don't want them to do after reading stuff in places like this!!!

spupazza

SanFran07 wrote: »

Hi Tfak -

When I was writing my book - out of 20 Dublin area midwives interviewed about alternate birth practices such as lotus birth, placental encapsulation, moxa etc only 3 had ever heard of lotus birth....that was 4 years ago so I definitely get the impression that it's not widely understood.

The evidence around 3rd stage management isn't so clear cut. One of the latest studies out of New Zealand from last year showed reduced bleeding when the 3rd stage was completely physiological (with midwives that followed the guidelines) no fundal 'fiddling'...cord traction etc... Of course a managed third stage has it's place especially for a birth that has been actively managed or there have been complications. Trinity College are involved with the Irish version of this study.

Delayed cord clamping has significant benefits for the infant including reducing the risk of anaemia and there's quite a bit of evidence around this. Delivery of the placenta without cord traction is very easy...there's really nothing to do except wait especially if Mum has initiated breastfeeding....have you had experience with a difficult placenta delivery?

Cord traction brings about it's own set of problems especially when the cord snaps.... Natural third stages of labour is promoted in Midwife Led Units such as in the Lourdes, Cavan and the Community Midwives at H.Street as well as homebirth.

A mum can only make an informed decision about her care when she's presented with all of the options and risks for both practices - and what the implications are for her baby also.

Tracy

Thanks to your comment I learned more, I didn't know about placenta encapsulation. I'm informing about it and maybe I will do it. I'll talk to the midwives and see if they'll do the lothus birth.
I was going to send you a pm, but it's not possible. So i wanted to ask you how is called your book?

Thanks again!

bogtotty

I don't know if people are allowed to promote their own products on boards.ie, but as someone totally unrelated can I recommend The Better Birth Book by T Donegan? It's available on Amazon or directly from doulaireland.com. I had my first baby last year and found this book invaluable in preparing me for birth in an Irish hospital. The gentlebirth CDs are excellent too - I still use them when I'm stressed!

SanFran07

Hi Spupazza,

It wouldn't be possible to have an extended lotus birth (for more than an hour or so) as the placenta would need to be treated so it wouldn't go off while you're waiting on the cord to separate from your baby naturally. If you want to do placenta encapsulation the placenta needs to be processed soon after the birth so you keep the nutrients. To get the best from both options you could request a natural third stage and just not cut the cord for an hour so baby and placenta remain connected during that time (assuming all goes well).

It's been used in traditional chinese medicine for thousands of years and is great for boosting your milk supply and hormonal balance after birth. If you do a search for placenta encapsulation UK you can rent the kits from a woman in the UK.

Bogtotty - glad you enjoyed the book and CDs.

Tracy

spupazza

SanFran07 wrote: »

Hi Spupazza,

Bogtotty - glad you enjoyed the book and CDs.

Tracy

hi SanFran07,

just a question: what are the benefits in menopause swallowing placenta encapsulation?

SanFran07

Hi there,

I'm not sure about it's use for menopause - a Chinese herbalist should be able to give you more information.

Tracy