When Darby Partner gave birth to her son, the mother, who is a professional midwife, knew she would have an unconventional birth. In traditional birthing methods, doctors typically remove the umbilical cord just after the baby is delivered. This severs the infant from the placenta, the organ that provides nutrients and oxygen to the fetus while in utero. Partner, however, did not remove the umbilical cord, instead she kept it and the placenta attached to her son until it fell off naturally.
"I did it for energetic reasons," Partner told CBS. "To me, I felt like it would be really special to prolong the time the placenta and baby were together, and to have him let go of the placenta when he was ready and not have any metal scissors involved."
Mothers who practice "lotus births" believe that leaving the placenta attached will provide the child with vital nutrients. After the baby is born, the placenta is rinsed in cool water. Then, it's placed on cotton and dries for around 12 hours. To disguise the smell, mothers often put sea salt and lavender on it. The placenta, rich in nutrients and stem cell blood, continues to transfer the nourishment to the child even after birth. Moreover, because the infant is harder to move around, a lotus birth gives the mother time to recover and the infant time to adjust to life outside of the womb.
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