While the umbilical cord and placenta used to be tossed away without a second thought, more and more moms have been recognizing their potential uses after birth.
Some moms choose to eat the placenta after birth to ward off postpartum depression, renew energy levels and recover faster from birth, and others choose to harvest tissue and blood from the umbilical cord for potentially life-saving stem cells. However, many parents couldn’t believe what one mom decided to do with her baby’s placenta and umbilical cord after birth.
Rather than cut the cord, which separated the baby from their placenta, mom Adele Allen, from Brighton, UK, decided to keep her baby attached to the placenta and umbilical cord until it fell off on its own.
When it came time to deliver her little girl, Allen chose to give birth outside of a hospital with only her partner Matt there to assist during the birth and the 12-hour after birth. “This extended period of literally remaining connected ensured I could bond successfully with both my babies without any interference or unnecessary weighing, bathing or medical tests,” she said. “They were allowed to experience the golden bonding hour of skin-to-skin contact without interruption.”
Doctors warn that these ‘lotus births’ carries a risk of infection, but during the six days that placenta was attached to Allen’s baby, she explains they kept it wrapped up in a cooler to keep it clean.
“To keep the placenta smelling pleasant, we sprinkled it with a coating of rock salt and rose petals before wrapping in muslin cloths which were changed every few days. For easy transport, the placenta was then placed into a hand-held cool bag which kept everything clean and aerated.”
“When I watch videos of babies being born and having the cord clamped and cut, I feel sorrow that our medical system feels such an urgency to inflict unnecessary trauma to the newborn who often display an ear-piercing scream at the point of cutting the cord,” Allen said. “My babies were very peaceful after birth.”
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[Featured image: Adele Allen]
Mom Keeps Newborn Attached To Placenta 6 Days After Birth is an article from: LifeDaily