From lotus and water births to vaginal seeding, Hasan_Merali give us the lowdown on which birthing trends are safe and which aren't.
Water birth benefits
Women often choose a water birth to increase relaxation, decrease pain, and use the support of the water to make it easier to get in a more comfortable position. When asked about their experience with a water birth,For the first stage of labour, when you first start having contractions and your cervix starts to open, being submerged in water is safe if you are at term and your pregnancy has been uncomplicated.
With the very low risk of infection, and perceived benefits, many women and their partners still choose to do a complete water birth with awithout any problems. Like infection, the risk of a newborn swallowing water and interfering with their breathing is also very rare. Newborns have multiple innate mechanisms to prevent this, and to ensure their first breath is taken once they are out of the water.
and has several proven benefits for both term and premature babies including giving them more red blood cells and iron.There is no current data showing benefits to the newborn with a lotus birth. After the placenta has been delivered, it does not receive blood supply from the mother and there is no longer any circulation. Without this circulation, it cannot provide any additional nourishment to the baby.
Currently there are no formal recommendations or warnings regarding a lotus birth, but parents should be aware that there are no proven benefits, and a dying placenta does pose the risk of very serious infection.Eating your placenta, or placentophagy, is another popular birth practice. Some mothers eat it raw, while others cook it. The most popular method of preparation is to create a powder from the placenta that can be made into capsules.