The birthing practice known as “lotus birth,” in which parents allow a newborn’s umbilical cord to remain attached to the placenta until the cord breaks naturally, is enjoying some popularity, perhaps especially among those who favor home births and assign special significance to the expelled placenta.
In a lotus birth, rather than cutting the umbilical cord within a few minutes of the birth, the parents carry the placenta — still connected to the newborn baby — in a bowl or special pouch, for days, long after it has ceased to actively transfer blood to the newborn.
Hospitals, by comparison, usually dispose of the placenta shortly after the umbilical cord is cut. Advocates for lotus birth argue that prolonged contact with the placenta eases the newborn’s transition to life outside the womb, and claim that the practice may provide health benefits. However, experts are skeptical about lotus birth, and some warn that it may even be harmful to the baby.
There is significant risk associated with keeping a newborn connected to what is essentially a dead and decaying organ , Dr. William Schweizer, an OB/GYN and clinical associate professor at New York University Langone Medical Center, told Live Science in an email.