by Bronwyn Preece
As detailed in some of the stories, new parents practice different methods both for severing the umbilical cord—the physical connection between mother and child—and for what they choose to do with the placenta—the organ in the mother’s uterus that nourishes the child through the umbilical cord while in the womb. Some of these practices and rituals are listed below.
Umbilical Cord Rituals
The cord is now typically clamped after birth with a plastic cord clamp and then cut shortly thereafter. Midwives often wait a period of time (possibly up to a half an hour or more) to clamp the cord, waiting for it to stop pulsing, and allowing the baby to gain and store the last of the nutrients offered by the placenta. This severing is often performed after the placenta has been delivered. It is more common in hospital settings for the cord to be clamped and cut within minutes of birth.
Some parents choose to clamp the cord using other non-plastic materials, such as sterilized shoes laces. Others do not clamp or sever the cord at all, as in what is known as a lotus birth or cord non-severance. Here, the umbilical cord is allowed to dry naturally, in which case it separates on around the third day. What is left is a healed umbilicus on the baby.
Some parents opt not to use scissors and instead use a candle/flame to sever the umbilical cord.
And others, depending upon cultural customs, may perform other rituals. These customs might include preserving a portion of the dried cord as a keepsake and/or reminder of the strong connection between mother and child.
It must also be mentioned that with the advent of medical research, the blood found in the umbilical cord, known as cord blood, is now being recognized as a rich source of stem cells. Umbilical cord blood can be used in bone marrow transplants—leading some parents to make plans to preserve remaining cord blood at a blood bank.
Placenta Rituals
Customs and practices associated with the placenta vary depending on cultural rituals, circumstance, and choice. In the medical establishment, the placenta is usually discarded shortly after it is delivered, and not preserved.
Some of the practices have been illustrated by the women in this book—but are by no means an exhaustive list of possible practices. Some choose to bury the placenta beneath a special bush, tree, or plant, where it may decompose and return to the earth, or ground the child to a land, region, or family.
Some choose to eat the placenta—the only “vegetarian meat” as no being was killed in order to consume it. People tend to either fry it, dry it (sometimes encapsulating it), or make a broth. Some believe that consuming the placenta offers the body a natural defense against postpartum depression and helps the body to restore its hormonal balance.
Others choose to make artistic prints of the placenta, with the makeup of the placenta bearing a striking resemblance to the tree of life symbol.