Umbilical cord trend: There has been a trend among new mothers not to cut off the umbilical cord after their baby is born. Instead, they prefer to allow it to fall off naturally, according to several reports on Thursday
Mary Ceallaigh, a birth consultant in Texas, told ABC News that “umbilical nonseverance” is also called having a “lotus birth,” which enables the mother and baby to bond more closely.
“It is a trend getting more notice in western culture particularly among holistically inclined people,” said Ceallaigh. “[It’s] just as another way to create optimal beginnings for babies.”
She said that the practice has its origin from the culture of Bali, an island in Indonesia.
“A lot of people they don’t understand that the baby, the placenta, they’re all made from the same cells,” said Ceallaigh. “It’s not some kind of waste material the body produces separately.”
Ceallaigh also told The New York Post that keeping the umbilical cord lessens the chance of infection.
“It allows a complete transfer of placental/cord blood into the baby at a time when the baby needs that nourishment the most. Babies’ immune systems are going through huge changes at a very rapid rate when they’re first born. Not disrupting the baby’s blood volume at that time helps prevent future disease,” she said.
She said that around five percent of clients she has worked with have done the “umbilical nonseverance” method.
The cord, she added, generally breaks off on the third day after the baby has been born.
“In humid conditions, however, it may take up to 10 days for the cord to break, particularly in areas like Bali or the Australian rainforest,” she said.
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