Grant made some very interesting comments on lotus birth.
For those of you who haven’t read them I thought they were worth putting in the main blog.
In 1971, after long term observation, Jane Goodall gave the first account of Chimpanzees leaving the cord intact, and carying the placenta with the newborn chimp.
Her account in “In The Shadow of Man” also indicates mothers carry their infants on their body, co-sleep & suckle, for extended periods, ie years.
So whilst the average ancient placental mammal may not have practiced Lotus Birth, it appears at least some of the more intelligent ones did…. along with aspects of Attachment Parenting it would seem.
Grant Horsfall
Thanks Grant. Do you know how long the placenta stayed attached for? What did they do with it afterwards?
It’s always best to keep an open mind and keep rethinking options. Asking the questions and hearing all answers equally is the way to grow and learn.
Lotus placenta never fail to amaze me with their grace
I could only find extracts of Jane Goodall’s “In The Shadow Of Man” online. These did not include the length of time for the Chimps placenta to come away or what was done with it. I did find a seperate reference to this book that indicated that the placenta & cord was left on the forrest floor once it came away.
As for keeping an open mind, which may require a stretch also, there is the work of The Institute For The Study Of Peak States (ISPS) http://www.peakstates.com/ I studied with the founder in early 2006.
This research is based on their Developmental Events Model http://www.peakstates.com/model.html which expands on ealier “Triune Brain” model material. This extended model includes the existance of a number of “self aware” aspects of human consciousness (“brains”)including one associated with the placenta.
“…. The final self-aware brain structure is the placenta, and it is experienced at the belly button after birth. This precellular brain is present in the egg before conception, and expands to the womb wall after implantation. Like the sperm tail, after it’s function is over it it reabsorbed into the baby. At first glance, one would expect that these brains would have no influence on adults. However, this is far from the truth – they are intimately involved with the feeling and state of ‘wholeness’…. ”
It seems to me that providing the newborn a “Lotus Birth” may facilitate a smooth trauma free transition of the “placental brain” from the expiring placenta accross to the baby. As far as I know this has not been specifically researched as yet.
However, people have apparently regressed to the time their cord was prematurely cut and experienced (& healed) the associated emotional & physical trauma.
Perhaps the sense of “Grace” you have experienced with Lotus Births is associated with this Placenta Brain moving accross to the baby in their own time, rather than whatever happens when the cord is cut.
Grant
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Fascinating stuff Grant! Thanks for posting it. More and more I am really amazed at the growing awareness of instinctual life and the profound awakening that it appears to be inducing in me.
I am very grateful to all you people who bring these tidbits to the awareness of the ‘common herd’
Really interesting stuff
Lotus birth is something that resonates strongly with my partner and I, but we often struggled to explain it to people. These comments help to give our senses words. Thanks.
With regards to Lotus birthing I have always had this question though. If it were the “natural” thing, and let’s assume this is what early humans might have done, would this have attracted wild animals to come and try to attack the young newborn? I mean it smells like blood and meat, so I can imagine if you lived in dwellings that were outside this might attract carniverous animals to your home or encampment. So then I have to ask is this was we humans were supposed to do is wait for this to drop off? Other mammals eat the placenta. Is that what early humans did? Or did we take this and bury it away from the camp? This is not a snarky comment, it is a true question I have pondered. Any thoughts out there?