Placenta Bag for Lotus Birth

lucas&bean · #1 (**permalink**) 14-11-2007, 05:58 PM

Hi I'm new here, I am currently 22 weeks pregnant and have a beautiful little 18 month old boy.

I had such a traumatic birth with Lucas, not due to complications but due to the rough handling of the drs and having all my choices stripped off me (my birth plan was actually torn up infront of me)

This time I'm planning on having a very natural birth the way nature planned it. I'm planning on having a lotus birth and have a very supportive midwife and family who will be with me throughout this amazing experience.

I am currently reading up about lotus births - looking after the placenta after birth. And I was wondering if anyone could help me with a pattern for the placenta bag.

As I never got to see Lucas's placenta I have no idea what they look like or their rough size.

I am planning on making a placenta bag - I thought maybe in the shape of a heart, and was wondering if someone could help me with a rough size for the bag and the best material to use.

Cheers

Chrissy

rose · #2 (**permalink**) 14-11-2007, 07:25 PM

my placenta bag was about the size of a A4 piece of paper, i made it with no pattern, it was made from calico and tied witha ribbon left over from my wedding outfit, HTH

DePome · #3 (**permalink**) 14-11-2007, 10:08 PM

I've posted descriptively about mine before so I'll do a search for you. Basically it was a a double-sided circle with a cord encased all around the edge. It's made from panne velvet. It doesn't really matter what they're made from as you have to put the placenta on a nappy or something absorbent anyway (wrap it in a nappy really) so the outer fabric is unaffected.

I designed mine flat for easy loading and unloading. It was perhaps a bit large and about 60cm diameter (from memory)

DePome · #4 (**permalink**) 14-11-2007, 10:22 PM

I can't find any posts about it for some reason. I'll try to find some pics and I'll caution you now about the grotesque appearance of bicarb of soda on a placenta! Just in case...

DePome · #5 (**permalink**) 14-11-2007, 10:24 PM

It opens totally flat but isn't shown that way in these pics unfortunately

lucas&bean · #6 (**permalink**) 15-11-2007, 08:27 AM

Oh thank you so much for your replies

you've given me lots of great ideas, now I'm off to the sewing machine to try out some of those great ideas.

Oh my poor family is a bit shocked at my decision to have a lotus birth, they've told me that they wont be holding bub with the placenta still attached and personally that's fine with me, I hated how everyone kept holding Lucas and wouldn't pass him back to me when he got upset.

I am a bit upset that they're not very supportive, they're keen on me having a natural home birth with the midwife but think I've taken things to far with the Lotus birth, oh well they'll just have to get used to it because this is what I think is best for my little bub

ColisaSota · #7 (**permalink**) 15-11-2007, 08:35 AM

A lot of people who have lotus births say that one of the bonuses of a lotus birth is that nobody wants to hold the baby so they get to have the baby to themselves during that time

Have fun creating the bag.

RawNaturopathJen · #8 (**permalink**) 15-11-2007, 10:58 AM

I would also like to make a placenta bag (or borrow one from someone in the perth area??)
Im due in Summer in mid Feb though, and have worried that velvet will just be yucky...
Any thoughts?
X X

DePome · #9 (**permalink**) 15-11-2007, 11:43 AM

Why yucky Jen? Perhaps it depends on the process you are using... we didn't try to dry out the placenta, that felt like killing it to me, so it wasn't an issue for me to keep it all wrapped up and inside the velvet bag. Dr Sarah Buckley has used a velvet bag for her Lotus births too (in Brisbane).

earthslings · #10 (**permalink**) 23-11-2007, 01:02 PM

It's best to avoid slippery fabric like silks. You don't want to risk the placenta bag and all slipping to the floor and tugging hard on the cord (like one incident I heard of).

I am happy to loan my placenta bag and just ask that postage is covered by the person using it. If anybody would like to borrow it just pm me. It is midnight blue velvet, oval with a satin ribbon for a drawstring and a matching cord cover that does up with velcro.

I also custom make placenta bags. I charge my usual seamstress fee plus the cost of materials. The finished product varies depending on how long it takes and what fabric is used but is usually between $30 and $50.

Sam