Luna's Lotus Birth

Hello and happy Friday! Today I want to pick up where our last post left off and share with you the wonderful experience that Lotus Birth was for our family. 

*For those who are not familiar with Lotus Birth, you can read all about why we decided on it and how we prepared for it here.

Sleeping as a family for the first time after Luna arrived was pure bliss. So much anticipation and energy had been built up around this phenomenal event and now that it was over and we were transitioning into a new phase of existence as parents, it just felt so pure and necessary to rest in this space between. During those hours of sleep it was as if the whole Universe was suspended in time and life pulsed only to the rhythm of our three hearts. It was truly Divine.

After a few hours had gone by and we were feeling our strength restored, we got up and rinsed the placenta that had been lying in a bowl next to Luna, let it dry a bit in a colander lined with cloth, then placed it on fresh cloths in a bamboo steamer and covered it in a herb blend of lavender, rosemary, rose petals and salt, topped with dried sage leaves. It was a little tricky doing all of this as we had to balance Luna and the placenta while protecting her cord from being pulled during the process. We brought a chair right next to the bath tub and I sat there nursing Luna while Oscar took care of everything from the edge of the tub. It really wasn't as difficult to manage as some thought it might be and my fear of disturbing Luna or her cord was quickly calmed after seeing how hard she would pull on it with her own hands! It was a beautifully strong connection they shared.

A few weeks before her birth Oscar had hung fabrics from the ceiling to surround our bed and create a cozy place for us to spend our "babymoon". We were intent on giving her the most gentle transition from womb to world and this space was perfect for that. Luna was incredibly peaceful while attached to her placenta, sleeping almost all the time and hardly ever opening her eyes. We nursed and slept and changed the herbs and cloth on the placenta every day. We put drops of an Echinacea tincture around her belly button to ensure no infection and to encourage drying. The cord became hard and brittle within a day and we continually rotated which side of her the bamboo basket would lay on to be sure it received proper circulation and didn't harden to one side. Luna stayed put in our bed until gently detaching from her cord on the fourth night, after which time we got her up and exposed to more light, eventually taking her out and into the world five days after her birth.

After letting go of the cord Luna started becoming more alert and wakeful but she maintained this beautiful sense of calm and peace to her being. It is something we still see in her now and believe will be a part of her spirit eternally, this gentle and grounded demeanor. Today she is eight weeks old and couldn't be happier. She adapts easily to her surroundings, is not bothered by light or noise, she raises her voice only to communicate specific needs and calms as soon as they're met. She sleeps like it's her job (including champing it through two out-of-state road trips without a single fuss!), constantly smiles, and feels comfortable in any loving arms. I know a lot of people would say this is all just a coincidence, but we don't believe in coincidences! All of our thoughts and intentions manifest themselves one way or another in our realities. And while we can't take all the credit because there is definitely a plan that is higher than ours and things could have turned out differently, we truly believe that our gentle birth was a physical, emotional, and most importantly spiritual gift to Luna, and that you can see the resonance of this in her beautiful being. We are so blessed by her wonderful presence here and we want to thank everyone again who supported us during this time. It could not have been more special or perfect! We feel so complete.

Here are some photos from during this time! They obviously are not of the best quality since photo taking was not a high priority, but we wanted to share a little bit of our special memories. Hope you enjoy and make it a great weekend! Also, if anyone has any questions about our birth or natural Lotus Birth in general, please don't hesitate to reach out to us through email. We are always happy to chat and provide feedback!

*Placenta pictures to follow! Just a heads up for those who are not interested in seeing that type of thing.

Preparing the bed with plastic lining.

Babymoon cocoon.

Frenchy approved!

Minutes after birth.

All of us in bed.

An incredibly perfect organ.

The Tree of Life, ready for a bath.

After the bath, absorbing excess moisture.

Fresh bed of herbs.

Coating.

The smell was so amazing! Herbs and flowers are just a wonderful gift.

Handpicked sage.

Our little Lotus Moon.

The sweetest face.

Our beautiful babe.

Even Francois was tired after our long birth experience! 

This gives you a good idea of just how tiny our apartment is.

Pure perfection.

Three days old.

Day four - coming into the light!

Immediately entranced.

So tender and warm. 

Safe in Dad's arms.

Our heart.

Day 5 - first time outside!