Different rituals for the cord and placenta
Lotus birth
Why have rituals?
Rituals surrounding the placenta or afterbirth can mean many things to various people and can be culturally or spiritually based. Placenta rituals don't necessarily need to be ancient in origin, but can be an accepted part of our contemporary practice or our society's customs or traditions. One contemporary ritual now seen as automatic in western society is the cutting of the cord by the woman's partner or by the woman herself, instead of the caregiver.
When considering placenta rituals and their meanings it can be interesting to contemplate the significance of certain actions and what they can symbolise for people. Placenta rituals and why we enact them can raise questions surrounding the significance actions such as the cutting of the cord or keeping of the placenta for a celebratory ritual. For example:
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For the woman cutting her own cord, could this signify the ending of her pregnancy and the beginning of her mothering? |
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For the partner cutting the cord, does it signify their participation in the birth, or evidence of their support, or acknowledgement of becoming a family? |
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For an older sibling cutting the cord, is it acknowledging and accepting the baby into the family or signifying their participation in this important family event? |
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Or is cutting the cord simply a task that needs to be performed to separate the baby from the placenta? |
In western society today, placenta rituals tend to be performed by people who see the afterbirth as more than an organ that has ceased to be required by the mother and baby after the birth. A more common ritual being performed these days is the planting of the placenta under a special tree for the baby.