How to Have a Lotus Birth - The Protocol

When the baby is born, leave the umbilical cord intact. If the cord is around the baby's neck, it can almost always be lifted over.
Wait for the natural delivery of the baby's placenta. Keeping mother and baby skin to skin will enhance natural oxytocin release and prevent bleeding at this time.
When the placenta delivers, it can be placed into a receiving bowl beside the mother.
Within a few hours of birth, gently wash the placenta with warm water, removing blood and clots, and pat dry. Alternatively you can inspect and remove clots without washing. Removing clots will enhance preservation.
Place the placenta into a sieve or colander for 24 hours to allow drainage.
After this, you can wrap the placenta in absorbent material (e.g. a nappy or cloth) and put in into a specially-made placenta bag, if desired.
Change covering once or twice daily or more often if seepage occurs.
Alternatively, the placenta may be kept open and dry in a sieve, colander, or bamboo steamer (purchase from Chinese grocers.)
Allowing air to circulate all around, at least some of the time, will help with preservation.
You can also coat the placenta with sea salt or powdered rosemary to enhance preservation.
The baby can be held and fed as the mother wishes, taking care to not pull on the baby's cord attachment (baby will let you know if uncomfortable!)
Your baby can be clothed loosely, or just wrapped in coverings. Ongoing skin to skin contact is ideal.
No special care of the baby's cord attachment is necessary. Using antiseptic treatment will delay separation. If a little sticky, use a few drops of breastmilk.
Bathing is possible, but slightly complicated and not necessary at this time.
Keeping mother and baby still and in contact for the "breaking forth" days is ideal. You can observe the baby's cord drying and loosening at the umbilicus.
The cord will detach between 2 and 12 days, usually between days 3 and 6.
Dr. Buckley does not recommended consuming or encapsulating any amount of your baby's lotus placenta except in the first 24 hours*, and with consciousness and permission from the baby. For more information on encapsulation go to Placenta Network where you can also order Robin Lim's book, "Placenta ~ The Forgotten Chakra" as a download for £12.50. This money helps support Bumi Sehat, the birth centre in Bali, Indonesia. *Some would extend this to 48 hours or longer: see Robyn Lim's book for more on encapsulation with lotus birth