Delivery with Placenta

All over India, the traditional midwives (Dais) deliver the baby along with the placenta. This is in striking contrast to modern obstetric practice where the umbilical cord is separated from the mother immediately after childbirth. Thereafter the placenta is removed from the mother’s body.

Delivering with the placenta has some major advantages over the modern obstetric practice.

Usually, the midwife severs the cord only after the newborn is fully revived. Soon after delivery, the baby is cleansed with salt mixed with ghee or oil and after ensuring the baby is fully revived, the cord is cut. If the child fails to revive, then the placenta is immersed in tepid water and pumped. This procedure helps in resuscitating the newborn. In some parts of India, instead of water, a warm pan is used to warm the placenta. This method of using the placenta itself to revive the newborn is truly an innovation of the Indian midwife. This procedure reduces the chances of placenta getting obstructed. If the cord is cut before placenta is delivered, this can result in aggravation of vata which can obstruct the placenta.

Delivery with placenta makes the newborn less prone to anaemia. One of the major public health issues in India is anaemia among infants. When the umbilical cord is cut after the placenta is delivered, it allows the maximum possible blood to enter the body of infant from the placenta. If this procedure is adopted, it can reduce the levels of anaemia among newborn in India.

Case Studies

....There are three major forces which are responsible for the proper functioning of the natural world – namely heat, cold and wind. Since the macrocosm (the universe) and the microcosm (the human being) are identical, the same forces namely wind, heat & cold are responsible for the functioning of the human body also. In the human body, they are known as Vata (wind), Pitta (heat) & Kapha (cold). So, a balanced state of Vata, Pitta & Kapha indicates a healthy state of the body. Any imbalance leads to disease. Therefore, each disease is a particular state of imbalance of these three factors. Vata, Pitta & Kapha are called “Dosha”..................

Case Studies