<P> Following birth, the placenta is simply put in a bowl or quickly wrapped in absorbent towelling and placed near the mother - baby caregivers step back to allow for undisturbed maternal - child bonding to occur as the primary event for an hour or more . It is only after this initial intense bonding period that the placenta is managed by rinsing, drying, applying preservatives, and positioning it in a way that allows for plentiful air circulation and proximity to the baby . After several days, the cord dries and detaches from the baby's belly, generally 3--10 days postpartum . </P> <P> Significantly delayed cord cutting as well as nonseverance is found in birth anthropology along with the universality of reverence for the cord & placenta (as found in the Tree of Life beliefs of tribal cultures around the world and reported to the world by scholar & professor Joseph Campbell). </P> <P> Primatologist Jane Goodall, who was the first person to conduct long - term studies of chimpanzees in the wild, reported that they did not chew or cut their offspring's cords, instead leaving the umbilicus intact, like many other monkeys . Though other mammals may sever their offspring's cords, they only do so after initial maternal sensory reception, unwinding of the cord, massage / cleaning (through touch), and initiation of nursing phase which has been observed to involve at least one hour, if left undisturbed . </P> <P> Proponents of lotus births view the baby and the placenta as one on a cellular level, as they are from the same source egg and sperm conceptus . They also assert that the newborn and the placenta as existing within the same quantum field and thus influencing various expressions of quantum mechanics that influence health involving transfers of energy & cellular information continuing to take place gradually from the tissue of the placenta to the baby during the drying process . </P>

When is a baby attached to the placenta