A Simple Beautiful Umbilical Cord Tie Ritual

Creating a tie for your baby provides a lovely opportunity for you to sit peacefully and relax focusing on your baby as well as creating a beautiful tie for your baby to wear. It is especially nice to create during the last weeks of pregnancy.

Ties are a very old tradition used in many countries including the uk before the use of the modern clamp to stop bleeding after the cord is cut or burned.

To create the tie in a deeper ritual you may wish to choose a moon phase that you feel linked with and create the tie on that day.

I would suggest the new moon phase of the luner cycle before your baby's due time. This new moon will imbue it with the moons new energies, and a magic for the new next phase of your journey together, but you might prefer a different kind of moon energy for your baby.

You may also choose to open a sacred space by smudging using palo santo or smudging herbs (sage is not recommended in pregnancy). You could then light a candle, and honour the elements too if you wish. Then after following the instructions, numbered 1 to 8 below, you can close the space by simply blowing out the candle, thanking your baby and sending a healing thought out to the world.

If you dont want to add more ritual or magic (and think thats nuts), just making the tie and imbuing it with your love and thoughts is good too, just follow the instructions below. 1 – Buy some embroidery string, either three differnt colours or just plain depending on the colours you like. (you may wish to choose a colour to represent protection or love etc) 2- Cut three strands about 30cm long. 3 – Close your eyes and picture yourself as the mum you want to be to your baby, imagine the love you will give, the relationship you will form, how life will be. 4- As you are picturing this image begin tying the three strands together at one end creating a knot. 5- Once they are tied together begin a plaited weave, still imagining all you will create with this new being once they are born, as you weave each thought feeling and emotion will be woven into the plait. If you have a partner and children ask them to plait a section each too imagining their role and love for your little one. (if you are good at weaving or can crochet this will work too!) 6. Once you have woven/plaited the entire piece tie another knot the other end, you can hang beads or charms on the ends if you wish (but remember it will be next to baby’s skin so nothing sharp, or uncomfortable, only soft and smooth) 7. Once complete, place the tie in boiling water, wash your hands well before removing it or wear strile gloves and place it in the freezer to keep it sterile.

( If it is not sterile midwives will not use the tie!). 8. When the time comes to cut the cord you can use your tie instead of the clamp the midwives use, it may have to be used alongside the clamp but generally most midwives allow cord ties. It must be tied as tight as possible to restrict the blood and heal the cord.

Namaste