The dangers of ‘lotus birthing’ — keeping a newborn’s umbilical cord attached until the placenta falls away naturally — have been highlighted by death of a 60-hour-old baby in Victoria.

The trend of lotus birthing is based on the belief that babies can receive extra nutrients by remaining connected with the placenta after birth.

Advocates also claim that waiting for the umbilical cord to separate, a process that can take up to 10 days, conveys spiritual benefits and ease a baby’s ‘transition’ into the world.

Doctors at Melbourne’s Angliss Hospital were faced with a request for a lotus birth by first-time parents in 2017.