People Spelling Things With Umbilical Cords Is The New Parenting Trend, Apparently

For a little while, taking pictures of your newly-potty trained toddler beside a picture of their first Number Two in the toilet was a thing. I thought it was gross; Didn't judge, of course, parents are allowed to celebrate their kids however they want. Still, too gross for this mom. Now, there's a new trend on the parenting horizon, and I'm anxious to hear reactions to people spelling things out with umbilical cords. Because yes, this is now a thing people are doing, and yes, everyone already has an opinion about it.

The umbilical cord is obviously hugely symbolic for new moms. It's the cord that literally tethers your baby to you while it's growing inside of you. And we do live in a very evolved world, where wastefulness is frowned upon. So why not use your old umbilical cord as art? No point in wasting it, right? Plus, I hear the umbilical cord is pretty pliable, so you can mold them into whatever shape your heart desires. Besides, think of all the beautiful photo opportunities you could take advantage of with a dried up umbilical cord.

Are you worried that inspiration might not come for you? Never fear, you can check out the umbilical cord art on Instagram, where the trend is getting more popular by the day. Be warned though: These are actually pictures of umbilical cords and sometimes (sorry), the pictures can be a little graphic. But we're all grown up people here, we can take it:

Now if you're feeling like taking umbilical cord art to another level, how about keeping it attached to placenta and baby while spelling out the word "love"?

This picture was taken by midwife-turned-photographer Emma Jean Nolan in New Zealand. Nolan took this picture of baby Harper to honor the Maoril practice of whenua. According to her Instagram post:

As a Maori baby will now be returned to the land. The word "whenua" relates to the placenta and the land. Whenua (placenta) is returned to the whenua (land) with the pito (umbilical cord) the link between the newborn and papatuanaku (mother earth). With this affinity established, each individual fulfils the role of curator, for papatuanaku (mother earth) which remains life long.

Apparently, it's been going on for a while now, too, given that this next photo was taken back in April:

For those parents who might be looking for a keepsake, umbilical cord jewelry is seemingly also a thing. According to The Daily Mirror, mothers are fashioning the umbilical cords "while they're still fresh" into different designs (the word "love" remains a popular choice) and them baking them. They add color and decoration and Voila!, a keepsake to make party guests squirm whenever you point out your umbilical cord necklace.