Belly buttons - what will happen to mine, and my baby's?

[JudyJones]

Have been wondering if all belly buttons pop out in pregnancy, but searched old threads and discovered apparently not. But it has got me thinking: if it pops out, does it go back in?

And, er, all of my friends just about had an inny, but I thought I had been told ages ago that these days they prefer outies. Am I imagining that? And what is the difference? And, er, really stupid question this, what do they actually DO to the cord to turn it into a belly button?

I guess I should enjoy these random wonderings - once PFB arrives, I guess I won't have time for them anymore... Don't know I need to subject MNers to them, though...

Mine popped out with both my pregnancies and yes it does go back to normal, well mine did anyway!

The cord is clamped when the baby is born and left on to drop off when it's ready. The belly button is where it heals up. Whether it is an innie or outie just depends upon the way it heals I think.

Seriously?

OK, belly buttons often pop out in pregnancy but they do go back in afterwards.

A belly button is basically a scar - where your umbilical cord was. They don't "do" anything to it. After birth it dries out and drops off - usually within a couple of weeks.

I really don't know what to think re bit about people prefering outies. Somehow I doubt it, but since I've never thought about it I can't be sure...

Mine eventually popped out (it was the inniest of all possible innies) and did sort of go back -- it went back in, at least, but is rather more cavernous than it was.

They just clamp the cord and the end shrivels up and drops off. In a child a belly-button is more likely to be outie because they generally have a tendency towards pot-belliedness (need room for the liver etc.) but they generally settle down to more innie later on.

i'd been wondering about this too.

i just wonder why the belly button goes in so much if it's just a scar from a bit of your body that was lobbed off once upon a time. no other scars make caverns.

i suppose these are the kind of musings that should be saved up for upcoming NCT classes so that people will avoid me for being an idiot...

Mine was very much an innie, but popped out with DD1. It did go back in again, but has popped out again much sooner with this pregnancy. Scarily, you can now see right down the inside, which is red/purple. So I'm guessing there is still a pretty good blood supply there. I am dreading to think what will happen to it once I deliver! Meanwhile though DD1 has great fun pushing it back in.

It probably heals up leaving a bit of a dip because when the baby is a fetus there are major blood vessels running through the cord into the babies body. The blood vessels close up, but i wonder if they tether the belly button in a bit, if that makes sense?

mine went flat - it was very inny before! I think the depth of your belly button is something to do with the amount of belly fat you have - as you don't get fat on your tummy button. I think what happens to it in pregnancy is partly luck and partly (non-scientific theory alert) the size of your bump - the only people I knew who had proper popped outies had huuuuuuuuuge bumps.

AFAIK they do always go back to where they were as there's no pressure from behind to keep them flat/outie after the birth.

As others have said, cord just naturally drops off and turns into a belly button - they don't really do anything to it - it's like the belly button was there all along underneath!

What do you mean by "people" preferring outies? Do you mean parents prefer outies in babies or medical professionals prefer pregnant women to have outies? No-one ever referred to mine as far as I recall!

Hmmm, I am not sure, theyoungvisitor. I have this vague recollection about something like the way they clamp the cord now, results in an outie or something. This is from years ago, so I may well be hallucinating...

Nickie2, I am so glad you have been wondering, too. I have to say, I am more fascinated than ever now after these responses -- they clamp the cord and then it just mysteriously becomes an inny or outie. I hope my NCT teacher is prepared for some quizzing on this

Mine sort of half slightly popped out at the top last pg and came the same way earlier this time but isn't so far showing any signs of completely popping out but you never know......

well DS and all his friends (born within the last 2 years) all have innies, so whatever they are doing to the cord in this area obviously isn't resulting in outies!

Hi JudyJones, do you mean an 'outie' is preferable in the mother? Maybe that's because there's more likelihood that baby is lying back-to-front and therefore an 'easier' labour. Mine's currently back-to-back/occiput posterior (typical) and my belly button is half-and-half! xx

Ooh I'm glad someone else has been musing on this fact. I'm 26 weeks pg this week and I have this completely irrational fear of my belly button popping out. So far I'm still an inny and long may that continue but it never really occurred to me that DC would be anything other than an 'inny' once the cord stump drops off. Fascinating.....

Hehe Im the opposite Sallypuss, I'm 31 weeks now and have been looking forward to my bellybutton popping out for ages, hasnt happened so far tho Looks like mine is going to remain flat then go back to an innie

I was wondering about this too - mine is reeeeally inny - I can get a cotton bud more than half way in! I keep wondering if the whole thing will pop out and look like a finger - eeeewww.

i think the difference of innie vs outtie in a baby is the length of cord that's left after they clamp it... i always thought if the cord was longer then more of it poked out so it was an 'outtie' - and the shorter the cord it became an innie. But then that doesnt explain what happens to a baby that gets a 'normal' length of cord left - they don't get a half-in-half-out do they?.. hmm. sorry, i'll crawl back under my rock now!!

lol what a weird but fasinating thread, im 37 wks pregnant and mine has just gone flat it doesnt pop out but then a had a proper innie b4, i was also looking 4ward to my bellt button popping out but sadly its not to be lol lol

Sderoz, being only 24 weeks, I feel slightly faint (and very confused) at the phrasing "back-to-back/occiput posterior". Roll on the NCT classes. The other day someone asked me if I knew what a third degree tear was - I have only just now emerged from the corner where I have been rocking and mumbling ... 16 weeks until such things may become horribly, horribly clear...

Babyignoramus, I am with you - I am getting more inny by the day - looks truly disgusting through a t-shirt (which is what finally prompted this dark little thread), though I have to admit I haven't been trying any magic tricks with a cotton bud!

Beaniebaby - that's interesting. Maybe we are getting somewhere here - there must be a reason why some are in and some are out, surely...

They used to operate on small children to turn their outies into innies (I know because it happened to me, when I was 4). This was meant to prevent hernias. Now they've realised that outies don't make that much difference.

I think both my DSes still have outies (they're 6 and 3) - must check.

Sorry JudyJones, I just read waaaaay too much! By back-to-back I just mean that the baby faces the mother's back thereby making labour longer....apparently. But very often they turn during labour. Sorry if I scared you!! xx