Unofficial Christ's Hospital Forum

Does anyone here know why it is that some folks have 'innie' navels and others have 'outies'?

Is it pot luck as to how your tissue settles down after your placenta has been cut? Or are outies caused by crap midwives and rubbish doctors botching their task somehow?

It's time I knew the truth. (And I bet EnglishAngel knows it.)

And can you have an outie surgically transformed into an innie?

And where do dogs and cats keep their navels - eh?

OK , Mary : over to you !

Nothing to do with the doctors or midwives.

an outie is usually caused by a small hernis where the umbilical cord vessels have come through the abdominal wall muscles and they haven't closed behind them. this will usually disappear as soon as the baby starts raising its head but if it persists a small op can close the hernia.

In the old days it would be pushed in and bandaged with an old penny on top, I will leave it to your imagination what this was like underneath in this weather.

One of mine had a small hernia but it was gone by about 3 months. Now has one of the neatest innies I have ever seen.

If the parents don't get the op done then the child will grow up with an outie. It can be sorted when the person is older.

Many (if not most) women find that their innie becomes an outie towards the end of pregnancy when the muscles relax and the pressure rises inside. all goes back to normnal after delivery though.

englishangel wrote:Many (if not most) women find that their innie becomes an outie towards the end of pregnancy when the muscles relax and the pressure rises inside. all goes back to normnal after delivery though.

Daughter no. 1 was very disappointed, as was I, that my belly-button didn't pop out towards the end of my pregnancy. I was really looking forward to that happening!

cj wrote:

englishangel wrote:Many (if not most) women find that their innie becomes an outie towards the end of pregnancy when the muscles relax and the pressure rises inside. all goes back to normnal after delivery though.

Daughter no. 1 was very disappointed, as was I, that my belly-button didn't pop out towards the end of my pregnancy. I was really looking forward to that happening!

I suppose it would have given her just a little more space.

SO THEN: The message seems to be that if you've got an outie, your parents were callous divs who couldn't be bothered about their newborn baby's welfare - but that you CAN get your outie converted to an innie. (I assume you'd have to pay, though, unless you can convince the National Health Service that your outie has driven you insane.)

My thanks to Englishangel, whose vast knowledge humbles me.

The problem at the moment though is that I thought I'd just have a little look round the forum while in an internet cafe, only now you're making me laugh out loud... and it's embarrasing

So why do some women suffer from 'inverted nipples' ?

A logical question to follow the thread.

Do they suffer? It doesn't hurt and should make no difference when breast-feeding.