There’s no tying involved. Once it’s clamped, the small section of umbilical cord dries up and falls off in about a week. What’s left is the umbilicus — or belly button. And the shape and size of the belly button depends entirely on the way your tummy heals after the cord falls off.
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Doctors did not create your belly button (or navel). The navel is not the scar or knot left by a doctor that cut your umbilical cord at birth. This fact is obvious to anyone that has ever had children or bathed newborns, but it is sometimes misunderstood by others.
Once the surgeon is happy with the appearance and placement of the new navel, they will stitch the incision back together. The procedure itself takes under an hour, and if it is performed under local anesthesia you will likely be able to return home on the same day.
After your baby is born, your midwife or doctor will clamp and then cut the umbilical cord. After it is cut, a small amount of the cord will remain attached to your baby’s belly button – this will be about two to three centimetres long and is known as the ‘cord stump’.
In the womb, the umbilical cord delivers the oxygen and nutrients needed to allow your baby to grow. After birth, the cord is clamped and cut, leaving a stump. This eventually falls off, healing to form the umbilicus (belly button). There are ways for you to prevent problems during healing.
What causes an outie?
Most people who have an “outie” fall into one of two categories: either they were born with a tiny umbilical hernia, which is most likely, or had a small infection at the base of the umbilical cord that went unnoticed. This will cause unusual tissue called granulation tissue to form.
Innie or outie? How about neither? There are lots of people who have surgery at birth or later in life that mean they have no belly button at all. If you’re one of the few and proud who don’t have a belly button, you aren’t alone.
The procedure
During laparoscopy, the surgeon makes a small cut (incision) of around 1 to 1.5cm (0.4 to 0.6 inches), usually near your belly button. A tube is inserted through the incision, and carbon dioxide gas is pumped through the tube to inflate your tummy (abdomen).
An umbilicoplasty involves changing the shape and size of the crevice to make it larger or smaller, as well as can involve umbilical hernia repair (changing an outie to an innie). Some of our patients opt for umbilicoplasty after giving birth, while others simply prefer the look of a navel that resembles an innie.
What is laparoscopy? Laparoscopy is a procedure a doctor uses to look inside the abdomen (belly) and pelvis. This is done with a laparoscope, a thin, flexible tube with a light and a small video camera on the end. The tube is put in a small cut made through the abdominal wall near the navel (belly button).
How did early humans know to cut the umbilical cord?
The umbilical cord has long fascinated physicians. Hippocrates and Galen postulated its role in fetal nutrition. Trotula provided specific instructions for cord cutting: it should be tied, a charm spoken during the cutting, and then wrapped ‘with the string of an instrument that is plucked or bowed.
Do babies feel pain when umbilical cord falls off?
There are no nerve endings in your baby’s cord, so it doesn’t hurt when it is cut.
Directly behind the navel is a thick fibrous cord formed from the umbilical cord, called the urachus, which originates from the bladder.
Internally the veins and arteries in the cord close up and form ligaments, which are tough connective tissues. These ligaments divide up the liver into sections and remain attached to the inside of the belly button.
A navel stone is sometimes called an omphalolith or umbolith. It is a condition where substances like sebum, or skin oil, hair, dead skin cells, and dirt can accumulate and form a hardball. The stone is usually a dark color and firm to the touch. They may resemble a large blackhead in the opening of the navel.
Can you feel the umbilical cord being cut?
WebMD goes on to say that, just like your hair or fingernails, there are no nerves in the umbilical cord so you and your baby won’t feel anything when it’s cut. The entire process will be like getting a haircut: you’ll see a cut being made, but you won’t feel a thing.
Because of its shape and tiny skin folds, belly buttons can collect dirt, sweat, and bacteria. In fact, the average belly button contains about 67 types of bacteria. 1 This buildup can lead to a smell and even infection. Your belly button may smell because of a hygiene need or an infection caused by bacteria or fungus.
Can an outie become an innie?
No. Some people claim you can change an outie to an innie – by taping a quarter over it, for example – but it’s just not true.
Dirt, bacteria, fungus, and germs can get trapped inside your belly button and start to multiply, which can cause an infection. If you develop a belly button infection, you might notice white, yellow, brown, or bloody discharge seeping out of it. That discharge might also have an unpleasant smell.
Your belly button marks the spot where your umbilical (say: um-BIL-ih-kul) cord was once attached. This cord is a soft, bendable tube that carried nutrients — vitamins and minerals — from your mother to you, back when you were in her belly (womb).
When the tissue loses its elasticity from being overstretched, the gap in the abdominals will not close as much as it should. This is diastasis recti. If you have diastasis, your belly may appear to stick out just above or below the belly button, making you appear pregnant months or years after giving birth.