Kimberly Davis52 said:So, what’s actually going on inside the belly button?
Like, everything that travels through the umbilical cord while the baby is still in the womb... where does it all go? Does it just flow into some vein? Or straight into the digestive tract?
And is it more dangerous to hurt your belly button than, say, another part of your stomach area?
(I didn't actually hurt my navel or anything, I'm just genuinely curious about the first part. 😁)
Alright, let's break this down step by step.😬 Basically, the fetus gets oxygenated blood from the mother's placenta through the umbilical vein, which enters right through the belly button. (Do you really want the super deep medical details? 😲I'll keep it brief for you. 😁) Where does it go next? It flows through the entire fetal body and then heads back to the placenta via the umbilical arteries.
Once the baby is born, those arteries turn into fibrous cords, and the vein tightens up and becomes a ligament. Since a newborn's circulatory system works differently than a fetus's, those specific arteries and veins aren't needed anymore.
If I totally missed the mark on any of that, someone please set me straight!😬