Almost everyone has one. Some go inward (“innies”), some go outward (“outies”). But why do we have belly buttons at all?
The Story Before You Were Born
Before you were born, you couldn’t eat, breathe, or drink on your own. So how did you get food and oxygen?
Through a special tube called an umbilical cord! This stretchy cord connected your belly to a special organ inside your mom called the placenta. Through it, you got everything you needed — oxygen, food, and water.
When You Were Born
When you were born, you started breathing air and drinking milk all by yourself. You didn’t need the cord anymore! A doctor or midwife gently cut the cord. The bit that was left attached to your belly slowly dried up and fell off within a few weeks.
What was left behind is your belly button — a permanent reminder of how you were connected to your mom!
Innies vs Outies
About 90% of people have “innies.” Whether your belly button goes in or out depends on how the cord dried and healed after birth. It has nothing to do with how the doctor cut it!
Fun Belly Button Facts
🔬 Scientists once swabbed belly buttons and found over 2,300 different kinds of bacteria living there. (Don’t worry — most are harmless!)
🐬 Other mammals (cats, dogs, dolphins) also have belly buttons — they’re just hidden under fur or hard to see.
🥚 Birds and fish don’t have belly buttons because they’re not connected by umbilical cords.
Your belly button is your body’s first scar — a tiny souvenir from your very first home! 💝
