OMPHALOSKEPSIS

Now, that's a five-dollar word.  Back in my day, I never knew the word but it's meaning was used quite often.  Omphaloskepsis:  Contemplating one's navel; being self-absorbed.  You all probably know someone at whom you could throw this label.  Please, exempt me; I'm going a step further today.

I have actually been contemplating my navel and I just couldn't make all I knew fit together.  When I was young, I thought the doctor or midwife tied a knot in the umbilical cord and pushed it into my tummy.  Seems silly now.  They don't.  All they do is clip it to ensure the flow of blood stops. How does this all work?  Here's what I've learned and I think this goes for almost all mammals.  I chose to use the word child in lieu of fetus or any other.

The umbilical cord connecting the child to it's mother is the same length as the distance from the child's rump to the crown of the head.  The cord belongs to the child and not the mother (keep that in mind).  The cord carries two arteries and one vein between the mother and child; connecting at the navel of the child and the placenta attached to the uterus of the mother.  This placenta is like a shield and filter; connecting the cord to the mother while blocking some factors but not all (like hormones) that are carried in the blood.

The two arteries in the umbilical cord carry de-oxygenated blood from the child to the mother.  In our bodies, arteries carry oxygenated blood and they will in the child after it is born and the cord cut.  The single vein in the cord carries oxygenated blood from the mother to child - oxygen necessary for development and growth.

The three blood vessels in the umbilical cord are immersed in a gelatinous substance called Wharton's jelly.  This goo protects the blood vessels and is full of stem cells.  As an added feature, under extreme temperature changes, like at child birth, they coagulate and stop the blood flow.  So, all you have to do right after birth is clamp or tie the umbilical cord.

To my mind, the connections of the cord at the navel and the placenta at the uterus are like a scab that would form when you have scrapped away skin on your arm.  It covers the wound while your body is producing new skin cells and capillaries.  When it's work is done and the wound is healed, it falls off.

When the newborn draws it's first breath of air, the process begins where it's heart is fed oxygenated blood to be pumped to all parts of the body.  It's all a miracle.  I think we'll have our next baby at home.

.