Why Do We Have a Belly Button?

What You'll Learn

• Before you were born, you grew inside your mother's tummy
• You got food and oxygen through a tube called the umbilical cord
• The cord connected you to your mother through the belly area
• After birth, the cord was cut and the stump fell off
• The scar that remains is your belly button

Words to Know

Belly button

The scar where the umbilical cord was

"My belly button is an innie."

Umbilical cord

The tube that fed you before birth

"The umbilical cord carried oxygen."

Oxygen

A gas all living things need

"Oxygen came through the cord."

Scar

A mark left after healing

"My belly button is a scar."

Check What You Learned

Fun Facts

• The umbilical cord connects a developing fetus to the placenta in the womb

  Source: Mayo Clinic

• The cord delivers oxygen and nutrients from the mother to the fetus

  Source: American College of Obstetricians and Gynecologists

• After birth, the cord is clamped and cut; it has no pain nerve endings

  Source: ACOG

• The remaining stump dries and falls off within 1-2 weeks after birth

  Source: Mayo Clinic

• The belly button (navel) is the scar where the umbilical cord was attached

  Source: American Academy of Pediatrics

• All placental mammals have a navel, including dolphins, dogs, and elephants

  Source: National Geographic