Ok is anyone else curious about why a baby would *choose* to stand on his/her head?

[StarMama]

Ok this is a silly funny thread... At my last prenatal my midwives are thinking Orion is heads down :banana which I'm TOTALLY ok with of course! :D

But it got me thinking.... why in the world would anyone WANT to stand on their head for any amount of time?! I mean my head hurts if I do a handstand against the wall or have it hanging off the edge of the bed for a minute! :LOL

So there must be some *reason* babies turn that way (or usually do) I mean some reason besides 'because its easier to be born that way'... like its more roomy that way? Or floating around in fluid they are top heavy and tend to gravitate towards heads down? Is it quieter away from all those organs functions in mom? In a watery enviroment would you get a headache from hanging out upside down for so long?

Its totally something I don't *need* to know, but something I really ponder a lot! Especially when I have feet under my ribs and a fist or elbow knocking at my cervix! :o

So does anyone have a guess? Or hey perhaps someone might know the reason??

Ok silly random thoughts will cease for the moment from me :D

[Arduinna]

I've always gone for the heavy head/gravity theory, lol.

but, do they even know they are upsidedown??

[StarMama]

I don't know if they do! I mean if I think of myself swimming in a pool I do know if I'm upside down, but thats because of the light I think... not sure there! Also, I wonder if being in the womb is like being in a pool or more like a close fitting bathtub? I think I'd be more aware of what direction I was facing if I wasn't 100% free floating...

But I bet you're right about babies either not knowing, or at least not being horribly uncomfortable upside down. I don't get headaches doing headstands in the pool! :D

[pamamidwife]

The shape of the uterus is like a pear - rounded at the top and more narrow at the bottom. So, as the baby gets bigger, it makes sense that the bulkiest part of the baby would fit better in the roomer part of the uterus (the top).

There is a lack of gravity to some degree within the water - it's not the same sensation we have when we're upside down. To tell you the truth, I'm not exactly sure what it is like for babies in utero - interesting!

[dotcommama]

In the same vein - I always wonder if when they're newborn and coliky if you turned them upside down would that calm them b/c that's how they've been for the past few months. I've never tried it though :)

[StarMama]

Originally posted by pamamidwife
The shape of the uterus is like a pear - rounded at the top and more narrow at the bottom. So, as the baby gets bigger, it makes sense that the bulkiest part of the baby would fit better in the roomer part of the uterus (the top).


ah that makes sence too! I saw that my email said 'pamamidwife' replied and I was betting you had some info for us! :thumb I read your journal, its very neat! Thanks for that other piece of info!

dotcommama, I have NO idea if that would work, but oh my goodness could you imagine the LOOKS you would get from someone watching you?! :LOL

[moonglowmama]

Semi-related note:

I once had a friend (of sorts) who swore that when her baby was confused as to day/night (sleeping in the day, awake at night) she turned him upside down, then upright again and that fixed the problem.

I would like to add that I knew this woman WAY before kids and I thought she was nutty- I still think that.

Maybe this has nothing to do with the discussion- just a memory triggered.


I kind of think about babies abeing upside down that it probbaly feels better for them once they get bigger. I mean, once their heads get heavy, it might be more comfortable for them to not feel dragged down all the time. They can just sort of settle with their heads down and still be able to move legs around.

That reminds me of how my sone (2.5) still sleeps. He loves to ram his head into either my dh or me or a pillow, then pivot from that point. Is that related?

Ok- now I'm feeling like the nutty one- I'll quit my ponderings.

[geekmom]

My children, (many months) after they were born, used to put their heads on the ground and sort of just stand there. A PT friend of mine told me that it helps them reorganize their physical selves. Kids are so intuitive about the whole mind-body thing and seem to know what to do to get themselves in alignment. Perhaps, not-yet-born children do it too.

[Quirky]

I don't think upside down would be very comforting to baby once he's born, as he would then get the same head rush sensation we do....but now that my son is older he certainly enjoys it during roughhousing!

OTOH, I highly recommend Dr. Harvey Karp's book The Happiest Baby on the Block. His theory (and he has some pretty good evidence to support it) is that colic is not about digestion, but about baby being really stressed out by the world. His solution is to recreate the conditions in the womb that were so comforting to baby, with the five Ss - swaddling, sidelying/stomach lying, shhhing (really loudly), swaying/swinging, and sucking. It really helped us a lot. Definitely worth a read before baby is born!