Wednesday, October 6, 2010

31 Weeks: The Great White Belly Button Mystery

Here I am, folks.  31 weeks and still barely fitting into my Purdue shirt.  Yeah! (I thought I'd wear my Purdue shirt to see if it could bring the football team any luck, but I think they need a miracle. So Purdue shirt? That's your cue.  Perform a miracle!)

So what's Baby Thornburg doing these days? 
Babycenter.com:
This week, your baby measures over 16 inches long. He weighs about 3.3 pounds (try carrying four navel oranges) and is heading into a growth spurt. He can turn his head from side to side, and his arms, legs, and body are beginning to plump out as needed fat accumulates underneath his skin. He's probably moving a lot, too, so you may have trouble sleeping because your baby's kicks and somersaults keep you up. Take comfort: All this moving is a sign that your baby is active and healthy.

Alphamom.com:
Your Baby:
  • Blah blah blah 3.3 pounds, bag of oranges, sock full of nickels, etc.
  • Enjoys yawning, sucking his or her thumb, kicking mom in the diaphragm.
  • Turn-offs include: getting the hiccups, really loud noises and you trying to do all that boring “sleeping” at night.
You:
  • Can totally round down your answer to “two months” when people ask you how much longer you have to go. DO NOT focus on the crazy week-to-month-ratio math at this point in pregnancy, particularly when there are breakable, smashy objects within reach.
  • Can now play everybody’s favorite game, Guess The Body Part That’s Sticking Out Next To My Belly Button! Elbow or heel? Head or butt? Did I seriously just maybe feel my baby’s BIG TOE?

What about the Mama? 

Feeling pretty good! I'm pretty sure I felt his hiccups a couple times recently.  THAT was weird.  It was either that or he was practicing an extremely slow drum solo for an As I Lay Dying song.  Where could he have possibly picked THAT up?? :)

We have officially finished our Birthing class as of last night.  We didn't have to sit by the awful couple last night but we could still see him texting the whole time. Barf.  Now we have a Breastfeeding class and a class called After Baby Comes left. 

31 Week Appointment

I had my 31 week appointment.  They have me in and out of there in less than 45 minutes now.  They do the urine test, blood pressure, belly measurement, listen for the heartbeat and then say "Don't let the door hit ya..." but I never hear the end of that sentence because I'm already scheduling my next appointment.  It's crazy! But it's nice to not have to take that much time off work so I shouldn't complain.

The Great White Belly Button Mystery

Soooooo, I have this issue.  My belly button has a white ring around it.  I thought it was a little weird so I started showing it to people.  They thought it was weird too.  So I googled it.  Turns out, there's not much about it online either.  The only thing I found was THIS.  That's IT!!! So now I know (because of Yahoo! Answers) that there are at least 4 people in the world with this weird belly button. 

Usually when you look up something pregnancy-related, you find millions of pages of information.  But not this.  No, I'm just "lucky". 

I asked the doctor if she knew what it was.  She said, "Well it's obviously a skin pigmentation issue. (NO CRAP!) A lot of people have dark lines by their belly button but I guess yours just happened to go lighter." So she had never seen anything like it either.  WEIRD!

So do you wanna see it??????

Ok, brief nudity to follow.  :)

Well that's brief nudity in my book.  (Who put their belly button online anyway??)
So there you have it.  That's the white ring around my belly button. 

One white ring to rule them all.  :)


Finally your preggo lessons of the week... just had to add some more brief nudity. 

45 comments:

The Goldmans said...

1. Where do you find these pregnancy tips? They make me pee my pants I laugh so hard (but I blame having a baby on the peeing)
and
2. I think the white ring is cool, I have the black line and I still have part of it and I LOVE it :)

CyndiPurdueMom4 said...

Huh.... I think you guys should get some face paint and make SBT a jack-o-lantern! He will appreciate on his graduation table!

cat said...

:-) I just found a white ring around my belly button, with a faint darker line around it when I had a bath earlier tonight - yes contemplating the navel :-)
Googled same as you, found the same posts, and yours, and your picture and it looks very similar!!!!!
:) go us :)

Wen~ said...

I was googling about it too!
my ring is even bigger than yours! hopefully it's just pigmentation problem and nothing serious!

Anonymous said...

Woo Hoo! I'm not alone in the world. I too have a white belly button.

Anonymous said...

I'm so glad you posted this! I just googled it too cause I have the same thing. I'm almost 27 weeks and was thinking I needed to ask my doctor about it. Glad to know im not the only one!

Kj said...

28 weeks & also have the white ring BUT the white also goes into a line down to my public area, bout an inch or so wide. Will have to ask the midwife in a couple weeks.

Anonymous said...

Anyone ever get to the bottom of the white belly button ring? I'm 35 weeks and have the same thing :-/

Dawn said...

Like everyone else I googled about the white ring and found your blog post. Mine appeared this evening and is right under my belly button. I wish I knew what it was.

Anonymous said...

I have a white ring too((: haha, so weird.

missjane said...

I have a white ring too! Just like yours. Ive read that it's from the belly button stretching.. the white part used to be part of my 'inny'.

Anonymous said...

29 weeks and also part of the white belly button club!

Anonymous said...

My white belly button now looks like a key hole spreading down my belly and is accompanied by a faint linea nigra.

The Thornburgs said...

I got a lot of comments on this particular post and I just wanted to update any of you if you happen to check back here. I am 38.5 weeks into my second pregnancy and I do NOT have a white ring around my belly button this time. So strange! I don't have the dark line either this time. Maybe it has something to do with the fact that I'm having a girl this time and I had a boy last time. I'm not sure. Such an odd thing. Just thought you might like to hear an update. Never found an official answer.

Anonymous said...

I have a huge white ring around my belly button and i am 33 weeks. My doctor says its just the skin stretched so far. It is very thin, Also the skin on my belly button and around it is VERY soft. I am having a girl though, so not sure that the gender makes a difference.

Anonymous said...

I'm 32 weeks pregnant and my belly looks like yours did when that pic was taken. I too was googling to try and find out if it was 'normal' and came across this thread! :)

Anonymous said...

I have a big, white splotch around my belly button too. Glad I'm not alone, ha ha!

Anonymous said...

Me too! Me too! Glad there's more of us! Mine looks exactly like yours...

Anonymous said...

Haha I too just googled what looks like a white ring around my belly button at 29 weeks. Glad to hear I'm not alone here :) thanks for the update to original blogger!

Anonymous said...

well you can count me in the weird belly button thing because I just googled it- as i woke up with it this morning.....and found you! Slight relief! I had visions of it being a circulation issue and I was in big problems
Michaela
England
xx

Unknown said...
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Unknown said...
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Anonymous said...

I have this same mysterious white ring thing going on too! I noticed it a couple weeks ago and wasn't sure what it was. I just googled and found only this post. Thanks for making me feel a little more normal. I'm 37 weeks with my second baby boy. How long did it take for your belly button to go back to normal after pregnancy??

Anonymous said...

I have a huge circular spot that is about a million times paler than the rest of the skin around it (and I'm already pretty pale as it is) that is about halfway between my bellybutton and my pubic bone ... My doctor also has no clue whatsoever what it might be. He doesn't 'think' it's a cause for concern. However, I have to say that mine has so far gotten bigger in a little over a week, now there is a line running from the white ring towards the belly button and also towards my c-section scar (had a baby roughly 4 years ago). I'm finishing my 29th week of pregnancy tomorrow. Pregnant with a boy. For reference ...

Anonymous said...

I noticed the great white ring during my 2nd trimester and its still here up to now. I'm on my 37th going 38th weeks. Don't think its a cause for worry, I would agree with the doctor that its probably just the stretching of the skin. I'm having a boy also. Glad to know I'm not alone in this :) I don't think there's a medical term for the white belly button

VisionChaser Films and Multimedia said...

WOW! So glad I found this! My wife and I were worried because she has always had a brown line and this time it's white around her belly button with a whitish strip going down. She is 32 weeks pregnant.

Unknown said...

Hey there-
Not sure if you check this anymore, but I was wondering if you ever figured out what the white spot was??? Mine is actually red, and a little darker than my normal skin, but same shape exactly (actually growing larger as I am further in pregnancy... I am almost 35 weeks now). Did the spot go away? How long did it take?
Thanks!

Anonymous said...

How are your bellies now? Currently almost 33 weeks and I have a mysterious white belly button patch. Hmmm so strange!

Anonymous said...

and got this white ring and line down to the pubic area today. Less alarmed after reading the post and comments. Tomorrow we go to our doctor and i ll update my comment with the diagnosis. Thank you very much.

Unknown said...

I'm 35 weeks pregnant today with my 2nd child and I've had a white ring and a dark line since my 27th week. I did not have this ring with my first pregnancy. The white ring area is sore to the touch and my belly button is more of a "flatty" then an "outtie" now.
I've been suffering with a cold/allergies for a few months now off and on and with this cold/allergies came a bad cough along with it. So I thought maybe because of my constant harsh coughing it may have stretched my belly button muscles. But that's all just my own theory ab my weird looking white ring because I can't find a true answer anywhere either. I'm so glad I'm not the only one with this issue. Thank you lady's for making me feel not alone.

Jhunt0304 said...

Just figured I'd add to the mysterious white ring phenomena. Mine looks like this pic but also extends down into my pubic area. I am 32 weeks pregnant and noticed this just a few days ago. I at first thought maybe the heat was temporarily changing the pigment of my skin but since it's still here days later I can only guess at what is happening. I have my obgyn appointment tomorrow - if he knows what this is I'll be happy to update!

Unknown said...

I have it too! I didn't have with my first 2, but I got it a few days ago, with my third! I will be 38 weeks in a few days. I have the dark line down my tummy, too. Glad I am not alone!

B and me said...

Count me in too! Belly button area flat almost indented from rest of bulging belly but white ring around with extension down about 2 inches.. didn’t happen with first kiddo. Having a boy this time around. Can’t find any literature anywhere about this great phenomenon!

Live. Share. Inspire said...

I have white ring too! I was researching and I saw your blog. The white ring just suddenly appears. I am in my 33 weeks.

Erin Bruce said...

I have the white discoloration from my belly button and straight down to my vagina. I asked my midwife about it and she said it’s probably just from stretching. I see her next week so I’ll let her take a look then as well. So weird to all of a sudden show up! I’m almost 32 weeks :)

Gracie Lu said...

im only 14 weeks pregnant & just noticed it after a bath! wiah i knew what it was besides “stretching” i feel like its good luck:) its my rainbow baby

Unknown said...

Me too!!!!

Ceecee said...

I have this too , 36 weeks appeared overnight and is softer than rest of stomach and slightly in dented. From looking it up looks like it’s Diastasis Recti 😫 where the muscles part, and googling that does not help! Has any of the earlier posts given birth and can give update of how their stomach was after birth?

Anonymous said...

I have the white ring! The skin around the ring is also more red than usual. I can't believe this is the only thread on the internet about this!

MMC said...

I have the same thing but much larger. It appeared at 31 weeks as well. My obgyn said it was stretching. I’m having a girl for reference. If someone finds more info, please reply!

Unknown said...

Mine is bigger too

Happy Mom to be said...

Did the skin return to its original color after giving birth? I have the same spot and I am 28 weeks pregnancy with a baby girl.

Anonymous said...

Did the skin return to normal postpartum? I have the same thing which started around 36 weeks for me!

Meg said...

I'm 24 weeks and I've also noticed this white ring around my belly button. I'm relieved to see I'm not the only one! Hope it's only stretching though, I'll ask my midwife about it.

Kee said...

Wow! I have the white ring too. Glad it’s not just me! There’s nothing online about this.

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