Popular beliefs always appear in conversations among older people. I always heard my mother and aunts talk about how picking up a baby the wrong way can flip their stomach, or how a big scare could cause it too. Espinhela caída in babies is another topic that would come up from time to time at home, but is all of this really true? What exactly are espinhela caída and the flipped stomach? Well, to begin with, we should remember that we are dealing with myths and truths, and some of them involve superstitions from long ago (our grandparents, great-grandparents, and great-great-grandparents). So, this is not a text about religion but rather about cases that were so common in past centuries when medicine was not as accessible or advanced as it is today. To help uncover these myths, I looked further into what is true and what is myth in these old ailments that can affect a baby.

Espinhela Caída – True!

Espinhela caída, or “fallen arca,” is a problem that can cause many symptoms both in adults and children, but in babies it is less common. Espinhela caída is nothing more than a name given to a displacement of the bone in the middle of the chest. This bone is flexible and may become displaced in adults due to carrying excessive weight; and in babies? This displacement can happen if the baby is picked up in an awkward way, it may also occur during games like tossing the baby into the air, and other situations, with symptoms such as:

  • Vomiting
  • Uncomfortable positioning (no position seems comfortable for the baby)
  • Frequent crying (due to the sensation of pain itself)
  • One arm or leg longer than the other

And how do you diagnose it? Nowadays, it is already scientifically confirmed that a simple x-ray can show the displaced bone in the chest and the famous espinhela caída. However, since it is not a widely known problem, several diagnoses may be considered before the true cause is found. Antônia, a 70-year-old woman, used to witness cases of espinhela caída and it was often treated with much superstition, including prayers and folk healers. Today, it isn’t always like that anymore, but there is still superstition surrounding espinhela caída.

“In the past, when we saw a child crying excessively, the mother already suspected espinhela caída and the first person to be consulted about it was the folk healer. My mother was a healer her whole life, it was a teaching passed from mother to daughter, but I did not want to continue with that mission. She would bless children for both espinhela caída and flipped stomach, and was much sought after. To check if there really was espinhela caída we would measure the child’s legs, belly, and arms with string and if there was a difference, prayers were said to restore the child’s health, and almost immediately the symptoms would disappear.”

But how do you cure espinhela caída today without resorting to the “prayers” of the past? Don’t worry! Physical therapy sessions can resolve it. If your baby is crying excessively, it is worth having their pediatrician take a look, and if necessary, a chest x-ray can be performed.

Flipped Stomach – Almost True!

But the flipped stomach is now known by another name: shaken baby syndrome. This syndrome is caused by movements that cause the brain to move inside the child’s skull, which can lead to problems such as vomiting, irritability, seizures, all due to injury that may have been caused by vigorous shaking or abrupt movements involving the baby. So, that seemingly innocent game of tossing a baby in the air and catching them can actually be a risk for the child.

Seven-Day Illness – False

Seven-day illness was feared by mothers, who would lock themselves in their rooms after the baby was born and, on the child’s seventh day of life, would not expose the newborn to light and would dress the baby in red to ward off the illness. Seven-day illness can be interpreted in two ways: Jaundice or umbilical cord infection, that is, neonatal tetanus, both of which were unknown to many people in the past. The jaundice, as it was called, could even be fatal for the baby depending on its degree—and, coincidentally, it would often get worse on the 7th day of the baby’s life. An umbilical infection, or neonatal tetanus, was caused by poor hygiene of the cutting instrument and rust at the time of cutting the baby’s umbilical cord. So we can conclude that the disease itself is real, but the folklore surrounding it is not: keeping the child locked in a dark room would not prevent the disease.

Thankfully, both conditions can now be diagnosed and treated by doctors and have been eliminated in modern times. Were some popular beliefs confirmed, and others not actually valid and just popular wisdom? Send in your question—who knows, maybe it will be in the next myths and truths about motherhood.

See also: Myths and truths – Bleach Pregnancy Test

Photo: Gergely Vida