But, in the second place, a woman's great belly makes different figures,
according to the different times of pregnancy; for when she is young
with child, the embryo is always found of a round figure, a little long,
a little oblong, having the spine moderately turned inwards, and the
thighs folded, and a little raised, to which the legs are so raised,
that the heels touch the buttocks; the arms are bending, and the hands
placed upon the knees, towards which part of the body, the head is
turned downwards towards the inward orifice of the womb, tumbling as it
were over its head so that then the feet are uppermost, and the face
towards the mother's great gut; and this turning of the infant in this
manner, with its head downwards, towards the latter end of a woman's
reckoning, is so ordered by nature, that it may be thereby the better
disposed of its passage into the world at the time of its mother's
labour, which is not then far off (and indeed some children turn not at
all until the very time of birth); for in this posture all its joints
are most easily extended in coming forth; for by this means its arms and
legs cannot hinder its birth, because they cannot be bent against the
inner orifice of the womb and the rest of the body, being very supple,
passeth without any difficulty after the head, which is hard and big;
being passed the head is inclined forward, so that the chin toucheth the
breast, in which posture, it resembles one sitting to ease nature, and
stooping down with the head to see what comes from him.
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