MEGHAN Markle’s and Prince William have just announced their birth of their baby daughter, Lilibet, and she could have had an “early and quick labour” if her thumbs are anything to go by.
According to experts, Meghan appears to have double-jointed fingers which means that some of her joints are hypermobile – and they claim it can affect pregnancy.
Read our Meghan and Harry live blog for the latest updates
Lilibet “Lili” Diana Mountbatten-Windsor was welcomed to the world on Friday at 11.40am in Santa Barbara, California, weighing 7lbs 11oz, with “both mother and child are healthy and well and settling in at home”.
Her name Lilibet is a touching nod to her great-grandmother the Queen, who was affectionately called the nickname by her family.
Hypermobility is a genetic condition that allows her to move the digits – and probably other parts of her body – beyond the normal range, without it hurting.
Dr Adam Taylor, an expert in anatomy at Lancaster Medical School, said hypermobility helps people, like Meghan, do yoga – and he also believes it could make it easier to give birth.
He told Fabulous Digital: “The ligaments of the pelvis, which help hold the pelvis together, are believed to loosen over pregnancy.
“So any more mobility within these from having hypermobility may help make delivery easier too.”
Most joints are wrapped in ligaments which connect the bone to bone and tendons which connect muscle to the bone.
Around five per cent of the population, are double-jointed;- or hyper mobile – usually because they are born with slightly shallower ball–and-socket joints.
This gives a greater range of motion in places like their elbows, shoulders, hips and fingers.
This may be one of the reasons why Meghan is so good at yoga, which she is said to practice every morning, because she is also more likely to have more flexible hip joints, allowing her to do bendy poses more easily.
However this may make other ligaments, like those around her fingers and thumbs, more elastic, so Meghan may need to be careful about heavy objects so she does not sprain them.
This hypermobility may also mean that Meghan could end up having an earlier or quicker labour because the muscles holding in the baby are more lax, adds birth coach Alexandra Kremer.
Alexandra, who runs pregnancy retreats in St Albans, said: “If you’re already hypermobile, then pregnancy can take more of a toll on you and your body.
“It’s not uncommon to have issues with pelvic girdle pain and in more extreme cases it could cause premature labour.
“Due to how fragile the connective tissue can be, hypermobility has shown that there can be a connection with early labour.
“If Meghan suffers with hypermobility, then it’s likely her care providers will have talked to her about it and looked at all the options.
“This could mean anything from extra joint support like a pelvic belt to planning for an earlier arrival.”
Despite the experts’ claims, Meghan was actually eight days overdue with first child Archie, according to royal biography Finding Freedom.
Meghan initially wanted to give birth to Archie at Frogmore Cottage while attended by an all-female midwife team.
But her dreams of a home birth were dashed as she was forced to go to London’s private Portland Hospital to deliver the tot, who weighed 7lb 3oz when he arrived on May 6 2019.
Meghan is now planning a home birth at her luxury £11million LA mansion when she and Prince Harry welcome their second child, it’s reported.
The Duchess of Sussex plans to deliver her daughter at home in the early summer, according to sources.
The baby will be the first royal to be born in the US.
As Meghan’s pregnancy has developed, she may have been even more flexible than usual – thanks to rising levels of the pregnancy hormones, progesterone and relaxin.
These increase in a woman’s body during pregnancy, helping to loosen the ligaments around the tummy and uterus so the baby can come out more easily.
Alexandra added: “Relaxin and progesterone are the two hormones that help the ligaments to relax during pregnancy in order to help open the pelvis and allow baby to descend easily.
“Relaxin usually peaks around 14 weeks into pregnancy and many expectant mums can feel some slight discomfort in the womb and pelvic area as the muscles, joints and ligaments begin to relax in order to accommodate the growing baby.
“Due to these hormones, it’s possible that Meghan’s thumbs may also become more mobile.”
Beyond this, the UK’s top scientific hand and fingerprint analyst, Helen Elizabeth Evans also believes her bendy thumbs hint she may have a shorter labour.
She said: “If she is hyper-flexible, it may make giving birth easier than it would be for someone who is naturally quite tense.
“But there are too many factors that could impact her birth experience that are not indicated in the hands.”
The Duke and Duchess of Sussex had their second child at Santa Barbara Cottage Hospital on Friday at 11.40am.
Her name Lilibet “Lili” Diana Mountbatten-Windsor is a touching nod to her great-grandmother the Queen, who was affectionately called the nickname by her family.
The couple also honoured Harry’s “beloved” late mother Princess Diana with the baby’s middle name.
A statement published on their Archewell website said: “On June 4, we were blessed with the arrival of our daughter, Lili.
“She is more than we could have ever imagined, and we remain grateful for the love and prayers we’ve felt from across the globe.”
The new arrival is the Queen’s 11th great-grandchild, joining big brother Archie and Prince William’s kids George, Charlotte and Louis.
Lilibet is also Prince Charles’ fifth grandchild and makes Archie, who turned two in May, a big brother for the first time.
“Thank you for your continued kindness and support during this very special time for our family.”
The couple have also asked anyone wishing to send a present to instead “support or learn more” about organisations working for women and girls.
Helen uses a system which is like a 21st century version of palmistry and is based on research into more than 50,000 palm-prints, personality tests and medical records.
When her second baby arrives, Helen says Meghan’s thumbs hint she may avoid relying on help as she wants to take on a lot of the child-care herself.
Helen said: “Straight thumbs indicate people whose head rules their actions, whereas Meghan has curved thumbs, suggesting her heart rules her actions.
“The fact that her thumbs curve outward suggests she’s not great at asking for help, and probably likes to do as much as she can herself.”
The good news, adds Helen, is that when matched with Harry’s hands, there are signs that the couple are great parents, and we can see this already with Archie.
Helen said: “Meghan’s headline and lifeline are tied together.
“It’s not as much as Harry’s but enough that she will have some traditional values that will no doubt align with his.
“Creating a family will also give Meghan the solidity and belonging that she wants.
“Harry has sensitive fingers too, but his palms are strong and protective.
“As long as Meghan and Harry keep communicating with one another, they are likely to be a formidable team who each make the other stronger through their support for one another.
“Any children they have will become part of that formidable team, protected and loved.”
We shared the Queen’s ‘sadness at barely seeing Archie’ and why she ‘won’t meet Meghan & Harry’s new baby unless they come to the UK’.
In other royal news, fans are swooning over William’s “rippling guns” as he gets his COVID jab.
Plus we shared how Prince William shrugged off Harry’s parenting moans to work with climate change campaigners close to Charles’ heart.
