Water birth and baby swimming

 
Water babies ©Urchin Rock

The proposed semi aquatic early ancestors of our Genus "Homo" would mean that possible mothers and their vulnerable babies and toddlers would have spent much time in shallow waters; a habitat not fit for approaching sharks and disliked by land bound carnivores.
Human babies can be delivered under water; the "water birth" shows that clearly. In that process they popup in the right position, as if wearing a life jacket.
Head up, they can breathe instantly. This abillity sustains what all babies in the first month show in water.

My project "Aquatic reflexes of newborn humans"  depict this all clearly, just read it.

When submerged, they hold their breath, something their next of kin - young chimps, gorilla's and range Orang utan - cannot.
They also are protected by a thick layer of subcutaneous fat and by skin fat (sebum).
Sebaceous glands are already active before birth, regulated by the mothers hormones and those made by the fetus itself.
Sebum has also an important role on the skin of grownups.

More on skin  fat: SEBUM   and Scars of evolution part two (audio file, BBC4)

Summing up; our newborns are totally "waterproof", a unique feature of our species, lacking completely in the other great apes.

If babies and toddlers are allowed to be active in the water from the start, they lack fear of water, diving and swimming naturally.
Worldwide initiatives of baby and toddler water training courses are based on this.
Eyewitness reports on very young indigenous children swimming and diving the Amazonas and on the Andaman islands conform
the natural "Homo litoreus" state that is suggested here.

Film fragment of Andamanese (see: http://www.andaman.org)

http://www.veoh.com/videos/ aquatic ape

All around the world there have been initiatives for organizing regular courses for baby and toddler swimming.
If you are interested you can investigate such possibilities in your own region.

1.  In the pretest and above in this chapter you listened to part two of "Scars of Evolution" and learned, that newborns are covered
with sebum that possibly could point to a more aquatic past for mankind with a "water birth" as an adaptation.
Do find out if this coherent with the findings in these two abstracts of scientific papers on dermatology:
Sebum excretion mothers and neonates

http://www.wabcswim.com/

http://www.waterbirth.org/mc/page.do

http://www.littledippers.co.uk/

http://www.hillsswimming.com/babies.htm

Film: (ISR & YMCA) Drowning Prevention

After looking at this film, you should be able to think of two reasons for the fact, that every year a substantial number of little children drown
in a baby pool with a mere 15 - 25 cm of water.
The film suggests that the rotating movement with the legs is teached to the toddler.

How plausible this is, taking in account the developmental stage it is in, I mention in "Aquatic reflexes of newborn humans" .
Could it be a inborn reflex, somewhat line the recovery roll seen in a falling cat?
Do discuss this with the baby swimming trainers; they could have noticed this.

http://www.inflatable-swimming-pools.com/Inflatable_Baby_Pool.htm