# Can I RIP in the fetal position?

**URL:** <https://boards.straightdope.com/t/can-i-rip-in-the-fetal-position/277712>\
**Category:** Factual Questions\
**Created:** [December 2, 2004, 4:38pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/can-i-rip-in-the-fetal-position/277712 "2004-12-02T16:38:54Z")\
**Posts on this page:** 4\
**Page:** 1

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**Author:** ![Si\_Amigo](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/si_amigo/32/2877_2.png) [@Si\_Amigo](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Si_Amigo)\
**Post date:** [December 2, 2004, 4:38pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/can-i-rip-in-the-fetal-position/277712/1 "2004-12-02T16:38:54Z")

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I could never sleep on my back with my hands folded on my stomach during life. How am I supposed to Rest In Peace for eternity like that? 😃 Could I get a coffin that would allow them to bury me in my naturally restfull mode, i.e. the Fetal Position. Would a funerial home be obligated to do this, or would they just ignore my request and plant me in the standard way?

What if I wanted to rest on my stomach? Would they have the viewing with me face down, or just turn me over at the last minute? Where might they place my flowers? :eek:

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**Author:** ![Mangetout](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/mangetout/32/19_2.png) [@Mangetout](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Mangetout)\
**Post date:** [December 2, 2004, 4:43pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/can-i-rip-in-the-fetal-position/277712/2 "2004-12-02T16:43:47Z")

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What an interesting question; I think the ‘bottleneck’, as it were, is likely to be the dimensions of your burial plot (or the dimensions of the door of the cremation oven) - a coffin (a wicker baby-basket sort of thing, perhaps) designed to accomodate an adult in the fetal position is likely to be a fair bit wider than standard.

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**Author:** ![PookahMacPhellimey](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/pookahmacphellimey/32/3175_2.png) [@PookahMacPhellimey](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/PookahMacPhellimey)\
**Post date:** [December 2, 2004, 5:38pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/can-i-rip-in-the-fetal-position/277712/3 "2004-12-02T17:38:49Z")

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Sure it wouldn’t matter much as you’d be dead.

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**Author:** ![Excalibre](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/898d66/32.png) [@Excalibre](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Excalibre)\
**Post date:** [December 2, 2004, 8:37pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/can-i-rip-in-the-fetal-position/277712/4 "2004-12-02T20:37:06Z")

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Huh. On one hand this seems like kind of a stupid question, but on the other hand, I don’t find sleeping on my back to be comfortable either. If I were going for burial, I’d probably rather be buried this way too.