I’ve been trying to avoid posting about this and hoping it would just go away, but I’m starting to be worried so I need other moms to talk to me. [name_f]Persephone[/name_f] has an umbilical hernia. It’s not terrible, but it sticks about a half inch out when she’s resting and about 2 inches when she’s screaming. It’s all purpley and sometimes when she screams it looks like it’s trying to break her belly button. She lost her cord at 11 days because the doctor we had at the time was very rough with her and it popped off after several days of heavy bleeding. Now, she has this hernia.
My current doctor told me “[name_m]Don[/name_m]'t worry. It’ll go away in a few months.” Well that was 2 months ago. She’s had it since she was 1 month old and she’s 4 months old now. It hasn’t even gotten a little better. If anything, it looks like it’s gotten worse. Is there anything I can do to make it heal or am I just going to have to live with it?
Note – We have a doctors appointment tomorrow, but I just need some reassurance or advice since this doctor seems to be in the “I think it’s fine so you need to calm down” camp. She doesn’t do a lot of reassuring.
You could always try taking her to a different pediatrician if you’re concerned, but I really wouldn’t be too worried. I’m sure your doctor knows what she’s talking about that it will work itself out.
[name_f]Persephone[/name_f]'s only like 4 months right? Apparently umbilical hernias are pretty common in babies (occuring in like 1/10 infants) and tend to close up on their own but it can take up to a year or even longer. I wouldn’t be too worried about it just yet. It is common for them to kind of get bigger when baby’s crying or coughing & smaller when they’re lying down. There’s nothing you can do to heal it faster that I’m aware of - you just have to be patient.
If for some reason it doesn’t heal on its own (which obviously would be preferable) she can have a simple surgery to have it fixed. They don’t usually offer surgery til the child is a little older (like 4 or 5).
This is a video from a mommy-youtuber whose two-month-old also has an umbilical hernia. Her doctor said that it should go away within a year and that it wasn’t a big deal. She did say that if it doesn’t go away within a year, it could possibly mean surgery, but that’s a worst-case scenario. She doesn’t seem too worried about it, so I hope it’s reassuring! She talks about the hernia around 3:50 - 4:50. MIGHT NEED SURGERY!! :( - All About Ollie - 2 Month Update - YouTube
As was stated, it’s common. But that doesn’t prevent a mother from worrying about her own child. My newest foster baby is developing one now; it started at about 1 month of age. With a previous foster child, the doctor told me it would go away without treatment, and it did. She also said it was more common to Aboriginals and if I remember correctly, you are part Native American.
It’s also very common in African children, at least where we stayed.
Not sure any of this is actually helpful, but, hey, you’re not alone.
I should probably add, the body does some weird stuff when its healing. It might definitely look worse before it gets better (like how bruises change colour and look nastier as they are healing).
Our daughter lost her umbilical chord I think by 10 days… the whole first few months are a sleep deprived blur for me, but I remember how scary that was because we didn’t know what to expect with that whole process.
With Umbilical Hernias 85 to 90% of them will close up on their own, so I’m sure you have no need to worry.
Umbilical Hernias can be both, a non-issue or a horrible problem (pinching major organs/cutting off blood supply, tissue rupture etc).
Dont worry about being over-concerned, this is your child, and you are looking out for their best interests! As such, there is absolutely no problem with erring on the side of caution.
First, its important to understand that a hernia is a tear in the abdominal wall (in this circumstance, cause associated with the umbilical cord) of which abdominal matter pokes itself through. This area of the body needs time to rest to heal and mend properly. Thus, the more motion, screaming or any exertion will mean slower healing. It is impossible to eliminate all of these completely, but what I am saying is it’s the amount that can lend to why it may be taking so long to heal.
All that being said, most do heal on their own, but the time varies in each individual circumstance. Your concern is still valid and it is good for you to follow up! [name_m]Even[/name_m] if it did not want to heal on its own, the surgery to repair it is very minor ( small incision and sewing the hole in the abdominal wall shut) and complications are rare.
Dont worry! Everything will be a-ok! =) You are a good mom-berry!
Thank ladies. It all made me feel better. [name_m]Even[/name_m] though I know it’s common, it bothers me. [name_f]Persephone[/name_f] loves tummy time and she loves to inchworm and she loves to sit up, so I’m sure none of that’s helping. >.< Triss, I am half Native American, so that was helpful.
[name_m]Lev[/name_m] had one of those. He is African American, and as Triss mentioned above, it is more common among AA children. It stuck out like a thumb. It did not seem to bother him. The doctor said that it was only a concern if it felt hot or looked irritated, and that it should go away on its own by the time he was three years old. It went away before he was six months, though. I guess it is still there, but his stomach muscles have grown up around it so you can’t tell anymore. He still has a cute little outie belly button. The only annoying thing about it was that when we would leave him in the church nursery, the nursery workers would show it to me when we would come to pick him up. They would be like, “Did you know about this?” And I would be sorely tempted to say, “No! Wow! I have never noticed my son’s belly button before!”
My daughter had one, and if I remember correctly it went away by the time she was about two years old. We got mixed opinions on whether or not to do anything about it after she was about 12 months old, but it didn’t bug her so I put off thinking about it and somehow it resolved itself. Our almost two-month-old has one now, and while we’ll certainly keep an eye on it, I’m not nearly as worried this time around.
