What should I do if my child has umbilical hernia?

Many children will have umbilical hernia after birth. Many parents are very worried, always afraid that it will cause other problems for the baby. Although they see a doctor in time, most doctors just say that it is okay and it will be fine in a few days. But the worry still exists. So what should you do if a child has umbilical hernia? What causes umbilical hernia?

Umbilical hernia is an extra-abdominal hernia in which the contents of the abdominal cavity protrude through a weak area at the umbilicus. The umbilicus is located in the middle of the abdominal wall and is the last part of the abdominal wall to close during embryonic development. The lack of fat tissue in the umbilicus causes the outermost skin, fascia and peritoneum of the abdominal wall to be directly connected together, making it the weakest part of the entire abdominal wall. The contents of the abdominal cavity can easily protrude from this part to form an umbilical hernia. Clinically, it is divided into two types: infant umbilical hernia and adult umbilical hernia. The former is far more common than the latter.

Umbilical hernia in infants (45%):

It is congenital and the causes include incomplete development of the umbilicus and incomplete closure of the umbilical ring; or the scar tissue of the umbilicus is weak and not strong enough. When the intra-abdominal pressure increases (frequent crying, constipation, phimosis, etc.), the internal organs may protrude from the umbilicus, and the covering is only scar tissue, subcutaneous tissue and skin.

Most umbilical hernias in infants can heal themselves within one year through the gradual contraction of the umbilical fascia ring. Therefore, before the age of 2, unless the baby is incarcerated, you can wait. Use non-surgical treatment to promote spontaneous healing. If the child is over 2 years old and the diameter of the umbilical hernia exceeds 1.5 cm, surgical treatment is appropriate. Make a semicircular incision along the navel 1 cm away from the umbilicus to separate the skin and subcutaneous tissue, and significantly open the anterior rectus sheath, hernia ring and hernia sac. Make a midline incision on the abdominal line, free the hernia sac, and return the hernia contents. After removing part of the hernia sac at the hernia ring, suture it and then suture the edges of the rectus sheath on both sides (i.e., the abdominal line) interruptedly. Finally, suture the skin.

Umbilical hernia in children tends to heal on its own and generally does not require surgical treatment. Umbilical hernia in adults is often related to increased abdominal pressure, such as pregnancy, liver cirrhosis, etc. If there is no incarceration, surgery should be performed with caution.

Generally speaking, children do not need treatment for umbilical hernias, and most children will heal on their own. Of course, parents' worries are not unnecessary. When a child has this symptom, it is very necessary to see a doctor in time. In addition, you must pay attention to taking good care of the child when the child has umbilical hernia to prevent the child from getting infected and causing other diseases.