What to do if your baby has hernia

What to do if a newborn has hernia? This is a question that the family members of sick children would really like to know the answer to. So what types of neonatal hernia are there? What are the symptoms of neonatal hernia? How to treat neonatal hernia? Next, this article will start with these three questions and introduce to you the relevant knowledge about what to do with newborn hernia. If you want to know more, please continue reading!

Hernia is not a gas, but refers to a human organ or part of an organ that breaks through the wall of the original cavity and enters another cavity. There are two most common types of hernias in pediatrics: umbilical hernia and inguinal hernia.

1. Umbilical hernia

Umbilical hernia refers to the protrusion of some organs and tissues in the abdominal cavity from the belly button. The skin on the outside is still intact. If you touch it with your hand, it is soft, and sometimes you can feel it moving inside.

Symptoms of umbilical hernia in newborns:

Umbilical hernias usually develop during infancy. This is especially noticeable when the baby is coughing and crying. The reason for the formation of umbilical hernia is that the remaining atresia of the abdominal wall in the late stage of development is poor and has not closed well. This type of hernia has a higher incidence in blacks and low-birth-weight premature infants.

Treatment of umbilical hernia in newborns:

Because the doctors said there was no need for surgery. But many people think that umbilical hernia is annoying, so they press it down with a copper plate and then tape it up, saying that it can help it heal faster. In fact, the method of sticking copper plates is totally ineffective, and in many cases it may cause skin sensitivity to the tape.

In fact, umbilical hernia has a high chance of healing on its own and will heal before the age of 1. After the age of 1, the chance of spontaneous healing decreases with increasing age, but some larger hernias still take until the age of 5-6 to heal.

If the umbilical hernia does not get better, when should surgery be performed? We recommend waiting until the child is 3 years old, but you can also wait until 5 years old.

2. Inguinal hernia

Inguinal hernia is the most common hernia in children. Like umbilical hernia, it can be said to be a defect of embryonic development. During embryonic development, the sac covering the testicles shrinks, causing the testicles to descend into the scrotum. In about 50% of infants, the channel for the testicles to descend is not closed. In this way, organs in the abdominal cavity such as intestines and peritoneum may move to the groin and become inguinal hernia. Groin development problems are not exclusive to men. However, the ratio of male to female hernias is 4:1, and premature infants and those with high intra-abdominal pressure are more likely to develop inguinal hernias. For example, frequent constipation, ascites, etc. can cause abdominal distension and make inguinal hernia more likely to occur.

Symptoms of inguinal hernia in newborns:

Inguinal hernias are rarely detected. When a child cries, coughs or exerts force, the groin can be seen "bulging". For some children, the "popped out" part is soft, for others it is harder, but for most of them you can press it down gently with your hand. Unless the hernia is clamped and the blood vessels or intestines in the hernia have twisted, it is generally not painful.

Treatment of inguinal hernia in newborns:

In principle, inguinal hernia should be treated surgically. Nowadays, anesthesia and surgery have made great progress, and the risk of surgery is extremely low. Each case of inguinal hernia is managed slightly differently. as follows:

1. Inguinal hernia in premature infants: Once a premature infant is found to have inguinal hernia, surgery can also be arranged. To avoid sudden clamping and intestinal necrosis, surgery for premature infants should be scheduled before discharge from the hospital.

2. Inguinal hernia discovered during general outpatient visits: Surgery should be scheduled after some acute illness is cured. Respiratory infections are very common in children. Surgical anesthesia requires the insertion of an endotracheal tube. Therefore, anesthesia should be performed after the respiratory disease is cured to reduce the sequelae of intubation.

The above is an introduction on what to do with neonatal hernia. I believe that after reading the above introduction, you will have a comprehensive understanding of the relevant knowledge about neonatal hernia. Then when you encounter a newborn with hernia, you will know what to do. I hope that the above introduction can answer your questions.