What is an umbilical hernia in a child? When should surgery be performed?

Umbilical hernia is a fairly common malformation, the disease is more common in premature or low birth weight babies. Umbilical hernias are usually not too dangerous and can still go away on their own. However, in some cases with severe complications that will potentially cause complications, intervention will be needed. So to learn more about umbilical hernia in children as well as when to perform surgery, let’s find out with Tnhelearning.edu.vn through the following article!

What is an umbilical hernia in a child?

According to Dr. Pharmacist Truong Anh Thu, umbilical hernia in infants can be understood that when a baby is born with the umbilical cord attached to the abdomen, the umbilical cord carries nutrients to nourish the child during the time it is in the mother’s womb. After birth, your baby’s umbilical cord will be cut immediately. In about 1 to 2 weeks, the umbilical cord will gradually atrophy and fall off on its own, the wound will heal and form the baby’s navel. The hole in the umbilical cord will close on its own as the baby grows . An umbilical hernia occurs when the abdominal muscles do not close properly.

An umbilical hernia in a child occurs when the internal organs protrude out of their normal position in the body. This disease occurs when internal organs in the abdomen come out, forming a protrusion in the navel area. This hernia may contain fluid, or part of internal organs such as the intestines, or other viscera from the abdomen.

According to research, umbilical hernia mainly occurs in newborns, especially occurs more in premature and low birth weight babies. Most cases of children with umbilical hernia will close on their own when the child is 3-4 years old, but there are also cases where the child is 5-6 years old to stop the umbilical hernia.

However, in cases where the navel does not close on its own, surgical intervention may be required.

Children with umbilical hernia

How do you know if your baby has an umbilical hernia?

According to Dr. Pharmacist Truong Anh Thu, Looking at the baby’s navel, the belly button area will be swollen and enlarged, appearing more clearly when the child cries, twists or when having a bowel movement. Visceral herniation can be seen just below the baby’s weight. The hernia mass will slowly enlarge in the following cases: Constipation, cough, fussiness…

When should a child be taken to a health facility?

• Cry loudly, cry hard, show pain
• Your baby’s belly may seem bigger, rounder, and “full” than usual.
• The skin over the hernia is swollen and red.
• There are symptoms such as fever, vomiting, difficulty in defecation or not at all, difficulty in defecation.
• There is blood in the stool.
• When having these symptoms, parents need to take the child to a medical facility immediately for examination and timely treatment.

Children cry loudly, uncomfortable when going outside

Common mistakes when handling children with umbilical hernia

With folk experience, when you see a child with a “convex navel”, using tape to stick a coin on the child’s navel will quickly recover from the disease.

Perhaps they believed that placing a coin and applying tape would compress and make the area smaller. But this is COMPLETELY WRONG , even this can cause an infection or interfere with blood flow to the internal organs. Parents ABSOLUTELY NOT DO, take your child to the doctor to be checked and treated properly.

When should surgery be performed?

Umbilical hernia surgery in children is usually indicated in cases of umbilical hernia with the following characteristics:

• There are complications such as entrapment, strangulation, perforation, and protrusion of the bowel.
• Herniated umbilicus does not close on its own after 4 years of age
• Have an umbilical cord diameter greater than 1.5 cm
• There are symptoms such as pain, discomfort.
• Umbilical hernia “tap” (medically known as procosboid hernia). If the umbilical cord does not narrow during follow-up, surgical treatment may be considered when the child is 2 years old.

What should I know when preparing for surgery for an umbilical hernia in a child?

Umbilical hernias will usually close on their own before the baby is 1 year old, if the baby’s hernia does not close on its own by the time the baby is 3 years old, it will most likely require the intervention of a doctor.

After surgery, the hernia sac will no longer exist , avoiding the dangerous complications that the hernia sac causes once the child grows up.

However, umbilical hernia can recur. Before carrying out surgery, parents should carefully understand the advice and notes of the doctor.

Doctors in an umbilical hernia surgery

What to do after surgery for umbilical hernia in children?

• You can bring your child home the same day.
• The child will be given pain medication and instructions to keep the stitches dry and clean.
• Children are likely to return to school one week after surgery, but should not exercise or engage in strenuous activity for six weeks.
• The doctor will schedule a follow-up visit within a few weeks after surgery to observe your child’s health.
• Most children will make a full recovery quickly.

Notes after surgery for umbilical hernia

During this time, the incision must be carefully protected, avoiding activities that increase abdominal pressure by gently pressing on the incision.

These activities include:

• Stand up from a sitting position
• Sneezing
• Cough
• Straining when defecating
• Vomiting

Through the above article is sharing about umbilical hernia in children, causes as well as effective treatment. Hopefully, through the article on Tnhelearning.edu.vn, the above information has been provided to help parents gain the necessary knowledge to care for and treat children with this malformation!

Source: Hello Bacsi

Tnhelearning.edu.vn