What is umbilical hernia?

An umbilical hernia is a bulge near the belly button, or navel. Intestines or other tissues may bulge through an opening or a weak spot in the stomach muscles. The hernia has a sac that may hold some intestine, fat, or fluid. A baby can be born with a hernia. But parents may not notice it until the umbilical cord stump falls off, which may be a few days to a couple of weeks after birth. Usually, umbilical hernias are not painful or dangerous.

Most umbilical hernias close on their own without treatment, usually in a baby's first year or by age 4 or 5 years. A child usually needs surgery only if the hernia is very large or has not gone away by the time the child is 4 or 5. While you wait for the hernia to close, watch for signs of any problems. In rare cases, the hernia can trap some of the intestine and cut off its blood supply. If this happens, your baby needs treatment right away.

An umbilical hernia can usually be seen after the umbilical cord stump falls off, within a few weeks after birth. But some children don't get a hernia until they're a little older.

When a child has an umbilical hernia:

• You may notice a soft bulge under the skin of the belly button.
• The doctor can push part of the bulge back in.
• The bulge may be easier to see when your child sits or stands upright or strains stomach muscles during normal activities such as crying, coughing, or having a bowel movement.

Umbilical hernias can vary in size. They are rarely bigger than about 1 in. (2.5 cm) across. Most children don't feel pain from the hernia.

Talk to your doctor if your child is vomiting, has pain, or has a swollen belly.

Doctors usually can tell that a child has an umbilical hernia by how the belly looks. If your child has a hernia, your doctor will check its size and shape and see whether the hernia can be pushed back in.

The doctor will want to check your child regularly to see if the hernia has begun to close. Be sure to bring your child in for these checkups.

• Watch for any signs that the hernia may be causing problems. Your baby's belly may get bigger, and the skin over the hernia may look red. Your baby may cry a lot and throw up. Call your doctor right away if you see these signs.

An umbilical hernia happens when intestine, fat, or fluid pushes through a weak spot or hole in your baby's stomach muscles. This causes a bulge near or in the belly button, or navel. It may look like your child's belly button is swollen.

Many children have an umbilical hernia at birth. The hernia usually isn't painful or dangerous, and it often closes on its own without treatment.

The ring of muscle and other tissue that forms where blood vessels in the umbilical cord enter a fetus's body is known as the umbilical ring. This ring usually closes before the baby is born. If it doesn't close, tissue may bulge through the opening, creating a hernia.

Experts don't know why the hole sometimes doesn't close.