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View Full Version : Umbilical hernia and surgery



nyc_mom
03-29-2007, 07:10 PM
Hi all,

I posted a while ago about my dd who was diagnosed with an umbilical hernia. She's now 9 months old and it doesn't show any signs of getting smaller or going away. Has anyone had any experience with the surgery for this? What does it entail? From what my ped says it's more cosmetic than anything but the hernia is quite large and shows through her clothes so I am thinking that this might be a possibility. Any advice would be great. Thanks!

nyc_mom

thomma
03-30-2007, 04:36 AM
Both dd and ds had umbilical hernias but dd's was bigger. It was quite prevalent up until 12 months old then it started to get smaller. It took a while, though, and even now her bellybutton is bigger than ds'. We asked about it at every visit...it was very big (also showed through her clothes). We were consistently told to give it time.

Kim
ds&dd 5/03

nyc_mom
03-30-2007, 02:01 PM
Thanks. Does it really shrink down to a normal outie bellybutton? It just seems like there would be so much extra skin after the hernia healed.

nyc_mom

thomma
03-30-2007, 03:58 PM
Yup...dd's did. :) I mean, it's a tad bigger than ds' but not freakish or anything. I would def. ask your ped. about it, though.

ellies mom
03-30-2007, 04:34 PM
My DD had a pretty good sized hernia and it actually shrank to a cute little innie. So yeah, it really will shrink.

Lilysmom06
03-30-2007, 06:42 PM
I don't know much specifically about hernias in infants, but I worked in surgery for a long time, and we did lots of umbilical hernia repairs on adults. Basically we made a small incision below the belly button, would reduce anything in the hernia into the abdomen (usually just fat), and sew the hole closed. Then close the skin incision. She would likely have just a small scar. We did a few inguinal hernias on babies, and they were good as new within a few days, and just took Tylenol for pain if needed.

Like I said, my experience is mostly with adults, but I am sure the procedure would be similar to that, if not the same. In adults, hernias don't go away on their own, they just continue to get bigger, so they need to be fixed. And its always easier to fix a small hernia than a larger one. Just something to keep in mind, in case it continues to enlarge.

If I can help in any way, please let me know.

Kathy

nyc_mom
03-30-2007, 07:47 PM
Thanks so much for the advice and info. I may go to a surgeon for a consult just to hear what the surgery would be like for a baby and when they think is the right time. Until then I'll just wait it out and hopefully it will shrink. Thanks again!

nyc_mom

nyc_mom
03-30-2007, 07:48 PM
when did it shrink down for your dd? was it a long, gradual process or did it happen pretty quick? TIA!
nyc_mom

ellies mom
03-30-2007, 11:52 PM
It took several months but I don't remember how long. Less than a year but I don't remember how much.

mommy_someday
03-31-2007, 05:09 PM
My DS had one that showed up a couple of weeks after birth. IIRC, it didn't go away until after he turned 1. I took him to a pediatric surgeon who specializes in umbilical hernias just for an evaluation. He seemed wholly unconcerned about it and said that if DS still had it when he was 3, to schedule him for another eval and possible surgery. He said as long as the hernia wasn't hard, DS wasn't having problems having BMs and wasn't in any obvious pain, then he was fine.

And it *does* shrink. DS's was larger than a quarter in diameter and I couldn't believe that it was going to go away completely, but it did. He looks totally normal now. HTH!