The appearance of an umbilical hernia in newborns

With the advent of the baby, pleasant chores began, and with them some problems. Some protrusion became noticeable in the navel area, which vibrated slightly when the child began to cry or move. This is an umbilical hernia.

A hernia of the umbilicus, as a rule, is formed due to weakness of the umbilical muscles and is a resulting hole in the muscle ring. This pathology in the center of the abdomen in an infant is quickly noticed even by young and inexperienced parents. And a number of questions arise before them: what to do, how to treat, what are the causes and symptoms of its appearance, does it hurt.

An umbilical hernia in newborns is a fairly common occurrence, sometimes requiring surgical treatment.

To understand why hernias occur, how such changes occur, let us dwell on the structure of the navel and the mechanism for the appearance of hernias. While still in the womb, the fetus receives nutrition through the umbilical cord. It connects the unborn child with the mother's body. Vessels passing in the cord supply the fetus with nutrition. The cord, in turn, passes through the so-called umbilical ring, which is precisely the culprit in the appearance of umbilical hernias.

The ring is a gap in such an anatomical formation as the white line of the abdomen. It has clear edges, consists of connective tissue and abdominal muscles. When the baby is born, the umbilical cord is tied. The rest of the umbilical cord disappears in newborns on the 5th - 7th day. The vessels inside the ring cease to function, become empty. All this is scarred and replaced by connective tissue. There are no muscles in this area, so the navel area is a rather weak point. In some cases, with the failure of the umbilical ring, poor overgrowth, intestinal loops or peritoneum begin to protrude through it. This is what an umbilical hernia looks like in babies.

Why do hernias appear

There are several reasons for their formation, among them four main ones can be distinguished:

Genetically determined : if one of the parents or both had an umbilical hernia in childhood, then congenital insufficiency of the connective tissue can be inherited by the child.
Prematurity, decreased muscle tone of the newborn, malnutrition . With these pathologies, the umbilical ring does not grow well and the abdominal muscles of the newborn do not fully perform the function of holding the internal organs.
Adverse factors that can have a detrimental effect on the fetus : smoking or alcoholism of the mother, other bad habits. The negative effect of toxic substances on the fetus can disrupt the development of muscles and connective tissue.
At birth, the appearance of an umbilical hernia in a baby can provoke severe crying, coughing, prolonged constipation, intestinal colic . All this leads to an increase in intra-abdominal pressure, a sharp tension in the abdominal muscles, and an increased load on the umbilical ring. As a result, the navel protrudes and the hernia of the navel begins to develop.

Symptoms of an umbilical hernia

An umbilical hernia in infants and newborns manifests itself in the form of a protrusion of the skin near the navel. At first, it is small in size, in case of progression it can reach 4-5 cm or more. The value depends on the size of the umbilical ring of the newborn and the defect formed in it.

The hernial sac usually contains sheets of peritoneum and intestinal loops. Signs of the presence of an intestine in a hernia are peristalsis and a characteristic rumbling.

In newborn boys, this pathology occurs 3 times more often than in girls.

Types of umbilical hernias

Hernias are of two types:

congenital umbilical hernia;
acquired hernia of the umbilicus.

Sometimes a baby is already born with such a pathology, sometimes a hernia can appear immediately after birth. But most often, parents are faced with its manifestation in a child under one year old.

Congenital umbilical hernia occurs for the following reasons:

abnormal position of internal organs, weakening of intestinal motility;
development of complications during pregnancy, infection and other diseases;
development of rickets, prematurity;
various types of dysplasia, underdevelopment of organs and connective tissue elements in the prenatal period.

As a rule, hernias of an acquired nature appear in children from the age of two. They are accompanied by violations of intestinal motility, interruptions in the work of the stomach. In this case, the child cries for a long time and strongly, while experiencing pain. This further aggravates the process and contributes to the development of the hernial sac.

It should be noted that the hernia itself rarely causes pain . Usually, anxiety in babies is associated with pain that occurs when the gastrointestinal tract malfunctions: constipation, flatulence, intestinal colic. Dry cough can also contribute to the progression of the process.

Signs of a congenital umbilical hernia in a child:

Large and convex umbilical ring;
Thickening of the skin in the navel.

Important! At the birth of a baby, young parents should carefully examine him when swaddling or bathing. In the event of any protrusions or other changes in the navel area, they need to urgently contact a pediatrician and show the child to a surgeon.

Treatment of a hernia of the navel

Treatment can be surgical, include removal of the hernial sac and plastic surgery of the umbilical region, as well as conservative. Treatment methods are determined by a pediatrician and a surgeon, depending on the characteristics of the child, the vastness of the hernial sac, age, etc.

Surgery is usually indicated for the following factors:

hernial protrusion began to develop at the age of 6 to 12 months, there is no prospect of hernia closure;
despite the conservative methods of treatment, there is an increase in hernia in a one-year-old child;
if at the age of 2 years the size of the hernia is 1.5 cm without the prospect of its reduction;
a hernia is accompanied by infringement, tissue ruptures in the umbilical region, pain;
the child reached the age of 5 years, while the hernia was preserved.

You can do without surgery in the following cases:

the appearance of a hernial protrusion at the age of 1 to 6 months, there is a prospect of hernia closure;
the hernia does not progress when the child reaches one year or more;
at the age of two, the size of the hernia is 1.5 cm in diameter or less;
if there are no complications;
if the child is less than 5 years old.

Conservative treatments

These include:

gentle gymnastics;
massage of the anterior wall of the abdomen;
applying a bandage or applying a plaster.

The most common and sparing type of treatment for umbilical hernia in newborns, infants, and young children is abdominal massage, sparing exercises to strengthen the anterior abdominal wall. Well helps in the treatment of hernia in children up to a year laying them on the tummy.

An important step in the treatment of umbilical hernias is the normalization of intestinal activity. At the same time, adequate therapy is selected, which allows you to adjust the stool, eliminate bloating and intestinal colic in the child.

The next method of treatment is massage of newborns and infants and gymnastics . The first time this should be done by a specialist in order to teach young parents these techniques. Further carrying out of these manipulations is allowed at home.

Gymnastics for newborns and infants is carried out several times during the day. Before this, it is imperative to set the hernia and seal it with a patch. Gymnastic exercises in most cases are passive: this is laying the child on his stomach, crawling (in the position of the baby lying on his stomach, you should put your hand on the child's feet, stimulating the crawling effect). As a gymnastic exercise, turning over is effective.

If the child is older, rings are used to pull him up with support. Exercises with the use of a gymnastic ball are useful.

Massage of the anterior abdominal wall is performed to strengthen the abdominal muscles, as well as a better discharge of gases. It consists in lightly pressing the muscles around the umbilical region, at a distance of 1 - 2 cm from the umbilical ring. Rubbing and stroking along the intestines in a clockwise direction are also effective.

For the treatment of umbilical hernias, a special patch is used. The first time it is applied by a doctor. The specialist teaches the parents of the baby, after which these manipulations are carried out at home.

Attention! The imposition of a special patch is possible only when the umbilical wound has completely healed. Otherwise, its use is contraindicated.

It is also allowed to use a bandage - a wide elastic belt that allows you to keep the umbilical region in the reduced state.

Such measures are effective in cases where the age of the baby does not exceed 3 years, and the umbilical ring is no more than 3 - 3.5 centimeters. Massage of newborns and infants and laying them on the tummy should be done before each feeding for 5 to 7 minutes.

With the ineffectiveness of the above treatment methods, when the hernia continues to increase in size, we will talk about surgical intervention. Usually, if the hernia is not removed at the age of five, they resort to surgery.

In rare cases of untreated umbilical hernias in children, strangulation of the hernia may occur. This formidable complication without timely surgical treatment can lead not only to severe pain, but also to intestinal obstruction, and with further inaction of the parents, it can end in a fatal outcome.

If your child's umbilical hernia continues to grow in size, doesn't reduce well, or doesn't reduce at all, don't try to fix it yourself. Be sure to contact a specialist. Your baby may need urgent medical attention.

Prevention of hernias

How to prevent the development of an umbilical hernia in a baby? You can do this by following some tricks:

normalization of the baby's gastrointestinal tract (elimination of constipation, intestinal colic);
proper nutrition of the child;
strengthening all the muscles of the baby, including the abdominal muscles (carrying out gymnastics, laying the baby on the tummy).

Conclusion

Thus, umbilical hernia in children from 0 to 5 years old is one of the most common diseases. But, despite the ongoing pathological changes in the abdominal wall of the child, in most cases it does not threaten the further development of the child and his health. With timely and adequate treatment, it ceases to manifest itself at the age of 3-5 years. If necessary, surgical treatment will be applied.

Remember: an umbilical hernia in a month-old baby will pass much faster with timely treatment. Also, one should not forget about the measures for the prevention of umbilical hernias. After all, the disease is always easier to prevent than to cure.

We should not forget about such a complication as infringement of a hernia. In this case, in no case should you try to correct it yourself, in time to seek medical help.