Umbilical hernias can usually be seen when your baby is crying, laughing, or straining to use the bathroom. The telltale symptom is a swelling or bulge near the umbilical area. This symptom may not be present when your baby is relaxed. Most umbilical hernias are painless in children. Adults can get umbilical hernias as well. The main symptom is the same — a swelling or bulge near the navel area. However, umbilical hernias can cause discomfort and be very painful in adults.
Surgical treatment usually is required. The following symptoms may indicate a more serious situation that requires medical treatment:. A doctor will perform a physical exam to determine if an infant or adult has an umbilical hernia. The doctor will see if the hernia can be pushed back into the abdominal cavity reducible or if it is trapped in its place incarcerated. An incarcerated hernia is a potentially serious complication because the trapped part of the herniated contents may become deprived of a blood supply strangulated.
This can cause permanent tissue damage. Your doctor may take an X-ray or perform an ultrasound on the abdominal area to ensure that there are no complications.
They may also order blood tests to look for infection or ischemia, especially if the intestine is incarcerated or strangulated. Complications from umbilical hernias rarely occur in children. However, additional complications can occur in both children and adults if the umbilical cord is incarcerated.
This can cause pain and even kill the tissue, which could result in a dangerous infection or even death. Abdominal hernias involving a strangulated intestine require emergency surgery. Contact your doctor or go to the emergency room immediately if the intestine becomes obstructed or strangulated. In young children, umbilical hernias often heal without treatment. In adults, surgery is usually suggested to make sure that no complications develop. Umbilical hernias appear as a bulge or swelling in the belly button area.
The swelling may become more noticeable when the baby cries, and may become smaller or disappear when the baby is quiet. If a physician gently pushes on the bulge when a child is lying down and calm, it will usually get smaller or go back into the abdomen. Sometimes the intestines get trapped within the umbilical hernia. This is referred to as an incarcerated hernia. When this occurs, the child usually has severe pain and the bulge may be firm and red.
Urgent medical evaluation to exclude an incarcerated hernia is required in order to prevent possible damage to the intestines. It is uncommon for this to occur. Many umbilical hernias close spontaneously by ages 3 to 4. Sometimes, if the hernia is a recurrence, keyhole surgery is recommended. A single cut 5 to 10cm long is made just below or above your belly button, and the bulge is pushed back into place. Your surgeon may stitch a synthetic mesh over the weak spot to strengthen the wall of the abdomen.
The skin cut is closed with stitches and covered with a dressing. Two or three small cuts 1 to 2cm long are made in your lower abdomen. Your surgeon will insert a tube-like telescopic camera to view the hernia by looking at pictures it sends to a monitor.
The hernia is repaired using specially designed surgical instruments passed through the other cuts. A synthetic mesh may be used to strengthen the wall of the abdomen. The skin cuts are closed with stitches. If you have general anaesthesia, you will need to rest until the effects of the anaesthetic have passed. You may need pain relief to help with any discomfort as the anaesthetic wears off. You will need to arrange for someone to drive you home.
You should try to have a friend or relative stay with you for the first 24 hours. Your nurse will give you some advice about caring for your healing wound before you go home. Your surgeon may prescribe antibiotics for a few days, although this is very rare. If you are prescribed antibiotics it's important you finish the course. If you need pain relief, you can take over-the-counter painkillers such as paracetamol or ibuprofen.
Follow the instructions in the patient information that comes with the medicine and ask your pharmacist for advice. General anaesthesia temporarily affects your co-ordination and reasoning skills, so you must not drink alcohol, operate machinery or sign legal documents for 48 hours afterwards. Follow your surgeon's advice about driving.
You shouldn't drive until you are confident that you could perform an emergency stop without discomfort. You will feel some discomfort in the abdomen area for a week or two. Don't strain or stretch the healing wound as this will increase swelling and slow your recovery. Don't do any lifting or strenuous exercise for at least the first two weeks.
However, light exercise, such as walking, will help to speed up your recovery. Don't have a shower or bath for the first two days. Prompt diagnosis and treatment can help prevent complications. During gestation, the umbilical cord passes through a small opening in the baby's abdominal muscles. The opening normally closes just after birth. If the muscles don't join together completely in the midline of the abdominal wall, an umbilical hernia may appear at birth or later in life.
In adults, too much abdominal pressure contributes to umbilical hernias. Causes of increased pressure in the abdomen include:. Umbilical hernias are most common in infants — especially premature babies and those with low birth weights.
In the United States, black infants appear to have a slightly increased risk of umbilical hernias. The condition affects boys and girls equally. For adults, being overweight or having multiple pregnancies may increase the risk of developing an umbilical hernia. This type of hernia tends to be more common in women. For children, complications of an umbilical hernia are rare.
Complications can occur when the protruding abdominal tissue becomes trapped incarcerated and can no longer be pushed back into the abdominal cavity. This reduces the blood supply to the section of trapped intestine and can lead to abdominal pain and tissue damage. If the trapped portion of intestine is completely cut off from the blood supply, it can lead to tissue death.
Infection may spread throughout the abdominal cavity, causing a life-threatening situation. Adults with umbilical hernias are somewhat more likely to experience a blockage of the intestines.
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