Navel That Sticks Out??

My girl has one, my doc said pretty much the same as the others here have said, it is common, should go away on its own, don't bother trying to tape it down. When I asked her again if there was anything to worry about she said the only complication that could happen was if the intestines protruded and got twisted in a knot (or something like that) she said if that happens the baby will be in unquestionable inconsolable distress and pain and that we should take her to emergency care right away (I think of a baby was showing that kind of pain you might do that anyways). I don't want to make you worry though because after she said that I would get worried about it when she was inconsolable but just remember the difference should be obvious. Hope that helps! Note this is not professional advice just my experience.

My granddaughter had the same thing. Her pediatrician said that the hernia usually goes away by the time the baby is a year old. She said that the baby is still developing after she's born and that her body will take care of it. It was true. The belly button was normal by the time she was a year and a half. She's 8 now and her belly button is perfect and as the other mother said, cute as a button. Her abdominal wall is strong. She's very physically active.

The pediatrician was so good at reassuring her mother that she didn't worry about it. The pediatrician did say that she would consider surgery at her one year check up. She didn't bring it up at that appointment and I'd forgotten about it and so didn't ask. A couple of months later her belly button looked more normal and by 18 months was normal.

One thing I remember which helped me not be worried was that the pediatrician said a hernia of this type in an infant at is not as serious as a hernia in an adult because the baby is still developing and the baby will most likely mend the muscle while still young.

I found several articles by googling "infant umbilical hernia." Those sites said that surgery isn't usually performed until the child is 4 or 5 and still has the hernia.

Here is a site that seemed to summarize the condition best. www.healthsystem.virginia.edu/uvahealth/peds_
newborn/umbilical.cfm

I can't get the address line to wrap onto two lines. However the rest of the address is on the second line in black. There is an underline between peds and newborn that isn't obvious since the address is underlined. (like this peds_newborn)

I don't understand why they put hernias under high risk newborns unless it's because preemies have more risk for developing a hernia.

I'd suggest that you whenever you think of this as a condition to worry about that you tell yourself that he will be OK. As hard as it may be, focus on the positive. There is nothing that you can do to change it.

My daughter (now 5 months) had the same thing. It never hurt her, but we were totally tripped out by the squishing sound it made when we pushed it in. I don't know exactly when it happened, but we noticed one day her belly button was normal and cute as a button. The dr. never said what caused the hernia, but assured us it would go away and it did. Just give him some more time and don't worry about what others say. I know it was more distressing for us than for her, but oh well.

Hi M.,

My 2 year old had one when he was born. My doctor said it is common in boys and that he would grow out of it between 9 months and a year. She was right. At about 12 months it went away. I know it is a little scary but it really should go away. What does his doctor say?
K.

My older brother had an umbilical hernia from birth, and at age 52 he had it surgically corrected. It never caused him any problems, but his physician recommended the surgery to prevent problems down the line..

Google "umbilical hernia" to learn more.

The coin in the belly button sounds like an old-wives-tale, and probably has no value. And it sounds as though it is causing a rash/allergic response besides. The WebMD site says it can be harmful: "Home treatment is not appropriate for an umbilical hernia. Folk remedies, such as strapping a coin over the hernia or using a band or a strap to try to make it smaller, do not help. These remedies may even make the problem worse, such as by causing an infection or by cutting off the blood supply to the tissue inside the hernia, which could lead to emergency surgery." See http://children.webmd.com/tc/umbilical-hernia-in-children...

That's caused from an umbilical hernia, which is quite common. I have heard that boys get them more often and that they tend to be bigger. Our little girl is almost 3 and still has an "outie." It's not big (I've seen bigger lumps caused by the hernia on other kids), just a cute little outie belly button. :-) Her doctor said that hernias can take up to 5 years to close (most do within the first year or so) and that if it is too large (or problematic), they do perform surgery to close them (but if that was needed, they usually wait until they are 3-5 years old). She also said that at this point in time, she might just have an outie.

It used to really worry me and I really noticed it. Now I forget that most people have "innies" and when I see her friends belly buttons, I'll wonder what's wrong with theirs. ;-) The funniest thing is that in the morning (or when she's hungrier) it sometimes doesn't pop out at all - then if she's really full it pops out with her full, round tummy. Too cute!! :-D

My son, had that too. We noticed his around 4-6 months, and by 12 months it was gone. The doctor told us that most close up by the time they are 2, and if not, there is a surgical procedure that can be done. But it is not painful, and there really isn't any worries at all. Just keep an eye on it to make sure it doesn't evolve into something different, not that I'm sure it could, but you never know.

Our boy had that but it has pretty much gone away as the doctor said it would. I'd ask you pediatrician about it. I remember ours saying that if it didn't go away there was an easy procedure to close up the muscle wall that is letting it stick out. My friend's little boy's finally went away when he was 3 or 4. Good Luck!

Definitely sounds like a hernia, but if he's not in pain he's ok. My nephew's belly button stick waaaayyyyy out. It is HUGE! He's the cutest little thing and is seen by a nurse every other week for an unrelated problem. They checked and said that unless he starts having problems he's perfectly fine and not to mess with it. They usually invert over time or become way smaller. But my sister was instructed to leave it alone since it usually corrects itself over time. Here's a great article from a doctor that I found on parents.com:

http://www.parents.com/baby/health/other-issues/long-bell...

I hope this helps a little!

M., my little guy had an umbilical hernia, too. When we first saw it, at two months, my husband and I were really worried. It started small and grew to about the size of half of my thumb. We didn’t do anything to it. By about nine months it was entirely gone. In retrospect, it seems silly that we were so worried, but when it first happens, it is pretty scary looking! Our doctor told us the same thing as most of the posts below relate: they are more common in boys, much more common in premies (that’s my guy), and rarely are an issue. If they don’t close up by two years old, they sometimes recommend an operation.

The funny thing is, my mom saw it and passed on the old wives tale that we should put a bandage over it to hold it down. That made me curious, because it sounded like she’d seen one before. Yup. One of my siblings had one, and none or us even realized it because we all have “innies” now. :)

It's possible he has a metal allergy that is causing the bumps when you use the coin. You could try something like a button instead. As for the main question, I don't have any advice to give. Sorry.

M.,
I just read your post and wanted to tell you, It really is nothing to worry about. My daughter, who is now 5 years old, Had one for the first year and 1/2 of her life. At first I was kind of worried about it, I worked in tehe medical feild for 3 years before she was born, so I knew what it was and that if it didnt go away on its own she was need surgery later in life. I tried the coin trick also, but just got to the point of just letting it go. just give it some time, it should go away on its own.