Umbilical hernia factsheet

Introduction

A hernia is when part of an organ or body tissue bulges through an opening or weakness in your child’s abdomen.

An umbilical hernia is when a bulge happens around the umbilicus, also known as the belly button.

The umbilical cord connects your baby to the placenta during pregnancy.

After your baby is born, the umbilical cord is cut and clamped. The stump of the umbilical cord will dry out and fall off, leaving the belly button.

Around the belly button is a ring of muscle called the umbilical ring. This ring slowly closes from birth until about age five. An umbilical hernia can occur if the umbilical ring takes too long to close.

Umbilical hernias are common in babies, especially those born:

prematurely, before 37 weeks of pregnancy
with a low birth weight.

Umbilical hernias usually don't cause serious problems and should go away as the umbilical ring closes over time.

Signs and symptoms

An umbilical hernia looks like a bulge or swelling around your child's belly button. The bulge can come and go and might be more noticeable when your baby cries or strains.

Diagnosis

Your child’s doctor can diagnose an umbilical hernia by physically checking their belly button.

Treatment

Most umbilical hernias will close on their own between two and five years old and should not cause any problems. Your child’s doctor may recommend surgery to repair the space around the belly button if:

if the hernia is still present after this age
the opening in the abdominal wall is larger than usual.

Umbilical hernia repair surgery

Your child will be referred to a surgeon for hernia repair. The surgery is done in a hospital while your child is under general anaesthetic, meaning they will be asleep and won't feel any pain.

During the surgery:

the surgeon makes a small cut at the base of the belly button
the bulging tissue is pushed back into the abdomen
the opening is closed with stitches that will dissolve under the skin.

Your child will have a scar at the base of the belly button, which will fade but not completely go away as they grow.

If your child recovers well after the procedure, they can go home the same day.

Very young or premature babies will need to stay overnight in the hospital.

Your child’s doctor will make an appointment to check on the hernia repair about a week after going home from the hospital.

Management

Managing your child’s hernia repair at home

Your child will need to rest at home after the procedure and take pain relief as directed by their doctor.

Most children can return to normal activities a few days after the procedure. If you're unsure about the type of activity your child should be doing, check with your doctor.

When to seek help

See your local doctor as soon as possible if your child has signs of infection, including:

pain
swelling
fever
bad smelling discharge coming from the surgery wound.