The reason that the navel sticks out in a newborn is. This disease is quite common - 20-30 percent of children are already born with an umbilical hernia. Of course, the fact that a child's navel protrudes slightly scares parents, but there is nothing wrong with this disease. Let's look into this in more detail to understand where an umbilical hernia comes from and how to deal with it.
Why does a child's belly button stick out?There can be several reasons for the appearance of an umbilical hernia:
- features of the body, the location of internal organs;
- weak abdominal wall or weak umbilical ring.
These are the reasons why the navel sticks out in a newborn, and if these reasons are present, there may not be a hernia at all, or it may appear later, and not immediately after birth. Pressure inside the peritoneum due to constipation, coughing, crying, colic can provoke an umbilical hernia. Also, the cause of the development of a hernia can be rickets.
What to do if the navel sticks out?
We figured out the reasons, so let's move on to how to cure this umbilical hernia. Firstly, it must be said right away that an operation is required only in the most exceptional cases, so you should not worry - you can save the child from an umbilical hernia on your own.
So, let's look at how you can get rid of an umbilical hernia.
By following the doctor's instructions, you can quickly and without problems get rid of your child's umbilical hernia.
The navel is, in a sense, pride. Many girls, in order to make their tummy even sexier, pierce the navel area, decorating it with earrings made of precious metals and stones. Agree, how nice it is when the navel resembles a neat dimple, and not the “third eye” turned outward. About how the umbilical cord is tied after childbirth, whether the mother properly looked after her will depend not only on the beauty of the navel, but also on the health of the baby.
As you know, during pregnancy, it is through the umbilical cord that nutrition and nutrients come from mother to child. Through it, waste products are removed. The umbilical cord is very important while the baby is in the womb. Especially dangerous during pregnancy. I hope you are not in danger.
With the birth of a child, the umbilical cord is cut at a distance of no more than 5 cm from the navel, and fixed with a special clamp.
Since the umbilical cord was a living part of the body, consisting of blood and tissues, it will take a long time to heal. The usual "button" on the stomach will not appear immediately.
Mom should be extremely careful to maintain hygiene in the navel of the child. This advice is relevant both throughout the entire healing period and after it.
Navel of a newborn: AFTER BIRTH
The first time the baby is placed on the breast, the umbilical cord pulsates reflexively for several minutes. The clamp is usually removed a few days after delivery. When discharged from the hospital, it will no longer be on the baby's body.
The navel of a newborn: THE FIRST WEEK OF LIFE
During the first 7 days of a newborn's life, the tied umbilical cord gradually dries up, turning into a dark or brown “stump”. Already on the 10th day, it should completely disappear. The formed navel of the newborn is still reddish, however, it should not look like an open wound, abscess or show signs of infection.
The navel of a newborn: THE FIRST MONTHS OF LIFE
The "button" heals slowly. Do not worry, you should not expect cardinal changes before 2-4 weeks. By about the second month of life, the wound will heal, in rare cases it happens later.
Belly button care rules:
- the matter, as they say, is master's, we already wrote about this in one of the previous publications. Water procedures are allowed already for 2-3 days. At the same time, it is enough to gently wipe the umbilical region with a clean and damp cloth.
Try not to touch the wound again until the navel has healed. Be patient. " General cleaning»in this place it is better to carry out after the skin is completely healed. Then rinse each crease, just do it, please, very carefully.
No need to tear or tuck the crusts. The cut section of the umbilical cord will dry out and fall off on its own. Otherwise, you risk provoking bleeding, and this is always the risk of infection.
Stay clean. Use diapers for newborns. They have a special recess that will provide the necessary air access and protect against unwanted irritations. The same applies to clothing. Choose cropped t-shirts and tank tops.
Any hygiene products for baby care should be agreed with your family pediatrician.
My baby is the center of the universe
What a newly-made mother sees in her crumbs in the navel area in the first days after the end of childbirth, in reality, still bears little resemblance to an ordinary, ordinary, human navel.
At the end of the circumcision of the umbilical cord, the doctor who took the baby leaves him with a small umbilical cord - almost a couple of centimeters long. After 4-10 days, this tail, having dried, will fall off on its own. And God forbid you try to get rid of it by any auxiliary means! Do not injure your own child with your own hands.
In fact, the still unhealed umbilical wound itself is what fundamental difference, which distinguishes newborn children from the general mass of infants. In medical science, the term newborn is commonly understood as a child in the first 28 days of his life. That is how much is normally required for the baby's navel to heal completely.
After the umbilical cord falls off, the wound still needs to be systematically taken care of, in particular: treat it with disinfectants, do not wet it with water (bathing a newborn baby is fundamentally different from bathing an older baby), once again do not touch it with your hands and try not to injure clothing or disposable diapers. In most cases, on average, the umbilical wound of a newborn completely heals in 20-30 days.
The umbilical "tail" in most cases disappears on its own approximately 4-5 days after the birth of the child.
Means for processing umbilical wound newborn
Even before childbirth, collecting a first-aid kit for a newborn, it is worth stocking up on funds for future care of the umbilical wound. They will be useful to the mother from the very beginning of the birth of the baby. A set of drugs is simple, unsophisticated and affordable:
Solution brilliant green (brilliant green)
Some modern pediatricians recommend using other, analog, antiseptics instead of brilliant green (which ones, specifically, the pediatrician will advise). The reason is that brilliant green stains the skin very strongly, and if the navel suddenly begins to fester or bleed, the mother may simply not notice these negative signs under the dark green paint layer.
Nowhere in the world, except on the territory of the former USSR, brilliant green is not used as a healing agent when treating the umbilical wound of a newborn. Moreover, by and large, few foreign doctors are aware of the existence of a drug like brilliant green.
Processing procedure: instruction
The umbilical wound of the newborn should be treated every day, preferably at the end of the evening bath.
A few words about swimming: Because the still unhealed navel of a baby is essentially a wound, then bathing a child in plain tap water (albeit with a succession) is forbidden for anything. But this does not mean that the baby does not lack hygiene. Your parents have little choice in this situation: either you use special wet baby wipes (not for long, but exactly until the umbilical wound heals and dries completely), or you bathe your baby in boiled and filtered water. to be guided to understand that not only bacteria, which can be in plain water, are terrible for the umbilical wound, but also the chemistry that is present in it, for example, bleach.
So, sequence of actions when treating the umbilical wound of a newborn is:
The baby should be undressed or swaddled, remove (or lower) the diaper.
After that, wipe the skin with wet wipes (instead of bathing), but at the same time without touching the navel area. Or, gently bathe the baby in a small tub of boiled water.
When using a towel, do not rub your baby's skin with it - just dip it as gently as possible until it dries completely.
Drop 2-3 drops of hydrogen peroxide directly into the umbilical wound. While peroxide hisses on the skin during the procedure, it means that the wound still sometimes bleeds (despite the fact that you have the opportunity not to notice traces of blood visually). And accordingly, this means that you need to apply peroxide the next day. But at the time when you see that the peroxide no longer foams during processing, this will serve as a sign for you that next time it may no longer be used.
Wait a few minutes. (while peroxide is in effect), then blot the navel with a cotton pad (in order to dry it a little).
Take a pipette, pick up a little brilliant green, and drip 1-2 drops directly into the baby's umbilical wound. Wait a little - and maybe dress the baby. If instead of brilliant green you begin to use another antiseptic, the doctor will advise you on how to just apply it to the child's navel.
Do not tease fate - refrain from the desire to pick at the baby's umbilical wound with cotton swabs in order to scrape off and remove dried crusts from it. They will do great on their own without your help! The less you mechanically touch the umbilical wound, the faster and better it will heal.
What can go wrong during the treatment of the umbilical wound of a newborn
Normally, the umbilical wound heals within two, maximum three, weeks. She can bleed for a maximum of 8 days. If on the 10th day you see blood, it is imperative to tell the pediatrician about it. The same must be done if the wound has not completely healed a month after the end of childbirth.
Consequences of improper treatment of the umbilical wound:
It is not uncommon for babies to have a so-called umbilical hernia during the treatment of an umbilical wound. It is clearly visible especially in those minutes, at a time when the baby is crying and screaming - the tummy tenses up, and a dense mound appears in the navel area. This situation is not terrible and does not require urgent medical intervention - in most cases, umbilical hernias in babies go away on their own.
There are situations when the baby's umbilical wound becomes inflamed. This process is accompanied by reddening of the skin near the navel and a slight swelling. Pus may ooze from the wound itself. Such a negative development of events is called omphalitis. As soon as you see the symptoms listed above - the baby should be urgently shown to the pediatrician. He will prescribe a new scenario for the treatment of an inflamed umbilical wound (much more often with the participation of furacilin solution). In extreme cases, antibiotics are used.
In very rare and severe cases, omphalitis can turn into peritonitis (inflammation of the abdominal wall). But, state of the art domestic medicine is such that, with a timely visit to the doctor and adequate treatment of omphalitis, it simply does not happen.
So, if you saw that the skin around the infant's navel turned red and / or swollen, pus began to appear from the wound, and if the navel continues to get wet or light blue, moreover, 3 weeks after the baby is born, go immediately to medical professionals.
Warning for Overzealous Moms
Inadequate treatment of the umbilical wound in a newborn may consist not only in the fact that you do not finish something (treat less than once a day, do not clean the skin before treatment, delve into the wound with cotton swabs, etc.), but at the same time and in an overly persistent attitude towards this process. Remember - forbidden :
Treat the wound daily (one is enough!);
Use more than two agents when processing (peroxide and brilliant green - a perfect antiseptic company that does not lack employees). Remember that the drugs themselves can enter into unwanted chemical reactions with each other.
Seal the umbilical wound with a band-aid, supposedly after that, so that dirt or bacteria do not get into it. In fact, a prerequisite for speedy healing is air access to the wound, it must dry out. And under the patch is unrealistic in principle.
Glue the patch to the skin at the bottom of the navel, supposedly after that, in order to easily turn the navel out. Seems like it dries out faster. Don't bully the little one! Firstly, such an unusual technique will in no way accelerate the healing of the umbilical wound. Secondly, you have the opportunity to infect during the procedure itself. And finally, tearing off the most affectionate patch, you still unwittingly hurt the baby and injure the skin.
How to dress and how to lay a newborn whose umbilical wound has not yet healed
Clothing. There are no special warnings in terms of clothing - all children's clothing is made, in most cases, from natural fabrics. Based on this, in addition, the baby packed in five clothes will receive its portion of air, which is necessary for the healing of the umbilical wound. The only thing - make sure that the elastic band from the panties (if you, by and large, put them on the crumbs) does not touch the navel area.
Diapers. Nowadays, many diaper manufacturers offer their customers special models for newborns - some have a low waist, while others have a special recess in the navel area. But besides that, the simplest diaper, in principle, does not threaten an unhealed umbilical wound in any way, provided that you do not fasten it too well.
Sleep on the stomach. Many parents are concerned about whether it is possible to lay the newborn on the belly if the umbilical wound is still wet and has not healed. Maybe. In addition, in such a position, the air space easily gets to the skin, drying the navel. But however, sleeping on the stomach for babies under one year old (and also for newborns) is not desirable in itself - it can create the conditions for the origin of a terrible and so far obscure syndrome unexpected death babies in their sleep.
After a few weeks, the wound should be completely healed. If you are in doubt whether the desired effect has been achieved, consult your pediatrician. He will instantly advise whether it is still worth continuing the daily treatment of the umbilical wound, or whether your baby has already successfully outgrown the status of a newborn.
It's no secret that pregnancy changes a woman very, very much. And first of all - in the physiological aspect. A new life, growing every day in the womb of a future mother, makes its own “edits” in the appearance of a pregnant woman. In appearance, this is primarily displayed on a gradually growing belly. In this regard, many questions in women in position are related to the behavior of the navel during pregnancy.
Many women note that in the second half of pregnancy (by the 25th week, for some, even earlier), the navel may begin to bulge, turning into a “button”. Doctors reassure: during pregnancy, especially in slender women or with a large belly, an expansion of the umbilical ring can indeed be observed. There is nothing wrong with this, this is the normal behavior of the navel during pregnancy. As a rule, after childbirth, the navel acquires its initial shape. It does not become convex for everyone. But the depth can still decrease - closer to 7-8 months.
Some women may complain during pregnancy. This state of affairs may primarily be associated with an increase in the abdomen during the bearing of the baby. So, the skin around the navel is stretched due to the growth of the abdomen, and this can cause certain pain in the umbilical region. Also, the cause of pain in the navel of a brie pregnancy can be weakness of the abdominal muscles. And this, as the gestational age increases, can provoke the appearance of an umbilical hernia. In such a situation, it is recommended to use a cream for stretch marks, wear a special one (starting after the 20th week of pregnancy), avoid it, and also consult a surgeon.
Also, pain in the navel during pregnancy can be provoked by an intestinal infection or acute. But such diseases are accompanied by severe pain in the navel, and the presence of an intestinal infection is also accompanied by nausea, vomiting, and sometimes a significant increase in body temperature. In any case, if the pain in the navel during pregnancy is constant, you should seek the advice of a doctor.
A separate topic regarding the navel during pregnancy is the presence of a piercing in it or the desire to get it. Many women, whose navel was already pierced before pregnancy, do not remove the earring until some point when carrying a baby. This question is debatable: someone advises to remove the earring in order to avoid stretch marks, someone wears it for a while, and then takes it out. Women talk about different cases: about ruptures of the navel from piercing during pregnancy, and about unnecessary ones, which then cannot be dealt with. Someone manages to avoid all these unpleasant situations, and even after giving birth, return the earring to the navel again. All this is due to the individual characteristics of a woman's skin. But doctors, nevertheless, recommend removing the earring from the navel during pregnancy. But piercing the navel for women in the position of a doctor is categorically not recommended. The skin in the navel after the puncture heals for a very long time, sometimes up to four months. If something goes wrong, the wound may begin to rot. Medicines are undesirable for pregnant women. We have already mentioned that a puncture in the navel sometimes heals for several months. During this time, the shape and size of the belly of a pregnant woman will constantly change, respectively, you can earn cardinal changes appearance of the umbilicus. If the piercing, made during the bearing of the baby, does not have time to overgrow during the first trimester, it will cause pain until the end of pregnancy and for some time after it. And by the 9th month, a woman who pierces her navel during pregnancy runs the risk of experiencing inflammation or rupture.
Specially for- Tatyana Argamakova
Umbilical hernia in children- this is an expansion of the umbilical ring, through which the contents of the abdominal cavity (peritoneum, omentum, intestinal loops) can protrude. Most often, umbilical hernia occurs in girls.
Causes of an umbilical hernia
An umbilical hernia in infants occurs quite often due to weakness of the muscles of the anterior abdominal wall, slowing down the synthesis of collagen fibers of the connective tissue of the umbilical ring during prematurity, malnutrition, and any diseases that contribute to this, for example, with (predisposing factors for umbilical hernia). Also, an increase in intra-abdominal pressure during screaming, crying, bloating with flatulence, constipation, coughing (producing factors of umbilical hernia) also contributes to the appearance of an umbilical hernia.
An imbalance between these factors leads to an umbilical hernia.
To better understand the mechanisms of formation of an umbilical hernia, let us briefly consider the anatomy of the umbilical ring.
Clinical anatomy and hernias of the anterior abdominal wall (umbilical hernia)
The umbilical ring (lat. Anulus umbilicalis) is an opening in the white line of the abdomen, formed by the fusion of the aponeuroses of the rectus abdominis muscles. During prenatal development one vein passes through the navel (in the figure under the number 1), the urachus goes down (urachus - the urinary duct that goes from the navel to the top of the bladder), two umbilical arteries and the umbilical-intestinal duct (number 3). After birth, all these formations are tightened with connective tissue, which closes the opening of the umbilical ring. The umbilical vein becomes the round ligament of the liver. The position of Richet's umbilical fascia (5), which covers the umbilical ring, may vary. It covers the entire umbilical ring (A) or only half (B and C).
There is no subcutaneous and preperitoneal tissue in the umbilical region. The composition of the layers of the navel includes only skin, connective (scar) tissue, transverse fascia and parietal (parietal) peritoneum, lining the inner surface of the anterior abdominal wall. All these layers of the navel are firmly fused together (medical students and surgeons are well aware of what the layered anatomy of tissues is, but it also does not hurt mothers to know this in order to better understand what an umbilical hernia is). There are no muscles, fiber in the navel area. The navel is the “weak spot” of the anterior wall of the abdomen, which is why a hernia occurs so often here.
Treatment of umbilical hernia
While the child is small, all activities are aimed at:
- Prevention of increased intra-abdominal pressure.
- Non-surgical (conservative) methods of treatment of umbilical hernia.
A newborn baby rarely has intestinal colic. They appear more often at the age of one month, when intra-abdominal pressure increases. In one and a half - two months from the birth of a child (sometimes later), the navel can “turn out”, “get out”, in the colloquial language this action is called differently. An umbilical hernia may resemble appearance and the feel of a balloon, and it easily tucks back into abdominal cavity(the exception is hernias with narrow hernial orifices). The sizes of umbilical hernia are from a pea to a pear. The hernial protrusion does not bother the child. An umbilical hernia is rarely strangulated, but if it does, the condition isaccompanied by a sharp incessant cry of the child, symptoms of intestinal obstruction (lack of stool and gases, cramping abdominal pain, vomiting and other symptoms of high intestinal obstruction), the hernia may change in color (blacken). This condition requires urgent surgical intervention.
An umbilical hernia in an infant can be detected even before the appearance of a protrusion. If a index finger(no long nails, so as not to injure the navel) touch the healed navel, you can find the expansion of the umbilical ring.
What helps get rid of an umbilical hernia
Proper nutrition of a nursing mother, at least 20 minutes every day, massage the baby’s abdomen clockwise, followed by slight vibration in the navel (to stimulate nerve endings, so the umbilical ring contracts faster), laying the baby out before each feeding on the stomach, applying adhesive plaster: regular, using the cross-cross method, or a special plaster Porofix (POROFIX).
How to properly apply an adhesive plaster for an umbilical hernia
This is done in four hands. With a light movement of your finger, “drown” the navel, make a longitudinal fold from the skin, connecting its edges. The assistant sticks a plaster on the child's skin so that the fold does not part.
How long is the adhesive plaster applied?
Adhesive plaster with umbilical hernia is glued for a month. You can bathe the child with him. It is not necessary to tear off the adhesive plaster every day, this will lead to the formation of irritation on the skin. The adhesive plaster should be wide (3-4 cm wide), hypoallergenic, with good adhesive properties. After a week, in order for the skin to rest, the position of the adhesive plaster can be changed, but the method of applying it remains the same. After the control examination, the surgeon decides on the abolition of adhesive bandages.
With these treatments, an umbilical hernia often goes unnoticed. But if the umbilical hernia has not disappeared before the age of five, its planned surgical treatment is indicated. Before the operation, the child will need to pass all the necessary tests at the clinic.
The operation for an umbilical hernia is simple, although it is performed under anesthesia (you cannot speak under general anesthesia, anesthesia is always general, this anesthesia is local). After the operation, any physical activity leading to an increase in intra-abdominal pressure is excluded for at least a month.
Is it possible to speak an umbilical hernia?
Of course, you can “talk” with a hernia. But this, first of all, has a calming effect on mommy. If she , child with breast milk receives stress hormones. If the mother is calm, then the child will be calm (in the absence of neurological and somatic diseases). And there will be fewer predisposing factors for the appearance of an umbilical hernia.
Grandmothers who “talk” an umbilical hernia, or, as they say, “rule the navel” - affect precisely the nerve endings in the umbilical ring, and psychological condition parents and the child, normalizing the electrical potential of their brain, which leads to the dominance of alpha rhythms in it, leading to the production of more beta-endorphins and enkephalins.
It is useless to “talk” with an inguinal hernia; after such conversations, children end up in intensive care with a strangulated inguinal hernia. With an inguinal hernia, the only method of treatment is surgical, no alternative methods of treatment will help.