Babies Health & Safety Umbilical Hernia Treatment and Repair By Vincent Iannelli, MD facebook Vincent Iannelli, MD, is a board-certified pediatrician and fellow of the American Academy of Pediatrics. Dr. Iannelli has cared for children for more than 20 years. Learn about our editorial process Vincent Iannelli, MD Medically reviewed by a board-certified physician Updated on February 03, 2020 Print RUTH JENKINSON / Getty Images When most parents think of a hernia, they think of sports, pain, and the need for quick surgery. That is because hernias often affect young male athletes. Almost all hernias of this sort, known as inguinal hernias, need surgical repair. They are often surprised that babies can get hernias, too, although they affect a different body part—the belly button. These are known as umbilical hernias. What Is an Umbilical Hernia? An umbilical hernia occurs when the umbilical ring (belly button) doesn't close properly. Although this defect occurs before a baby is born, usually for unknown reasons, parents often don't begin to notice an umbilical hernia until their baby is a few weeks old. Once it starts, it is hard to miss though, since the baby's belly button bulges outward. When trying to identify an umbilical hernia, you are most likely to see a bulge when your baby is straining, coughing, or crying, but it is sometimes pretty obvious when the baby is just lying quietly. Keep in mind that straining or crying, like from constipation, doesn't cause a hernia. Symptoms Unlike other types of hernias, an umbilical hernia is typically painless and the only real sign or symptom is that the baby's belly button will be swollen or "herniated" outward. In rare instances, an umbilical hernia can become strangulated. This will cause the hernia to become painful won't reduce or go in when you push on it. Babies with a strangulated umbilical hernia need emergency medical attention. Treatments Umbilical hernias typically don't need treatment. Many close or go away naturally by the time a baby is one or two years old, and almost all will resolve by a child's fourth or fifth year. A pediatric surgeon may need to repair the hernia in the following cases: The umbilical hernia is very big—larger than 2 cm on a 1- or 2-year-old child, for exampleThe hernia is getting biggerThe hernia has not gone away by the time a child is four or five years old. Your pediatrician will monitor your baby's umbilical hernia until it does go away. What to Know About Umbilical Hernias Although the cause is unknown, umbilical hernias are more common among Black babies and babies born with low birthweight. It is known that it is not helpful to try and keep the umbilical hernia reduced by strapping something across your baby's belly, which is a folk remedy. School-age children are more prone to complications from their umbilical hernia, so, among this age group, hernias should be repaired to prevent future problems, such as strangulation. In some cases, women who had unrepaired umbilical hernias may experience a recurrence or pain when they become pregnant as adults. How to Properly Treat the Umbilical Cord at Home Was this page helpful? Thanks for your feedback! Track your baby’s most exciting moments with our milestone checklist. Get it free when you sign up for our newsletter. Sign Up You're in! Thank you, {{form.email}}, for signing up. There was an error. Please try again. What are your concerns? Other Inaccurate Hard to Understand Submit Article Sources Verywell Family uses only high-quality sources, including peer-reviewed studies, to support the facts within our articles. Read our editorial process to learn more about how we fact-check and keep our content accurate, reliable, and trustworthy. Bruns NE, Glenn IC, Mcninch NL, Rosen MJ, Ponsky TA. Treatment of routine adolescent inguinal hernia vastly differs between pediatric surgeons and general surgeons. Surg Endosc. 2017;31(2):912-916. doi:10.1007/s00464-016-5054-z Troullioud Lucas AG, Jaafar S, Mendez MD. Pediatric Umbilical Hernia. Treasure Island, FL: StatPearls Publishing. Updated July 5, 2019. Fall I, Sanou A, Ngom G, Dieng M, Sankalé AA, Ndoye M. Strangulated umbilical hernias in children. Pediatr Surg Int. 2006;22(3):233-5. doi:10.1007/s00383-006-1634-7