The common pathology occurring in newborn infants is the umbilical hernia. Determine it very easily: in the area of the baby's navel there is a slight swelling of the abdominal wall. The size of the hernia can be from a pea to a quail egg.
Causes of the disease
Umbilical hernia in the infant:
The appearance of pathology in the infant is associated with a lack of connective tissue in the anterior abdominal wall area. As a result, the umbilical cord slowly fuses and eventually hollow space forms. Hernia is not found in all newborns. There are some factors that can provoke a disease:
- Heredity.
- Prematurity and low weight. In such children, connective tissue is less mature than in full-term and large infants.
- Digestive problems. Increased gas formation and constipation leads to the fact that the baby is often tuzhitsya. This increases intra-abdominal pressure.
- Frequent strong crying.
In older children:
Umbilical hernia occurs not only in newborns, but also in older children. The causes of the appearance of the pathology are:
- , an early adoption by a toddler of a vertical position, when the physical development of children is not due to age( for example, early started walking);
- strong agonizing cough;
- obesity and overweight;
- frequent and prolonged constipation, increased gas formation;
- hypotrophy, rickets.
Main signs and symptoms
Signs of a hernia are very characteristic:
- Rounded protrusion in the region of the navel with a diameter of 1-10 cm. The swelling can be easily inserted into the abdominal cavity.
- With a relaxed condition, the abdominal hernia may be invisible, but with tension it is clearly detectable.
Symptoms of umbilical hernia in children:
- frequent anxiety;
- hernia is painless, however, may worsen bloating;
- sensitivity to weather changes;
- if there is bloating, weakness, nausea and soreness at the same time - you should immediately seek medical help.
Diagnostic methods
Umbilical hernia in newborn boys and girls is determined by the district pediatrician on a routine examination by probing the navel area. Diagnosis is not difficult. However, in order to confirm the diagnosis, a child's surgeon will be examined by a pediatric surgeon, with whom the issue of hernia treatment is subsequently decided. To exclude another congenital abnormal disease of the abdominal cavity:
- ultrasound;
- X-ray of the duodenum.
How to treat umbilical hernia
Often, the umbilical hernia in a baby can easily be replaced without any surgery. With the right approach to getting rid of the disease, pathology disappears by the age of 5 and recovery occurs. Treatment of umbilical hernia without surgery is available in several ways, to adhere to which is regularly under the supervision of a district pediatrician or a pediatric surgeon.
Therapeutic physical training and massage
The conservative methods of treatment include therapeutic gymnastics and massage. Children's physicians developed a whole complex of exercises for exercise therapy, aimed at strengthening the muscles of the abdominal wall. You can start the exercises from the infant age:
- Turns from the back to the tummy, first help, pulling the handle, then encourage independent attempts at movements.
- Providing the baby legs with an emphasis in the parent's stomach, lifting the toddler at an angle of 45 °.
- Before feeding, spread the children to a hard surface, letting free jogging the limbs.
Older children can do gymnastics under the supervision of their mother, performing simple physical exercises. For example, slopes forward and sideways, twisting, squats, pull-ups on a horizontal bar. If the child is too active and does not control their movements, you can wear a special bandage or stick a sticking plaster on the navel area.
A good result is a massage of the abdomen area. It can be performed by both a medical professional and the mother of the child. Light stroking movements should alternate with a slight tingling around the navel area, to which the child should respond with a smile or a laugh. The direction of the massage can be circular, from top to bottom to the hypochondrium, the opposite. All movements should be done smoothly, without pressure. To begin medical massage it is possible right after a tightening of an umbilical wound.
Application of a special plaster
Umbilical hernia in children is effectively removed using a special plaster. It is sold in a pharmacy or a children's store. It is applied to the navel area with a wide strip and left for 10 days. When properly applied, the protrusion of the abdomen is refilled. If after the first time the umbilical hernia did not disappear, the course of treatment is repeated up to three times. The disadvantage of this method is that the patch causes irritation of the baby's delicate skin.
Folk remedies
For the treatment of umbilical hernia in children, parents often resort to traditional medicine. This method should be used in parallel with the traditional under the clear supervision of the pediatrician:
- Regular laying of the baby on the tummy for 10-15 minutes before feeding. The surface must be firm, even, wide.
- Daily application of gauze to the area of the baby's navel, moistened in brine sauerkraut, top with a small mug of fresh potato tuber.
- Bonding with a copper plaster coin five-kopecks. The duration of socks is 1-1.5 months. During water procedures remove.
- Applying to the navel area of a clay cake. It is made from 2 tbsp.l.red, diluted in a small amount of water, heated to 38 ° and applied. After drying, it is removed. The duration of the application is 3 weeks.
- Conspiracy of the umbilical hernia. This is a magical and delicate method of getting rid of the ailment, so to get the desired result you have to believe in it.
- Children older than one year are given tonic douches over the nadpupochnoy area. In 1 liter of cool water, dilute 1 tbsp.l.apple cider vinegar. The procedure is done in the morning and at night.
When is the operation performed
If the treatment methods did not give the results of recovery, then an operation is performed to remove the umbilical hernia. Surgical intervention is prescribed for 5 years of the baby. Sometimes the operation is prescribed at an earlier age if:
- hernia represents a danger to the life of the baby;
- protrusion protrudes more than 1.5 cm, and the child's age is more than 2 years;
- umbilical hernia appeared after six months;
- increased protrusion;
- the child feels psychological discomfort.
Possible complications and consequences of
In most cases, the umbilical hernia in children does not cause any consequences and passes with the age of the baby. Unfortunately, in rare cases, there are complications:
- Pressurization of the umbilical hernia( infringement).It manifests as nausea, vomiting, the presence of blood in the feces, increased gas production, increasing pain in the groin or scrotum. The defect is not reset when pressed.
- Inflammation of the internal organ in the hernial sac.
- Tearing of soft tissue over the hernial sac: the contents are stripped.
- Coprostasis is a disease of the organs of the gastrointestinal tract, manifested by congestion of the stool in the thick part of the intestine.