Hernias in newborns are perhaps the most common childhood illness. And that is why parents need to know about the symptoms of this childhood illness, as well as how it is treated and prevented.
The most common types of hernia in newborn boys and girls are inguinal and umbilical. These pathologies may appear slightly and be completely painless for the child, however this does not mean that it is not necessary to treat this disease. Hernias in children require modern and high-quality methods of treatment and prevention. The main advice in this ailment will be a timely appeal to a specialist and the absence of self-medication.
Types of hernia in infants
Umbilical hernias in newborns are round or oval protrusions around the navel. These formations are soft and easily set inward, and hernias can produce characteristic gurgling sounds.
The navel is formed in the first month of a person's life, and at the site of the umbilical ring, the skin contracts and heals. In cases where the umbilical ring does not tighten to the end, in this place under the skin can get elements of the internal organs that are in the abdominal cavity. It is this phenomenon that is commonly called hernia in newborns.
Dimensions
If we talk about the size of such pathological formations, then the umbilical hernia in a baby can be different. The volume of a hernia can vary from the size of a pea to the size of a large plum.
Inguinal hernias in newborns are formed when fragments of internal organs fall into the area of the inguinal canal, most often such fragments are intestinal loops, and in girls also fallopian tubes and ovaries.
Symptoms of umbilical hernia in infants
The symptomatology of this disease is clear and pronounced, therefore, each parent can independently determine the presence of this pathology in his child. The navel with a hernia can protrude strongly outward, especially at times when the baby is crying and screaming. Symptoms of hernia in newborns are important to identify in a timely manner. Over time, such a protrusion of the navel becomes more pronounced, and the baby’s stomach looks slightly enlarged. In order to avoid the development of possible complications of such a violation, you should carefully monitor the symptoms.
The reason for the development of umbilical hernia in newborns (pictured) is experts consider hereditary factors. And if their parents were diagnosed with umbilical hernia in childhood, then there is a very high probability that posterity will also have a similar pathology.
Definition of inguinal hernia
This type of hernia in newborns is more difficult to detect than umbilical, because it does not cause any painful manifestations, and parents may not notice it until the formation increases to a certain size. Symptoms of this type of pathology are similar to that observed with the development of umbilical hernias. These symptoms include:
- Slight swelling in the pelvic area.
- The hernia can easily be set inward.
- With crying and straining, the formation increases in size.
The main danger is infringement. This complication involves squeezing certain fragments of the abdominal organs that fall into the hernial sac, as a result of which the blood circulation is impaired, and the blood hardly enters these organs. The characteristic signs of such pathological situations are acute pain, as well as non-guided protrusion of the hernial sac.
Treatment
The good news for all parents should be that this kind of umbilical hernia in newborns (pictured) is cured independently. Over time, the child grows, begins to move, which helps to strengthen the muscles of the abdominal wall. The umbilical ring gradually shrinks, narrows and the hernia, thus, can close itself, without the intervention of surgeons. However, there is a small percentage of cases when treatment should be carried out under the close supervision of specialists.
Effective in this case, a bandage for umbilical hernia for newborns.
Treatment of another type of hernia - inguinal, is treated exclusively by surgical methods. This is usually done at the age of about 6-12 months. But the operation in this case should not be postponed, and if this is possible, then only in cases where the risk of infringement of the internal organs of the peritoneum in the child is absolutely absent.
In order not to require hernia treatment in newborns, it is important to take preventive measures in advance.
Prevention
Everyone knows that any disease is best prevented or cured at an early stage of occurrence, so it is very important to consider the features of preventive methods. The best prevention of such diseases is to ensure proper care for the baby.
One way to prevent the development of hernias is preventive massage. It should be carried out by an experienced massage therapist, however, it is best to use the services of this specialist after consulting a pediatrician. You can also carry out this procedure yourself, however, you need to do this extremely carefully, having previously familiarized yourself with certain rules of massage procedures for newborn children. It is very important that the child likes this procedure, otherwise during the massage he will be nervous and screaming, and this represents a risk of umbilical hernia in newborns or inguinal.
Another method for the prevention of such pathologies is physical therapy, which is a complex of special exercises aimed at strengthening the muscles of the abdominal wall.
Exercises for the treatment and prevention of hernia
In order to strengthen the abdominal muscles in a newborn baby, there are a few simple exercises.
- Take the child by the arm and leg and help him roll over on his side. Such overturns should be carried out alternately on both sides.
- Take the child by both hands, spread them on the sides and raise the child up, forcing to raise the head and upper body.
- Exercise with the ball. Holding the baby by the shoulders, you need to put it on a rubber ball, and roll it on it first on the stomach, then on the back.
Such strengthening exercises will help in the prevention. At the first symptoms, a bandage for umbilical hernia for newborns can be purchased .
Other preventative measures
Parents should carefully monitor their child’s diet. This is very important so that the baby does not have bloating and excessive gas formation in the intestines, as well as constipation and colic, since such situations provoke tension of the abdominal muscles in the child and contribute to their stretching, which leads to the formation of umbilical hernias.
What is the danger of an umbilical hernia?
A hernia is the exit of the internal organs of a newborn through the so-called "hernial gates", which can form naturally or through an artificial opening in the somatic cavity. In the case of umbilical hernias, such “gates” are holes in the healed connective tissues, which during intrauterine development were part of the umbilical cord.
Visual hernias, especially inguinal hernia in newborns, are not always noticeable, and in some cases their presence can only be determined by a specialist - a pediatric surgeon. Pathology can be detected by palpation, as well as with tension, when the baby coughs, pushes or cries. Even if a hernia is detected, you should not be subjected to panic, since the child does not always experience pain. Even if the child is tearful, this does not mean that this particular pathology bothers him.
A navel protrusion can also be caused by constipation in a child, which can cause anxiety and abdominal pain.
Umbilical hernia in infants is a very common occurrence, which is not worth worrying about. Most often, these pathologies are found in girls and premature babies. Education is cured on its own, however, it is necessary to observe a child with a specialist.
Effects
If such a pathology in a child does not cause anxiety and passes over time, it does not make sense to worry, since no negative consequences can arise after that. Nevertheless, any protrusion of this kind has a small likelihood of developing some complications, which include infringement of internal organs, inflammation or accidental damage, disruption of the intestines, up to intestinal obstruction and stagnation of feces. In this case, the protrusion becomes the most noticeable visually, and the child begins to behave extremely restlessly. He may experience nausea, vomiting, general intoxication of the body.
Pathological education cannot be repaired by traditional methods and then there is only one way out of the situation - surgical treatment of hernia. Sometimes doctors prescribe a bandage, but this method of treatment is not the most effective.
At home, the treatment of umbilical hernia in newborns consists in some simple rules for organizing a lifestyle, for example, you need to put the child on the tummy more often, perform gymnastics and massages.
Surgical treatment
An operation of a similar nature with a hernia in newborns (photo presented) is called "hernoplastic", and can be performed by several methods. The tactics of the operation depends on how large the size of the protrusion and many other factors.
The uncomplicated surgical procedure lasts approximately 30-50 minutes. In older children, it can be done under local anesthesia, and in infants the procedure is performed using general anesthesia.
Surgical Tactics
In the first cases, specialists slightly dissect the skin in the navel. Through the resulting hole, the internal organs, which are a component of the hernial formation, are set in place - inside the abdominal cavity.
The hernia sac itself, which consists of connective tissue, is cut off by specialists, while suturing its gates. After all the above manipulations, sutures are placed on the dissection sites, and the surgical procedure is considered completed. In order to avoid the occurrence of bleeding and the formation of hematomas, the doctor puts a cotton ball in the navel recess, and a sterile gauze dressing is glued on top.
Hernioplasty for umbilical hernia in newborns is the most common surgical method used in pediatric surgery, so the technique for this operation is well established. Before the operation, the child should not be fed in the evening, and you should not give him a drink for two hours before the surgery. After applying general anesthesia, children may experience slight dizziness, drowsiness, sometimes even nausea, however, these symptoms are not pathological and are considered normal in the postoperative period.
After a few hours, the child can already eat and move freely. A baby is discharged from the hospital sometimes even the day after the operation, if the child feels satisfactory and his health does not cause any fears among doctors. A week after the surgical resolution of the pathology, you can remove the bandage and return to your normal lifestyle.
We examined how umbilical hernia is treated in newborns.