InnieOuttie

A few months ago when Jacob's Dr was examining him she thought she felt an Umbilical Hernia under his belly button. We took him to a pediatric surgeon and it was confirmed that he does have one. Here is some info about the condition:

An umbilical hernia occurs when part of the bowel or fatty tissue pokes through an area near the belly button (navel, umbilicus), pushing through a weak spot in the surrounding abdominal wall. Approximately 1 in every 10 infants is affected by an umbilical hernia - they are common in premature babies. Babies and children - in the majority of cases the hernia closes on its own by the age of 12 months. Sometimes the doctor may be able to push the lump back into the abdomen (it is important that only the doctor do this). Surgery may be ordered if: The hernia grows after the child is one or two years old, The bulge is still there by the age of four years, If the hernia blocks the intestines, If the hernia becomes trapped. The surgeon makes an incision at the base of the belly button and pushes either the fatty lump or bowel back into the abdomen. Muscle layers are stitched over the weak area in the abdomen wall, effectively strengthening it. Dissolvable stitches or a special glue are used to close the wound. Sometimes the surgeon will place a pressure dressing, which remains there for four to five days. An umbilical hernia operation usually takes about 20 or 30 minutes.

There is nothing to be concerned about and since there is no pain we can wait to have the surgery when we are prepared for it. He will need to have about 2 weeks of nothing too active. That will be hard for him for sure. Because Jacob has a non-group insurance plan and a high deductible we will have to pay all out of pocket. We are making sure that our taxes our correct and if so this will pay for the surgery. This, of course, comes right after we finished paying off Jacob's birth expenses. :)  We have been so blessed these 4 years with a very healthy boy who rarely needs extra care and attention from professionals.

Jacob asked me later why the Dr had said that he would go to sleep for his tummy. I explained that the Dr was going to fix a small hole under his skin and that he would be given medicine to help him sleep while the Dr did this. Jacob became distraught and I explained that he wouldn't have to go to the Dr for a while and he decided not to worry about it. I think it is good we have time to prepare him. Right now he refers to the surgery as the Dr fixing his innie/outtie. The hernia is not the reason Jacob has an innie/outtie (his was probably because his umbilical cord took a while to fall off) but it is a common symptom when children have umbilical hernias.