[nayjay]

Thanks you all again for the replies. Going by responses it does seem that they take a while to resolve.

Hers got so big it was a big as a golf ball and would squish and gurgle when you touched it. Gross.

Oh wow! How long did it take to get that big? His also makes the squishy sounds. The Dr told me it was his intestines sticking through .

[mummabear]

Hello!

My eldest prem, an ex 33 weeker had a hernia, it was also very large (golf ball also) and he had it repaired at 4yo. Back then the surgeon recommended waiting that long! My 34 weeker also had one, but it was only tiny and resolved by twelve months.

(My 28 weeker had inguinal hernias, they operated at ten weeks) Have to include that just because it is so ironic that all of my kids had them!

[CAMum]

My 29 weeker has an umbilical hernia. He is now 16 months and he has definitely gotten smaller. It poked out about 1 inch to start with. It's now about 1cm and we were told they normally go away by the time there 2. One doctor who is a friend said he wouldn't worry anout it until he's 5. Basically it doesn't hurt them and other than aesthetics it's not an issue.

[orangepeanut]

My DD had one, she was a 37 weeker. It was huge! def the size of a golf ball and it also made noises :-)

Our Dr said they wouldnt repair it until she was 4, but it self repaired at around 2-2.5

This was 12 yeasr ago now. Maybe they fix them earlier these days?

[klr70]

My DS wasn't early (born at 38+3) & didn't develop an umbilical hernia until he was a few weeks old. It was very disconcerting for a first time Mum! I took a guess at what it was & read up on it ("Baby Love" by Robin Barker - great book!).

I also got the paed to look at it at DS's 6 week check. As PPs have stated, the paed said they were "quite common, nothing to worry about, no need to do anything, would most likely resolve itself, we only operate if it's still there by 12mths old". Very reassuring.

But the BEST point the paed made was "it will get worse before it gets better". I'm so glad he told me that, as it got MUCH worse - i.e. went from large grape size to almost golf ball sized!!! It didn't take too long to resolve itself, though - was around 3.5mths (I think) - definitely no longer a problem by the time DS's 4mth vaccinations were due. As per PPs, though, it can take up to 12mths & beyond to "fix itself" & in some circumstances, may require an operation.

Now, at 6mths, DS has a very cute "innie" belly button , but the skin is still a little discoloured (like a bruise that's healing).

[Jemstar]

Two of my (full term) kids had umbilical hernias. DS1's resolved itself at about 11 months-ish I think. DS2's continued to get worse until it was *huge* (somwhere between a golf ball and tennis ball in size) - it was surgically repaired at about 21 months, and looks entirely normal now.

[chrisl]

Hi there. My daughter has had one since birth. She was born at 38 weeks but it has always been quite large, I'd say the size of a large grape. They often close over but hers never has. She will have surgery towards the end of the year to have it fixed (she is nearly 5 years old, so we'll get it done before she starts school). So, as far as I understand it, they often don't do surgery until kids are close to school age. The surgery is not complicated (day procedure) but they like to wait til they are older as the older they are, the more they understand and cope with it. Apparently not too painful, should be okay with panadol. No doubt she'll be somewhat tender but will get through it. I don't know if it's a procedure that necessarily has to be done in boys. They definitely do it in girls because it causes problems down the line when it comes to being pregnant themselves but the main reason to fix it in children, is cosmetic. I don't think having the hernia actually hurts them as such. Hope this is helpful. I wouldn't worry too much about it.

[a4anna]

MY 37weeker DS has an umbilical hernia. It is only small and the Dr said they normally self repair by the age of 4.

[Mamabear2010]

My ds (full term at 40 weeks) is 20 months and I noticed he had an umbilical hernia about 6 months ago. The dr said if it's still there when he's two, she'll refer him to a specialist but they generally won't operate until later (4?). She said most heal over and it is extremely rare for it to become a problem like an adult hernia. She said to watch for any pain in the area but it was likely to be perfectly fine.

[Leeloomina]

27 weeker DS had it the size of a grape too. Was told in NICU it's very common among preemies. It did go down eventually. He is 15 months now and it now looks like a little raisin stuck in his belly button.