A protruding or bulging belly button in babies is a common condition and is usually not dangerous. The formation of the belly button begins when the umbilical cord falls off, and then gradually a bulging belly button appears in the baby. Sometimes a bulging belly button will be clearly visible in newborns. However, it may also only become noticeable after the age of one year.
A protruding belly button usually disappears on its own after the baby is 1-2 years old. However, sometimes this condition lasts longer. If the protruding belly button does not heal by the age of 5, the doctor will recommend surgery.
What is the condition of a baby's protruding navel?
A baby's protruding navel, medically known as umbilical hernia. An umbilical hernia is a condition that occurs when the intestines, fat, or fluid in the body push out through a gap or hole in the baby's abdominal muscles, causing a navel bulge.
Causes of a Baby's Protruding Belly Button
The main cause of a baby's protruding navel is the opening in the abdominal muscles through which the umbilical cord passes cannot close perfectly. As a result, it creates a small hole from the umbilical cord in the abdominal muscles. From this hole, part of the small intestine can protrude and form a lump in the navel.
Umbilical hernia is often experienced by premature babies or babies born with low birth weight. Meanwhile, umbilical hernia in adults is caused by an increase in abdominal pressure due to certain conditions. These include obesity, abdominal surgery scars, twin pregnancies, multiple pregnancies, chronic cough, undergoing peritoneal dialysis, and fluid accumulation in the abdominal cavity.
Symptoms of Baby's Protruding Navel
This condition of umbilical hernia has distinctive symptoms, moms and dads. The symptom of a protruding navel in infants is marked by the appearance of a lump in the navel area. This lump can also appear when the little one cries, coughs, laughs, or strains. Then, the lump will temporarily disappear when the child is lying down or calm.
Umbilical hernia in adults can cause abdominal pain. However, in children, the lump usually does not cause pain. In more severe cases of umbilical hernia, it can lead to intestinal obstruction. This can cause the child to experience pain, vomiting, and the lump to swell and change color.
Dangers of Protruding Baby Belly Button
Complications of a protruding navel can occur and are considered dangerous if the protruding intestine becomes trapped and cannot be pushed back into the abdominal cavity. This can reduce the blood supply to the intestine and cause pain and tissue damage. Worse, this condition can lead to infection and tissue death.
If this infection is not promptly and properly treated, it can spread throughout the abdominal cavity. Eventually, this condition becomes dangerous and life-threatening for the little one as it can lead to death, moms and dads.
Diagnosis and Risk Factors
The doctor will diagnose an umbilical hernia in the little one by observing and feeling the swollen lump in the navel area. Usually, this lump will enlarge when the baby cries and shrink when the baby lies down.
There are also several conditions that put babies at risk of having a protruding navel. These risk factors include premature birth, a family history of umbilical hernia and cystic fibrosis, reproductive system problems, and undescended testicles in male babies.
How to Overcome Protruding Navel in Babies
A protruding baby navel can be treated with surgery. This procedure is performed to push the protruding muscle back into its proper position and strengthen the child's abdominal muscles. The surgical procedure to eliminate a protruding navel in a child can only be performed when the child is 3-4 years old.
Actually, umbilical hernia does not affect the child's growth and development, so surgery to address a protruding navel is not very important. That's why the surgery can wait until the specified age limit. Umbilical hernia surgery is performed under certain conditions, including:
- A protruding navel in babies causes discomfort and pain.
- A prominent navel measuring more than 1.5 cm
- A protruding navel does not shrink for 1-2 years
- The protruding navel does not disappear until the little one is 3-4 years old.
A baby's protruding navel or umbilical hernia is a common condition that occurs in infants and is usually not dangerous. However, moms and dads should still monitor the health of the baby's navel. If the baby experiences an umbilical hernia, becomes fussy, and is accompanied by other symptoms, do not hesitate to have the baby's condition checked.
U-Shape Belly Button Feature by MAKUKU Provides Protection for Baby's Umbilical Cord
Caring for a newborn baby's umbilical cord can be quite tricky, moms. If the cleanliness of the baby's umbilical cord that hasn't fallen off is not well maintained, it can lead to several health issues, such as the umbilical cord bleeding due to friction with clothing or diapers.
Nah, untuk memberikan perawatan yang tepat selama tali pusat belum copot, moms dan dads sangat disarankan menggunakan popok yang dapat membantu memberikan perlindungan maksimal pada tali pusat bayi. Pilihlah popok yang memiliki fitur belly button u-shape seperti pada popok MAKUKU SAP Diapers.
All variants of MAKUKU SAP Diapers are equipped with a belly button u-shape feature on the NB size or specifically for newborns. The belly button u-shape is a U-shaped cut or curve on the front of the diaper. This ensures that the baby's umbilical cord does not rub against the diaper and that the baby's waste does not come into contact with the umbilical cord. Diapers that touch the baby's umbilical cord can become a medium for bacteria transfer from the baby's urine or waste. As a result, the baby's umbilical cord can become infected due to bacteria or germs. Let's reduce the risk of diaper rash with MAKUKU SAP Diapers! (Aq/MKK)
