How to correctly respond to the phrase:

"Your child has an umbilical hernia, an operation is urgently needed!"

First of all - CALM DOWN!

Indeed, an umbilical hernia is the most common hernia.

There is no such operation day that at least 1-2 children do not lie down on the table with this diagnosis.

Let's be objective. Since the release of the Order of the Ministry of Health of Ukraine No. 152 of 04.04.2005. the state has changed, in children under 1 year of age, the detection of umbilical hernias clearly tends to decrease. But while their frequency is high.

Our science does not want to understand the reason for this frequency for many, many years. Even surprising. In China, this is a rare occurrence, in Canada too, but we have a "blockage". I can't be categorical, but some researchers point out that the number of umbilical hernias is less in countries where the "home birth" system is developed (Canada, for example, where the vast majority of women are observed and give birth in private offices, a maximum of 1 block from home).

The global difference is only in the following:

1 - no prematurely stimulated labor (the umbilical cord is not ready for the end of the function, and has not yet lost the tone of the muscular membranes of the vessels, and therefore falls off with a delay and does not "stick together");

2 - no intersection of the umbilical cord until the end of its peristalsis (the "pulse" wave that has not stopped "pulls apart" the umbilical cord that begins to subside, preventing the walls from "sticking together").

We do not have this problem in our country, so we will discuss its consequences (already diagnosed) and what to do.

First, let's look through the eyes of American medicine:

- "Umbilical hernia does not pose a threat of loss of life, but may pose a threat of loss of quality of life."

It is difficult to give a precise definition. That is, there is no urgency in the treatment (with the exception of large hernias, where there is a risk of infringement of the intestine that goes into the hernial sac. A rare occurrence, usually consulted in the maternity hospital).

What is the threat to the quality of life?

When the omentum, which goes into the hole and is “clamped” by the umbilical ring, eventually grows to the walls of the hernial sac (usually after 7 years), it becomes impossible to identify the hernia, and the fixed omentum causes pain in the abdomen during exercise, running, jumping. Where do we go with stomach pain? To the gastroenterologist. And here something strange begins. The child is on examination - his stomach does not hurt, he was discharged home - again the same symptoms. And so on until the diagnosis of chronic ....

Constant lying in the hospital, incomprehensible pains in the abdomen, picking up the child from lessons, etc. Isn't it a loss of quality of life?

We add to this that Soviet medicine has statistically established: an umbilical hernia up to 3 years of age, without any treatment, has the ability to pass in 80% of cases, and up to 1 year the correct exercises in the navel (not to be confused with massage and exercises of the anterior abdominal wall, after which the hernia, as a rule, becomes larger) further increase this figure.

 Thus, we come to elementary conclusions:

1 - up to 3 years, surgical treatment of an umbilical hernia is impractical (otherwise, let's operate, until it has passed by itself).

2 - after 7 years, treatment often becomes belated, and the child "recovers" in full in gastoenterology.

3 - if there is an umbilical hernia at the age of 3, it should be operated on slowly, calmly, from 3 to 7 years old, and forgotten. Once and forever.

Moreover, the Dnipropetrovsk School of Pediatric Surgeons (whichever department of the city you apply to) performs this operation cosmetically, and you spend no more than 1 day in the hospital).