Umbilical HerniaSymptoms, Doctors, Treatments, Advances & More
Learn About Umbilical Hernia
An umbilical hernia is an outward bulge in the area around the belly button. It occurs when internal organs or the abdominal lining bulges through the muscles near the belly button.
In the womb, the umbilical cord is attached to the baby through an opening in the baby's abdomen. After birth, this opening normally closes. When this area doesn't close completely, it leaves a weak spot in the abdomen, which can lead to a hernia. Hernias may be seen after birth or later in life.
Umbilical hernias are common in infants. They occur slightly more often in African Americans. Most umbilical hernias are not related to disease. Some umbilical hernias are linked with rare conditions such as Down syndrome.
A hernia can vary in width from less than 1 centimeter (cm) to more than 5 cm (or about 1/2 inch (in) to 2 in).
There is a soft swelling over the belly button that often bulges when your baby sits up, cries, or strains. The bulge may be flat when your infant lies on their back and is quiet. Umbilical hernias are usually painless.
Most hernias in children heal on their own. Surgery to repair the hernia is needed only in the following cases:
- The hernia does not heal after your child is 3 or 4 years old.
- The intestine or other tissue bulges out and loses its blood supply (becomes strangulated). This is an emergency that needs surgery right away.
Texas Health Surgical Specialists
Robert Hagood is a General Surgeon in Dallas, Texas. Dr. Hagood is rated as a Distinguished provider by MediFind in the treatment of Umbilical Hernia. His top areas of expertise are Hernia, Gallbladder Disease, Umbilical Hernia, Hernia Surgery, and Small Bowel Resection.
Texas Health Surgical Specialists
Dr. Daniel Jordan serves the Willow Park community. He began his career as an emergency medical technician before working in emergency room patient care and later pursuing his medical degree. Dr. Jordan is rated as an Advanced provider by MediFind in the treatment of Umbilical Hernia. His top areas of expertise are Gallbladder Disease, Hernia, Gallstones, Choledocholithiasis, and Hernia Surgery.
Proliance Surgeons
Helen Kim, MD, is certified by the American College of Surgeons. She has a special interest in breast surgery, robotic surgery, and minimally invasive surgery. She is a trained and certified console surgeon on da Vinci® Single-Site™, the da Vinci® Surgical System, and EndoWrist®. She practices abdominal wall hernia repair and open, laparoscopic, and robot-assisted techniques for complex and recurrent hernias. She also performs gastrointestinal surgery, laparoscopic and open colectomy, cholecystectomy, appendectomy, anti-reflux surgery, and laparoscopic intra-abdominal scar release surgery.Dr. Kim treats high risk, benign, and malignant breast conditions through initial evaluation of high breast cancer risk patients, management and treatment of breast pain, nipple discharge, breast masses and image-detected lesions, as well as surgical management of breast cancer, which includes breast-conserving lumpectomy, skin-sparing and nipple-sparing mastectomy, and sentinel lymph node biopsy. She also coordinates breast reconstruction at the time of mastectomy.During her sabbatical year in 2010, she performed surgeries at Kijabe, Kenya as a short-term medical missionary for one month, travelled to France and Italy, and took oil-painting classes. In and out of the operating room, Dr. Kim places emphasis on meticulous surgical techniques and offers the most advanced minimally invasive approaches wherever applicable, while caring for the patient as a whole in the context of their other medical conditions. Dr. Kim is rated as an Advanced provider by MediFind in the treatment of Umbilical Hernia. Her top areas of expertise are Hernia, Umbilical Hernia, Pilonidal Sinus Disease, Gallbladder Disease, and Hernia Surgery.
Most umbilical hernias get better without treatment by the time the child is 3 to 4 years old. If surgery is needed, it is usually successful.
Strangulation of the intestines can occur. This complication is rare but serious and needs surgery right away.
Contact your child's provider or go to the emergency room if:
- Your baby is very fussy
- Your baby seems to have bad abdominal pain
- The hernia becomes tender, swollen, or discolored
There is no known way to prevent an umbilical hernia. Taping or strapping an umbilical hernia will not make it go away.
Summary: This observational study aims to compare the postoperative analgesic effectiveness of ultrasound-guided transversus abdominis plane (TAP) block and single-dose epidural anesthesia in patients undergoing umbilical hernia surgery. Pain intensity will be assessed using the Visual Analog Scale (VAS) at predefined postoperative time points. The study seeks to determine which analgesic approach provides...
Summary: This study aims to evaluate the efficacy of ultrasound-guided external oblique and rectus abdominis plane block on the neuroendocrine stress response and postoperative analgesia in adults undergoing umbilical hernia repair.
Published Date: July 01, 2025
Published By: Charles I. Schwartz, MD, FAAP, Clinical Assistant Professor of Pediatrics, Perelman School of Medicine at the University of Pennsylvania, General Pediatrician at PennCare for Kids, Phoenixville, PA. Also reviewed by David C. Dugdale, MD, Medical Director, Brenda Conaway, Editorial Director, and the A.D.A.M. Editorial team.
Eichenwald EC. The umbilicus. In: Kliegman RM, St. Geme JW, Blum NJ, et al, eds. Nelson Textbook of Pediatrics. 22nd ed. Philadelphia, PA: Elsevier; 2025:chap 144.
Jeyarajah DR, Dunbar KB. Abdominal hernias and gastric volvulus. In: Feldman M, Friedman LS, Brandt LJ, eds. Sleisenger and Fordtran's Gastrointestinal and Liver Disease. 11th ed. Philadelphia, PA: Elsevier; 2021:chap 27.
Sujka JA, Holcomb GW. Umbilical and other abdominal wall hernias. In: Holcomb GW, Murphy JP, St. Peter SD, eds. Holcomb and Ashcraft's Pediatric Surgery. 7th ed. Philadelphia, PA: Elsevier; 2020:chap 49.