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FACTS:

• A hernia occurs when an organ (usually intestines) protrude through a weak point or tear in the thin muscle wall that holds the abdominal organs in place.
  
• It may become larger when the child coughs, bends, lifts or strains. In infants and small children it may only be seen when the child is crying.
  
• Umbilical Hernia is caused by the incomplete closure of the muscle surrounding the belly button at birth. It is a soft swelling that protrudes and may enlarge with crying or straining.
  
• An umbilical hernia usually will close on its own by age five years. It is painless and usually causes no problems
  
• In rare cases bowel or blood vessels may protrude, if this is suspected the child should be seen by a doctor.
  
• Inguinal Hernia is the weakness or an opening in the lower abdominal muscles and is felt as a soft bulge in the groin area. They are more common in boys than in girls.
  
• An inguinal hernia is more serious and can lead to bowel becoming trapped in the hernia and squeezed which leads to the loss of blood supply to the bowel and can be life threatening.
  

TREATMENT:

• Call the doctor right away if he child has a hernia and the contents cannot be pushed back into the abdomen using gentle pressure; the child develops nausea, vomiting, or a fever with the hernia; or the hernia becomes red, purple, dark, or discolored.
  
• Taping or strapping a hernia will not make it go away.
  
• Surgery is the only treatment for an inguinal hernia.