To determine whether an infant’s umbilical hernia has healed spontaneously, you can go to the hospital for a complete examination or touch the location where the hernia usually occurs to see if there is a foreign body protruding when the infant is moving or crying.
Some umbilical hernias in infants will heal spontaneously around the age of 2. To determine whether an umbilical hernia has healed, you can go to the hospital for an ultrasound examination to see if the weak defect has healed, or have your doctor observe whether there is a foreign object protruding out of the usual place of origin when the intra-abdominal pressure is increased by crying or activity.
Most umbilical hernias heal on their own, and the umbilical ring will gradually shrink and close with age. Most umbilical hernias occur around the age of 1-2 years, and some babies may still heal on their own at the age of 3-4 years. Therefore, babies with umbilical hernias need to be examined regularly. If the hernia is still not healed after 2 years of age and the size of the umbilical ring has not changed, surgery can be considered.
If the umbilical hernia becomes incarcerated, perforated, or the skin breaks down during the observation process, emergency surgery is needed.