When bathing or changing the baby’s diaper, or when the baby is moving or crying, mothers should look carefully to see if there is a small bulge in the baby’s groin that appears from time to time, and if so, it may be a hernia. How to detect a hernia? 1. A smooth, slightly elastic lump appears in the groin area on one or both sides of the baby. The lump will appear or increase in size when the baby cries, stands or uses strength, and disappear or shrink when it is quiet. Then, it is likely to be a hernia. This small lump is located unobstructed in the groin. If the baby is a boy, it may also be located at the beginning of the scrotum, inside the scrotum, in a pear shape. The mass is very soft and elastic in texture, as if it has a stalked tip attached to it leading into the abdominal cavity, and the border is not always clear. 2. The swelling will gradually shrink until it disappears completely when the baby is lying down. Female babies may also suffer from hernia. In most cases, babies with hernias have no abnormalities. In older babies, the scrotum may feel like it is dropping, but it is not painful. When you compare the two sides of the groin, the side with the hernia is relatively full. The scrotum on the same side of the hernia is also larger in male babies than on the opposite side. Inguinal hernia is a common congenital developmental abnormality, commonly known as “small bowel prolapse”. If the sphincter is not occluded but remains open or partially open due to abnormal development of the sphincter, the intestine or peritoneum and ascites may enter the groin through the gap and form an inguinal hernia. The incidence of inguinal hernia is high, ranging from 0.8% to 4.4%, with male babies accounting for the majority, with a male to female ratio of about 15:1. The onset site is more common on the right side, accounting for about 60%, the left side accounting for 25%, and the bilateral side accounting for 25%. What should parents do? When there is an abnormality in the baby’s groin, it is important to carefully observe whether the swelling changes with the baby’s activity and crying, whether there is redness and swelling, and whether the skin is intact. What are the treatment options? Theoretically, inguinal hernias have the potential to heal on their own until they are less than 6 months old, but it is not advisable to wait for them to heal on their own. Currently, surgery is considered the best treatment for inguinal hernia. Under the guidance of a doctor, a hernia belt is used to compress the groin, and very few children can heal on their own, while some parents will take injection therapy, but the failure of treatment will make surgery more difficult. How to care and avoid recurrence after surgery? After the surgery, the child’s scrotum or labia will be swollen, which is temporary and the edema will absorb on its own and subside. What are the possible complications? The action of external force can cause the intestines in the abdominal cavity to enter the hernia sac, which gradually increases and cannot be reset by itself, forming an incarcerated hernia. The child will cry, vomit, bloating, and the anus will stop venting and defecating, so parents should pay attention to this and take the child to the hospital for emergency treatment immediately.