Umbilical
Granuloma
Occasionally,
the cord will not fall off on it’s own or baby will
have fleshy tissue, called an umbilical granuloma, remain
after the stump has fallen off. If the cord has not fallen
off on it’s own your doctor may treat it with a drying
medication called silver nitrate. He will take a stick with
silver nitrate on the tip and apply it around the cord to
encourage it to dry and fall off. This may take a few treatments
before it finally falls off. After the cord falls off, if
there is tissue remaining the tissue is called an umbilical
granuloma. A granuloma looks like a pink ball of tissue. Your
doctor may use silver nitrate to treat the granuloma if it
is small. If it is larger, the nitrate isn’t effective,
or if it continues to ooze, your doctor may perform a minor
surgical procedure to tie off the granuloma and remove it.
Umbilical
Hernia
If
your baby’s umbilical cord seems to stick out a lot
or you notice it bulging when she cries or strains, she may
have an umbilical hernia. Umbilical hernias are fairly common
in newborns. This is not something to worry about. When the
umbilical cord is cut, there is a hole (the umbilical ring)
that normally closes. If this opening doesn’t close
tissue will bulge through creating an umbilical hernia. A
hernia is a protrusion through an abnormal opening. Your baby
is not in any pain from this hernia and as her tummy muscles
get stronger it normally corrects itself. Your doctor may
instruct you to press on the hernia to make sure that it goes
back in place. Other than that, there is generally no treatment
required. You may be told by some to try strapping the hernia
down or placing a coin over it and then taping it in place.
At one point, people believed that this would pop the hernia
back in place. The hernia will heal on its own with or without
strapping. Strapping is not recommended because it can cause
skin irritation or infection. If your child still has a hernia
at five or six your doctor may repair it surgically. Rarely,
an umbilical hernia can become a problem if part of the intestines
get stuck in the opening and it cannot be pushed back into
place. Consult your doctor immediately if you cannot massage
the hernia back in place, if it is hard, or if your child
appears to be in pain from touching it.
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