Protruded belly button -- Umbilical hernia

You may notice some babies with the following condition, especially in a premature baby or young infant:

picture source

This is called umbilical hernia. It occurs because the two sides of the abdomimal wall muscles are still not adhered completely, thus leaving a space for part of the tummy contents to protrude out (image).

Generally, it does not cause problems and resolved by one year old. Should the condition persisted until school going age, then we hae to do something to avoid teasing in school. This involves a very minor surgey as illustrated below.

There are some myths about this condition, among them are described below:

• This create an entry point for the "wind" to enter -- this is not true as the covered skin is intact, thus leaving no door/ window to enter =)
• This can be resolved by occluding the bellybutton with a 50 cents coin -- this is not necessary as the condition resolved when the underlying muscle layers adhered completely. As the condition usually resolves spontaneously, making this grandmother's ritual appears to work.