Parenting Forums

Posted: 25 March 2008 at 12:51am | IP Logged

Hey All,

I just wanted to ask a bit of advice about Millie's belly button. She's four weeks old tomorrow and her belly button still doesn't seem to have settled properly. Her ubilical stump fell off when she was 5 days old and at first it looked fine. In the last two weeks however, it's started to look a bit red and gets like dry crusty bits on the edge of it. We've tried washing it every day with cooled boiled water, we've also tried leaving it alone for a couple of days to make sure we weren't making things worse, but the result seems just the same. We've also noticed that over the last two weeks it's become more and more apparent that she seems to have an umbilical hernia. It's not huge, but her belly button does definitely poke out further than 'normal'. I haven't been worried about the hernia really, as Jess (DD1) had one and that healed fine on it's own, but with her also having this slight redness and crusty effect I was wondering what everyone reckons the best course of action is (does it sound like it could be infected?)

I have tried asking the Health Visitor, but I've only seen her once since Millie was born and she didn't seem very interested. We're going for Millie's first appointment at the Well Baby Clinic tomorrow afternoon so I'm hoping I can pin the HV down and actually get some useful advice off her this time.

Posted: 25 March 2008 at 9:04am | IP Logged

Hi. Goodness - 4 weeks old already! Cameron's tummy button seemed to take ages to settle down, compared to the girls'. It was different when I had them, as you were given sterile powder to put on it when you changed their nappy - I think it dried up quicker that way - although when I asked after I had Cameron they said they just advise you to use water now! I hope you manage to find out today - I'm sure it will be fine.

xxx

Posted: 25 March 2008 at 9:58am | IP Logged

Awww hun time has certainly flown!

Good luck with the HV hope you get some answers if not i'd contact your gp/nurse as if your concerned you need to get reassurance (a mothers gut feeling is normally right) and your gp/nurse might be more use if your hv is playing at being a chocolate tea pot.

Hope you get some answers soon hun.... x Take care

Posted: 25 March 2008 at 1:54pm | IP Logged

Bless! Hope you get to see someone tomorrow about it

Lily had a granuloma on her belly button (part of her cord was attached through to her bowl) which was awful looking and didn't go away until they operated!

As you say hernias are pretty common but if its as bad as you have described I wouldn't rest until you get the attention you deserve!

Let us know how you get on

xx

Posted: 25 March 2008 at 4:32pm | IP Logged

Our local babycare service is officially junk!!Went to the Well Baby Clinic today as planned only to be greeted by someone I'd never met before. Assuming she was another HV, I quizzed her about Millie's belly button whilst Millie was undressed and on the scales. It was at this point that she informed me she wasn't a HV, she was a Nursery Nurse and wasn't qualified to give me any advice on anything like that!!!! What the heck use is a clinic if the person running it has no medical training and can't give you any advice on something as common as a baby belly button issue??? The only thing she could suggest was that I mae an appointment to see the GP and let her check it out, so that's what I've had to do. It means trailing back to the surgery again tomorrow, but I'm hoping that I'll at east get a decent answer this time What an absolute waste of space this HV lark is turning out to be; it's nearly as bloming useless as my community midwife was! Will let you know what the GP says tomorrow...

Ooooh and btw, Millie is now 10lb 1oz! She's a right chubby little checker!

Posted: 28 March 2008 at 12:21pm | IP Logged

Yay! Have eventually found a spare minute to get online between the feeding and the changing and the washing and the drying...

Anyways I took Millie to see the Doctor on Wednesday. He had a good look at her belly button and wasn't too concerned. He said she has got a small hernia, but that hernias are really common in babies (which I of course already knew lol) and he reckoned Millie's will just sort itself out. With regard to the crusty discharge he thinks she has a minor local infection in it so he gave me some antibiotic cream to apply twice a day. I did the first application on Wednesday evening and TBH her belly button is looking better alreadyHopefully we won't b having any further worries with her belly button now. Thanks for the support as always girls

Posted: 28 March 2008 at 3:51pm | IP Logged

Glad you got it sorted in the end!

Hernias as you say are very common and it'll clear up in no time!

xx