Infant Diagnosed W/ Inguinal Hernia

My first born son also developed an inguinal hernia as an infant (around 3 months) and his did require surgical repair. All of the advice that Susan gave you is pretty much right on the money for a newborn as well. It is actually not too horrible for a newborn baby to recover from it, as they do not do much moving around anyways, so there is no reason to restrict their movement. We went home the same day.

If I recall, we did have to stop giving our son food several hours before the surgery, and then later I think we started back with sugar water, then Pedialyte, and finally formula.

Though at the time I was scared out of my mind, it went so smoothly that I rarely even think about the fact that my son had surgery 3 years ago! Good luck!

I don't have all of the answers but my best friends baby had this surgery at 6 weeks at it went so smoothly. It was so quick and his recovery was so fast. They made such a small incision and it is barely noticeable now. Good luck!

My son also had a hernia at that age. It was very bad on his left side, and the pediatric urologist who did the surgery bumped other patients so he could get my son into surgery asap. He checked the right side also, and there was a smaller hernia there as well. He was 6 weeks old at the time of the surgery, but he was born a month early, so gestationally, he was actually only 2 weeks old. He is 20 months today and doing great. The recovery went very well, and unless you know what you're looking for, you'd never even notice the scars. I'm sure when he's older, they will be completely gone. It was very hard on us emotionally, seeing our little guy have to go into surgery, but in our case, there was no way to wait and see if it would take care of itself - I would be careful waiting too long, even you do decide to seek a second opinion. Do try to find a good pediatric urologist whom you like to do the surgery.
Good luck to you and your son!
-Christina

I would get a second opinion before opting for surgery. My first son was born with an inguinal hernia and no one ever mentioned surgery. After a couple of months the hernia resolved itself.

I have to echo Kathy and would say get a second opinion. My nephew has been diagnosed with an Inguinal Hernia and did not have surgery. His pediatrician told my sis they would wait and see if it resolves itself - which it did shortly after he turned 1.
These types of hernias are VERY common especially in boys. Many will resolve without treatment, but it really depends on the severity of the hernia.
Asking for another opinion (preferably a pediatric specialist) does not hurt...

I don't know how bad your situation is, but my baby had one too...I just ignored my pediatrician b/c I had a midwife on board also. We waited it out and then totally forgot about it as it healed beautifully on its own.

Apparently most babies with "outie" bellly buttons had an inguinal hernia at some level. The muscles don't pull everything together (hence an "inny" belly button) and they end up with an "outie".

I'd get a second opinion for sure. Any surgery is tough on babies regardless of how "easy" they say it is. If it can wait, I'd wait and see what happens.

My daughter is 7... and she had an inguinal hernia (on her right side)... which she was probably born with per the Doctor, but was only presenting visible symptoms & pain only recently a few months ago.

She consequently had surgery for it only a few months ago. Laproscopic surgery. It was fine. She was under general anesthesia... but for children, it is VERY well customized for the child. A Pediatric Anesthesiologist does it. The surgical team will explain everything to you.
My daughter's surgery was performed by a Pediatric Surgeon who specializes in hernias in children. My daughter's surgery took 1 hour.... and recovery afterward for as long as the child needs to. We had to be at the hospital at 5:30am... then the surgery was at 7:30am... and so there is some waiting around/prep. By the time we got to go home, it was about 12:30-1:00pm. My daughter then had to rest... and stay off her feet, NO heavy lifting. For her and as is typical in an older child... post-op recovery was for 6 weeks... and during that time she had to have a reduction in activities/strain in order for the incision and sutures to heal properly... and not tear.

My daughter was fine with everything and afterward. She understood clearly what was happening and why she had to have the surgery. She actually told us she was glad she had the surgery... and that her "bump" and pain was gone now.

Inguinal Hernias are common, and in children.
During my daughter's surgery, and per our choice, the Surgeon ALSO looked on the other side, to see if there was a hernia there also. He said that sometimes, if there is an inguinal hernia on one side, there may be a 50-50 chance of one on the other side as well. Luckily, my daughter did not have a hernia/opening/hole on the other side. If there had been a hernia on the other side, then we okayed the Surgeon to fix that one too at the same time. Versus, he said that sometimes the parents opt NOT to look at the other side for a possible hernia there... and then 1 year later... another hernia presents itself... and then the child has to have another surgery.

Afterward as far as pain... my daughter's Surgeon only recommended Motrin. No prescribed pain meds were needed. In her case. My daughter did not experience a lot of pain after, nor during her 6-week recovery post-op. But, it was of course tender and she needed assistance to do certain things and even to walk and get up etc. But yes, she did have pain... not saying she didn't... but her pain tolerance is high. So this is just her.

She also could not bathe for I think 3 days after, to prevent infection. Her incision... was closed with a plastic type of thing (I don't know the name), that "seals" the opening/surgery cut.

Before the surgery, she could not eat anything after 8:00pm the night before the surgery. Only water. So, since your baby is only 5 weeks old and still nursing/feeding... then ask the Surgeon what you need to do...

Ask the Surgeon and surgical team/Anesthesiologist any questions you have. Again, ours was Pediatric specialists..and prior to the procedure, the entire team including the nurses, meets with you.

During the Surgery, the Doctor allows 1 parent in the operating room, while they put my daughter under.... anesthesia. First they gave her a laughing gas... then when she fell asleep with that, they had me leave the Operating room, then the Anesthesiologist proceeded with administering the General anesthesia. Then, the surgery took 1 hour.
After the surgery, we could accompany my daughter to the recovery room... and stay with her there whole time. Until SHE felt fine enough to go home. Until then, the nurse team monitors her... and the Surgeon does his visit as well.

There are various ways to close up the Hernia. In my daughter's case, he just sutured it up... closing the hole and the various layers of muscle, tissue etc. In some cases, they use a "mesh" to close the hole too. But this is used more in adults.
So, ask your Surgeon... what method will be used for your baby.

In some cases... a hernia can recur. But that is not common. And sometimes, an inguinal hernia can occur on the other side later. So ask the Surgeon/Doctor about potential scenarios....

All the best,
Susan

My daughter had to have Hernia repair when she was 6 weeks old. ( I was the one who discover it. Took her to different pediatricians twice... They both misdiagnosed. Went to see a pediatric surgeon. He had to schedule emergency hernia repair. )
As far as prep, usually the hospital will let you know what to do the day before or the anesthesiologist will call. No milk for 12 hours, no water for 10 hours. If possible, schedule the surgery in early am. I remember, after the doctors took my daughter way to the OR, they need ~ 20 min. for anesthesia prep, the surgery itself is ~ 15-20 min ( for both sides). After that, they called us in to the recovery room. We stayed there for 30 min to make sure everything is ok. Since our child was so young, they kept us in the hospital over night for monitoring. My child nursed fine throughout the night with no problem. They sent us home the next morning. She did receive a dose of oral tylenol at the hospital. We gave her suppository tylenol few times when we got home ( she didn't like the oral one) when I suspected that she cried due to pain. After 2 days, we did not need the pain meds. Everything is fine.
Hope everything goes well with the surgery.
T.