What could cause an increase in the navel size in a newborn?

Question

Hi doctor,

My baby boy is 52 days old. He was a premature baby, and his weight was 4 lbs at the time of birth. His birth occurred in eight months, and he cried after about five minutes. He was diagnosed with a blood infection and jaundice after a week and admitted to ICU for five days. His navel has increased, and it has been 15 days now. For the last two days, he keeps on crying continuously except when he is sleeping.

Please help.

Answer 1

Hi,

Welcome to icliniq.com.

I understand your concern.

The information provided is limited. Would you mind sharing some more information?

Is there any redness around the navel?
Does the size increase more, or does it become more prominent during crying?
Does this increase in size get reduced when he is sleeping or when he is not crying?
Is there any fullness of the abdomen?
Is he accepting feeds normally?
Has he started vomiting since you noticed this?

With the information provided, there is a possibility of umbilical granuloma, or it may be an umbilical hernia. Both these have different management, and both can be taken care of easily. An umbilical hernia is more common in premature babies, and in the majority of cases, it subsides in due time, usually within a year. So, the very first thing is to confirm what it is. For this, I would like to have a good colored photograph of the naval. Meanwhile, just keep the navel clean with an alcohol swab. Do not apply any ointment, and keep it dry. Share the picture and all the information as mentioned above. I will suggest you accordingly.

I hope this information helps you.

Revert in case of queries.

Regards.