Your babe's umbilical cord travels a little journeying as it morphs from a pale, misshapen lump into a shriveled, darkened piece of peel that falls off nearly two weeks after he'south born. But occasionally during this procedure, instead of drying upwards and dropping away, the area may form what's known as a granuloma, a fleck of scar tissue that stays behind on the belly push button.

While this somewhat common condition won't hurt your baby, if it doesn't clear upward on its ain, your infant's pediatrician may need to treat it to prevent a potential infection. Read on to learn more than about umbilical granulomas, including how to spot i and the way they're treated.

What is an umbilical granuloma?

An umbilical cord granuloma in babies will look like a small, round mass that appears in the middle of the bellybutton afterward the cord stump has fallen off. The ruby-red slice of scar tissue is often covered in clear mucus rather than looking dry like the residual of your babe'due south skin.

Umbilical granulomas can too occasionally appear in adults, sometimes developing after a tattoo or navel piercing.

An umbilical hernia is another condition that can look like a granuloma (i.e., swelling or a burl virtually the umbilicus), only it'south when the intestine pushes through the wall of stomach muscles and appears in the middle of the navel. Although they're most common in babies nether 6 months (20 percent volition develop one), umbilical hernias can sometimes touch on older kids and adults too.

What causes an umbilical granuloma?

It'southward not exactly articulate what causes a slowdown in the healing process of certain babies' umbilical cords, only umbilical granulomas occur in about 1 out of 500 newborns. This excess tissue may form considering of a low-grade infection or a delay or irregular separation of the cord stump.

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Umbilical granulomas may measure upward to 10 millimeters in size and tend to grow if untreated. As a result, this mass could let bacteria to get within, potentially causing an umbilical infection.

How do yous care for an umbilical granuloma?

Treatments for an umbilical granuloma are the same in both babies and adults. Typically, silver nitrate is the get-to remedy equally this chemical can cauterize the wound, which stops any bleeding and wards off infection.

While painless, information technology's possible that silver nitrate may burn, so your pediatrician will take extra care with it. Liquid nitrogen is another possibility and information technology'south used in a similar way to silver nitrate. A very pocket-size amount is practical to the granuloma, which in plow causes information technology to "freeze" and drop off.

Though rarely required, umbilical granuloma surgery may be a better option if your infant's case requires multiple treatments with silver nitrate. This process — called a double ligature — removes the umbilical granuloma with a scalpel or ties information technology with two pieces of thread.

Tips for domicile care

Post-treatment, your pediatrician will share aftercare tips, including how to bathe your infant with an umbilical granuloma. In general, you lot'll follow the rules of regular umbilical string care. Here's what you should keep in mind:

  • Keep it clean and dry out. Expose the umbilical stump to the air as much as yous can and avoid using rubbing alcohol and ointments every bit treatments.
  • Diaper with care. Keep your baby'due south stump surface area uncovered by his diaper past either folding over the superlative portion or buying infant diapers with a special cut-out at the waist. And alter diapers oftentimes so wetness and waste don't come in contact with the umbilicus.
  • Dress him loosely. Just as with diapers, outfit your baby in loose, airy wearable, non snug onesies that might press too hard against his abdomen.
  • Give him sponge baths. One question on your mind may be whether you can bathe a baby with an umbilical granuloma. Alas, long, sudsy baths in the tub aren't conducive to drying out a fresh wound, so it's best to sponge breast-stroke your infant and proceed the omphalus from getting wet.
  • Get out it lone. Let nature otherwise take its course. Don't dabble with the stump wound or try to remove any scab that forms.

How long does it take for an umbilical granuloma to heal?

After treatment with argent nitrate, an umbilical granuloma should shrink and go away in about a week. The time frame is similar if your baby has double ligature surgery — the tissue dies and drops away inside vii to 14 days.

Keep an heart on your infant'southward healing umbilical granuloma and alert your pediatrician if you lot detect excess redness or bleeding, foul-smelling yellowish belch from the cord surface area or crying from your baby when the skin around it is touched. Whatsoever of these could point an infection.

The umbilical string is a funny thing but very often it only dries up and falls off — and you'll never give it a second thought. Simply if a minor condition like an umbilical granuloma develops, treatment is often a quick and easy ane performed in your pediatrician's office. Once it's healed, your sweetie will have the cutest, about kissable innie or outie ever.