My son who is 12 months old has definitely an "outie" belly button. Whenever I've asked about it (to the pediatricians) they don't say much except for that he has an outie and that it doesn't seem like a herniated belly button. But, seriously - it is WAY out there. All they've said is that the umbilical cord was "healthy and attached very good." They've also said that as he grows taller it should spread a bit and not be so distended. What my main question is . . . anyone else have a child with a major outie? Are they telling me what you've found to be true? Either both my brother and I or just my brother had surgery to help with distended outies. I know my brother did have a hernia (I did not). My mother seems to think I had my belly button pinned back a bit - but do they still do that? The drs have never suggested it. I would hate to have my son go through surgery for a "cosmetic" procedure but I also don't want him to feel uncomfortable later in life about his belly button. Over the summer he LOVED swimming and I noticed a few kids staring at his belly. One little guy even came over and got an extreme close-up - I guess he wasn't sure what it was. Ha! I just don't know how concerned or proactive I should be.
hi J.,
my 20 month old has the same kind of belly button, long as the doctor says there is not much of a gap ( hole) it is normal and does go down.. my sons was very noticable and it shrunk pretty good. it is still there but it is gettin smaller
My sister had an outie, and I think they told my mom she could try taping a quarter over it. She never tried that, and eventually it did go away as she grew.
Unless it really starts affecting how your son interacts and socializes with other kids, why would you want to put him through surgery?
Go get a second opinion from another doctor, and see what they think about it.
my daughter had a herniated belly button and there is no mistaking that for an outie. It is a bulge around the belly button, not in it. It would come out worse when she was straining or crying and even though we did all the things they suggested back then like tape a quarter to it, it never worked and she went in at 18 months and had it repaired. My youngest had an outie and as he grew up it did spread out like they told you, where you can't tell to much that it is an outie anymore. His daughter has the same kind. I never remember any child teasing or staring at my son's belly button nor do I remember him ever acting like it bothered him. If you don't point it out as being different in a bad way, it is going to be normal to him.
I had my outie made an innie when I was a little over a year old. Mine was herniated though. I now have a daughter whose belly button sticks out pretty good. I was worried that she would have to have surgery and her dr. said to keep an eye on it. At her 18 month check up we asked the doc again because it wasn't changing. She said she probably wouldn't need surgery because it's to small for her intestines to get in and cause a problem. The doctor said it should start to go in at about 2 when her stomach muscles start getting tighter. I have noticed that it doesn't stick out as far as it used to,(she's almost 21 months old) but it is still out there. If it hasn't by the time she's 3 we could fix it cosmetically but I don't think we will. It doesn't bother her at all.Why put them through something that isn't really necessary.
My nephew ha a HUGE outie. He is 5 now. They finally took him in to have it fixed. It is still big, but not huge any more. It looks much better. I would get it fixed, cosmetic or not. Life is hard enough on kids, they don't need extra thing for other kids to make fun of.
I had an outie as a kid - it turned "innie" as I grew - around the teen years, as I "filled out" it stayed where it was, and the rest of me grew around it. Now it is a definite innie. My daughter has an outie too, you can see it sticking out through t-shirts. We are going to let it go until she says it is an issue - if she ever does....then I will tell her how mine changed as my body changed, and ask her to wait it out. Hers is not herniated.
We did have friends who had a little girl with a really big outie and hers was herniated, and they had surgery at about 4 years old to fix the hernia - and that helped it not stick out - now hers is about flat.
Just a thought, the herniated ones are covered by insurance I think - but anything else would probably be considered "cosmetic surgery" and you would have to pay out of pocket. You might just want to wait and see how it changes as he grows, and talk to him about the fact that everyone is a little different in many ways - skin color, eye color, belly button types, fingerprints, and explain that it just is part of who he is.
Good Luck whatever you decide.
Jessie
