Maddy's Surgery

Maddy had surgery the week after Christmas to repair an umbilical hernia.

Medical definition: A hernia of the intestines in which protrusion occurs through the abdominal wall in the region of the navel.

She had it since birth and often they close on their own but in her case there was still a very small hole which caused the protrusion of the intestine, in effect giving her an "outie" belly button. The recommendation is to have the surgery by 5 years old to close up the hernia, which can cause complications later in life, such as with pregnancy, etc.

Maddy was a model patient and did great before, during, and after surgery. She never complained once about anything but was cautious the first couple of weeks as instructed by the doctor. We were nervous about the fact that she had to be put under anesthesia but are thankful to everyone at Children's Hospital who did an amazing job to make the whole experience a positive one.

Here is a picture of her waiting to go to the OR: