Newborn umbilical hernia: what it is, and the gentle plants of herbal tradition

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A small soft bump at the navel, appearing in the first days after birth and rising when a baby cries: that is what an umbilical hernia looks like. This page explains plainly what it is, why it usually needs nothing but time and a doctor’s eye, and which gentle household plants herbal tradition keeps for digestive comfort — for the grown-ups of the house.

Where plants do and do not come into it

• A hernia is a mechanical thing: an opening in a wall of muscle and connective tissue. No infusion, paste or compress closes it.
• Anyone who tells you a tea will shrink a baby’s navel bump is selling you something. The bump is a job for your doctor, midwife or health visitor to follow.
• What herbal tradition genuinely offers around this is comfort: calming, aromatic digestive plants long kept in kitchen cupboards, taken by adults.
• Old family practice also offers one thing worth knowing about precisely so you avoid it: the coin-and-cloth binding described further down.

Chamomile, the plant of the cupboard

Of all the herbs named in old accounts of this subject, German chamomile is the one a household can reasonably keep. Gentle, cheap, familiar, and pleasant to drink.

What it is credited with

• Chamomile: herbalists recommend the infusion for a restless stomach, a sense of fullness after eating and general evening edginess.
• Fennel seed: naturopathy credits it with easing trapped wind and bloating; it is one of the classic aromatic seeds of European kitchen medicine.
• Hawthorn: traditionally used as a gentle, long-term tonic plant; it also appears, with citrus peel, litchi and fennel, in blends of Chinese tradition.
• Lady’s mantle: in traditional European herbalism the leaf, rich in tannins, was used as an astringent tea and as a wash for grazed skin.
• Yarrow: it has a long reputation among herbalists as a bitter digestive plant and as a compress herb for bruises.
• Shepherd’s purse: a plant of the old midwives’ cupboard, traditionally used as an astringent. It is not a beginner’s herb and is not for children.
• Oak leaf and walnut leaf: both were used in country herbalism as tannin-rich washes and compresses for the skin, never as everyday drinks.

How to use it

Chamomile infusion, the everyday one

• A heaped teaspoon of dried flowers per cup of just-boiled water.
• Cover the cup while it steeps — the aroma is the active part and it leaves with the steam. Five to ten minutes.
• Strain. One cup after a meal or in the evening is the classic habit. Herbalists usually suggest a stretch of a week or two, then a pause.
• Steeped much longer it turns bitter rather than stronger.

Fennel seed infusion

• Crush half a teaspoon of seeds in a mortar to open them up.
• Pour over a cup of boiling water, cover, steep ten minutes.
• Sweet and aniseed-like. It blends well with chamomile, half and half.

A compress for adults

• Simmer a small handful of yarrow tops, lady’s mantle or walnut leaves in a pan of water for ten minutes, lid on, then leave to cool to comfortably warm.
• Soak a clean cloth, wring it out, lay it on the aching spot for a quarter of an hour.
• For intact adult skin only. Never on a baby, never on a navel, never on broken skin.

In cooking

• Fennel seed in bread dough, roasted vegetables or with pork.
• Chamomile flowers infused into warm milk or into the syrup for a poached pear.
• Young lady’s mantle leaves, finely chopped, in a spring salad — astringent, so use sparingly.

Frequently Asked Questions

The one thing to remember: have the bump checked and followed by a health professional, leave the baby’s navel entirely alone, and keep chamomile for the grown-ups’ evening cup.

Can herbal teas make my baby’s umbilical hernia go away?

No. A hernia is a small gap in the abdominal wall, and nothing you steep in a cup closes a gap in muscle and connective tissue. The great majority close on their own as the child grows and the abdominal muscles strengthen. Herbal tradition has nothing to offer the bump itself.

Should I bind the navel with a cloth and a coin?

No. That old “contention technique” is pure folklore. It may flatten the bump while it is strapped on, but it closes nothing, it rubs delicate skin, and it stops you seeing changes that matter. Leave the area uncovered and let your health professional follow it.

Which plant is worth keeping in the cupboard?

Chamomile. A heaped teaspoon of dried flower heads per cup, covered, five to ten minutes, strained. Herbalists recommend it for a restless stomach and evening edginess, and it tastes of hay and ripe apple. Buy whole flowers that still smell of apple when rubbed.

When should I stop reading and get help?

If the swelling turns hard, tender, red or purple, if it no longer flattens when the baby is calm and lying down, or if there is vomiting, a swollen abdomen, refusal to feed or inconsolable crying. Those signs need immediate medical attention, not a kitchen remedy.

Can I drink these teas while breastfeeding?

Chamomile and fennel are the two most commonly kept in households, but check with your midwife or pharmacist before making them a habit. Shepherd’s purse, yarrow and lady’s mantle are best avoided in pregnancy and while breastfeeding, as tradition treats them as plants that act on the womb.

This information is provided for general interest and reflects the traditional use of plants. It is not a substitute for medical advice. If you are on medication, pregnant, or in any doubt, ask a healthcare professional.