Congenital umbilical hernia. View of a protrusion from the navel (belly button) of an 8 week old baby. This is a congenital umbilical hernia. A hernia is the protrusion of an organ outside of its normal cavity. In this case, part of the gut is protruding through the umbilicus (navel) causing it to bulge. Umbilical hernias are quite common in newborn babies, occurring twice as commonly in boys than girls. Umbilical hernias usually resolve spontaneously by the time the child is two years old, so do not usually require any treatment. If the hernia has not resolved itself by the time the child is 4 surgery may be necessary.