5yo with umbilical hernia

[Knownowt]

My son has had an umbilical hernia since birth- it's small but definitely there. We were told it would almost certainly close of its own accord but he's now nearly five and it seems exactly the same.

I have made him an appointment to see the GP but am worrying about it in the mean time. Does anyone have any experience of this? Do hernia that don't heal by 5 always need an op? What is recovery like if he does need surgery?

I'd be very grateful for any experiences.

Hi, my ds is 3 and has a small one too. We saw our GP recently as it hasn't got any smaller in the last year. Over the age of 3 there is a slight risk of the bowels getting caught in the hernia so he has been referred to the surgeons.
I have a friend whose son had it done it was pretty quick and he healed very nicely.