Elephant Trunk

At Hayden's two year wellness check (July 9th), we were told we should schedule a consultation for her umbilical hernia. It obviously wasn't closing, so our pediatrician thought it would be good to speak with an expert and get his opinion.

Rady Children's Hospital - July 22nd

Within two minutes the doctor looked at her and decided she'd be a good candidate. He then stated that if we opted for surgery, we'd have to do it within 30 days due to insurance. Excuse me?! Tom and I assumed this was just an initial conversation (why he stayed at work)!

I asked the doctor what he thought and he said if it hadn't closed in two years, it wasn't going to. He then offered two options: 1) close the hole and see if the excess skin would sink in her belly 2) lop off the extra skin before closing the hole

I told him that I wanted to ensure Hayden would be comfortable in bikinis and dating (when she's 30, of course) and asked his opinion - His response, "Well, she'll never be Heidi Klum... But I'd lop off the extra skin." I wanted to say SO many things, but I simply said we'd be in touch.

I called Tom and we debated everything. We wish we could wait until she was older (or at least winter), but it wasn't an option. Surgery scheduled for Friday, August 22nd!