When people think of ostomy procedures they usually only think about older people having them. People really only used to associate the surgery with older generations, but people have realized young adults can benefit from the surgery, too. What people often forget, though, is that infants can have a stoma and ostomy bags, too. There are many different reasons babies have to undergo an ostomy surgery. Some babies are born without a proper rectum or anal opening. The doctors have to create the stoma for waste while they design a plan to operate and correct this. Another reason babies have to have a urostomy is because there is an abnormal opening to the bladder. Still, some babies can be born with diseased or improper functioning bowels. Most of these situations are reversible. The baby just has to have the ostomy or urostomy for a short amount of time. Then, it can be reversed and the baby will go on to live a very normal life. It may be hard for parents at first when hearing their baby has to have an ostomy. Not only do they have to worry about having a baby (sometimes for the first time), but they also have to learn how to handle ostomy supplies and how to properly care for their baby’s ostomy. If their baby is experiencing issues, there is a high likelihood that the baby will remain in the NICU (newborn intensive care unit) for the duration of the stoma. Sometimes, though, the baby will get to go home with the parents after the surgery. In this case, nurses and healthcare professionals will assist the parents in learning how to handle ostomy supplies and how to care for the stoma. There really is not that much difference between an adult ostomy and an infant ostomy. The size, of course, will be much smaller for an infant. But the same supplies still apply. Instead of the parents learning how to change diapers and how to not irritate their bottom, these parents will have to learn how to change an ostomy bag and make sure the skin around the stoma is not irritated. Infants are usually not something to worry about when it comes to a stoma. They don’t move around that much and the stoma will stay in place. If a toddler is getting the surgery, there might be more of a concern. Because of how much toddlers move and jump, it might be hard to keep the stoma secure. Parents should look into ostomy belts when their child is playing to make sure the bag stays in place.
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