They left their two-month-old with me while they went shopping. But his desperate crying wouldn’t stop. I checked his diaper and what I found made my hands tremble. I grabbed him and rushed to the hospital.

“A hernia,” he explained gently. “Part of his intestine has pushed through a weak spot in the abdominal wall. In babies, it can sometimes become trapped—that’s what we call incarceration. It’s extremely painful and dangerous if not treated quickly.”

My knees nearly gave out.

“Dangerous?” I whispered.

He nodded.

“If it had gone untreated, it could have cut off blood supply to the intestine. That can become life-threatening very fast.”