Umbilical hernia question

ds2003,

As you have said there is little information on this subject so it is a bit of a gray area. If the hernia is small like you have described and you are planning to get pregnant again soon then I usually wait in my patients until after the pregnancy in asymptomatic situations. If it is causing you pain and discomfort or there is a small piece of fat contained in it that is incarcerated and unable to push back in then it may be worth considering getting it done now as it is usually an outpatient procedure. In these situations I explain to patients that I am going to fix it primarily with sutures right now and if it recurs we will do a bigger mesh repair when you are done having children. Especially at the size you describe. Others might be more agressive and put mesh in now but I have seen the mesh migrate with pregnancy so I prefer to delay until after child bearing. Hope that helps a little bit.
Dr. Szotek