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Postpartum Umbilical hernia?
Hi,
How can we identify postpartum umbilical hernia? Nowadays I’m experiencing a hard feeling in my abs and my belly button has poked out. I don’t know whether am suffering from an umbilical hernia or this is common in postpartum stage. During my pregnancy time, my doctor told me that since my elder sister had a postpartum umbilical hernia, the possibilities of occurring this disease is high for me. but I didn’t feel any unusual difficulties (other than pregnancy related pain and difficulties) like my sister had at the time of her pregnancy. She had a bulge on her belly button and was also suffered a lot with terrible pain in her abdomen. But her treatment was taken only after the 3rd month of her delivery. She had a hernia surgery with the help of an expert in Shouldice hospital, Toronto and now the things are getting fine. But in my case, It has been 4 weeks after my delivery and condition is getting worse day by day. Are these the symptoms of a hernia? Do I need to consult a hernia specialist for detailed check up? Am I able to get treatment at this time? Or should I wait for some more time? I’m really confused and worried. Any suggestions and advice would be appreciable. -
4 Replies
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Postpartum Umbilical hernia?
Umbilical hernias during pregnancy and post-delivery is an interesting topic for general surgeons. During pregnancy your body releases hormones that help relax ligaments in your body as well as tissues of the abdominal wall. While this helps to physically stretch the abdominal wall tissue to make way for the growing baby, it can unintentionally stretch things like a small previously unknown umbilical hernia.
Many surgeons advocate waiting to fix umbilical hernias until well after deliver, and likely after completion of nursing, as this allows natural tightening of the abdominal wall & umbilical tissues. Many people won’t need their hernias fixed at all, though some still may require repair. There are several factors that surgeons take into consideration, including how symptomatic the patient is, the size of the hernia, body size, whether there are plans for future pregnancies, etc.
That said, if you are having significant symptoms from an umbilical hernia it should be checked out. This doesn’t mean that you definitely need a surgery soon, but it’s worth getting evaluated.
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Postpartum Umbilical hernia?
If a hernia is the cause of your pain, make sure it is evaluated for incarceration of content.
Otherwise, prevent straining, such as with constipation. Work on losing weight if that is an issue, as that will also help reduce abdominal pressure. Use ice for comfort.
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Postpartum Umbilical hernia?
Thank you very much for your extremely helpful and detailed response. So what I’m supposed to do? Do I need to get a detailed checkup from my doctor? I often experience a hard feeling and pain in my abs.
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Postpartum Umbilical hernia?
Excellent post and thanks for initiating this discussion about pregnancy and umbilical hernias!
Belly button (umbilical) hernias are common during pregnancy. You may see a popping out of the belly button region, and it usually occurs toward the third trimester. Most of these go back to normal shortly after your delivery.
The risk of a hernia persisting after pregnancy is related to many factors. These include genetic predisposition, number of pregnancies (see it after the second pregnancy), and size of the baby/belly relative to the mother (especially twins).
In my practice, I don’t recommend umbilical hernia repair unless it is painful or is growing in size. Also, I do not recommend repair during pregnancy or while you are breastfeeding.
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