Multiples
nikinikinine
member
anyone had an umbilical hernia repair?
nikinikinine
member
in Multiples
I just scheduled a consult to discuss having my hernia repaired. I spoke to one of the intake nurses and she said that it's okay to have a repair done even if I'm not done having children, which made me a little skeptical. They said that just because your belly button herniated with one pregnancy didn't mean it would happen again.
If you've had this done what was the process and recovery like? It would be a laparoscopic surgery, so I'm hoping it wouldn't be too bad of a recovery (maybe a few days?)
TIA!
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Re: anyone had an umbilical hernia repair?
Hey there- I have an umbilical hernia, and had a consult. They said in my case there was no sense fixing it because because if I got pregnant again it would just happen again...
From the pamphlet they gave me, recovery looked like a breeze
Ill bet the recovery for that wouldn't be too bad at all!! Take all of the help you can get so that you can get some rest anyways.
I just had it done along with my TT. I was really really sore week 1 and very uncomfortable. I had my mom, mil and DH taking care of me and the babies. Today is exactly 2 weeks from the surgery. I can not lift them in and out of highchiars, cribs, car seats...but I can squat down and pick them up if I hold them close to my body. I am using my upper body strength to do so. I would say the ab/hernia repair is what is more sore than the TT incision. I will probably be fully functional as far as taking care of them is concerned in one more week. I will feel ok to exercise in another 2.
I think the hardest part about the recovery is not being able to do what I want. I always work out, and feel as if I have a strong upper body, so that has helped. I recovered very well from my C section, so I was confident (and so was my dr) that I would recover fine from this.
I actually think that the younger they are, the better it is to get any surgery done. Mine are in the wanting to be held stage, and it was really hard for me to sit there and watch them. I think it would have been REALLY hard when they are walking and running around.
Congrats on your TT! How are you feeling about the surgery now that it's behind you? How do you look 2 weeks post surgery? I've heard that's when the swelling starts to settle down a bit and you're no longer in the holy $hit what did I do stage
I've toyed with the idea of a TT once we were done having kids. My problem is muscle separation and loose skin. I'm working on closing the diastasis with exercises and seeing how that goes first and if it makes no difference then I think a TT is in my future.
I'm so glad to see other women taking this step. Feel free to PM me to discuss off the board if you'd rather.
see this is what thought too? Hmmm...
Maybe the nurse doesn't know what she's talking about. Did they say you'd have to have mesh to fix it? Or would it be a straight repair?
I just had mine repaired about 2 weeks ago when I also had my gallbladder removed. Recovery was easy! I had mine repaired on thursday and my twins christening was on sunday and I was fine.
The surgery was quick ( about a hr 1/2 but that was also including my gallbladder removal). I was only in recovery about a hr and 1/2 I felt fine so they let me go home.
The day after surgery it was hard to get out of bed getting up and down was a little painful. I was sore for a few days after but felt pretty good. Motrin worked just fine for me though, I never took the perscription pain killers they gave me. The dr did tell me no lifting anything over 10 lbs for 6 weeks including the babies though! I made it a week without picking up my LOs but then dh went back to work and life went on as usual. I tried to limit the about of lifting I did to in and out of cribs in the morning and at naps though and did as much as I could with them on the floor so I wouldnt have to lift them.
I just went for my post op appt a few days ago and he said everything looked good and just said no "heavy" lifting for 6 weeks so I've been limiting my lifting to just the babies and dh have been lifting everything else for me when he gets home.
Good Luck with your consult!
Hey! I did what I could with diet and exercise. The dr actually told me that no matter how much more weight I lost, my abs were not going to get better and the skin was obviously not going anywhere. I am still super swollen 2 weeks out. I am still kind of like WTH did I do...I have a new belly button and a huge scar...but it is way better than what I saw before. I literally just posted an album on the FB page. If you are not on there, I can PM it to you. I had a lot of loose skin and ab separation and hated looking down. I guess I am much happier, but will be sooooooo much happier when I am not wearing a binder and the swelling is gone. I can't wait to be 100%. Let me know if you have any questions!!
if you could send me the link, that would be awesome. I'm not on the FB group.
I have been reading a lot of TT blogs and looking at pics and trying to come to terms with what it is I should do. Not an easy choice, by far.
The pics that are the most encouraging are those that are 12 and 24 months post-op where the scar and the recovery are long behind the person and they look like a human being again.
What kind of help did you have lined up for your LO's while you're recovering? (BTW, thanks for letting me harangue you with questions!)
Not a problem!I will PM you after this!
We stayed at my parents house because it was near the outpatient surgery center. MH went with me while my mom watched the babies. the next 6 days my mom, husband, and some of her friends rotated in and out to take care of the babies. By the first evening I was able to get out of bed and hang out. I couldn't move much or do much else. After about a week at my parents house we went home because my husband had to go back to work. My mother in law and mom came to my house and took care of all of the lifting etc. I could walk just fine and would help feed the babies etc. I was able to drive after a week. This week my babies are in daycare and my husband takes them in the am. We pick them up when he gets home and he does most of the lifting and baths at night. Bending down is the hardest. I will have family in town this weekend and then I am on my own starting Tuesday. I think I should be fine, but we will not be going out and about. I think the recovery was easier than I thought.
thanks, I just emailed you
I too have had the consult about my hernia. They also told me not in the cards to have fixed until after we're totally done with kids. I hate my umbilical hernia! I literally band-aid it down and now that I'm over 6 months pg, I can see why it would have been a repeat procedure had I fixed it prior to being pg again b/c I'm popped out.
I am planning a VBAC for this baby but if I do end up having to do a c/s, my dr. already said she'd go in and fix the hernia while I"m already wide open! We may have more kids down the line, but I'm thinking if I do get a repeat c/s, I will opt to have it fixed. Until then, I am stocked up on stupid band-aids!