Hernia :'(

Re: Hernia :'(

• Emerald27 member

  July 2014

  Are you sure that it's a hernia, and not just your belly button being pushed out by your growing uterus? When baby shifts around, he/she could be putting more pressure there sometimes, making your belly button look funny.
  
  Could it also be diastasis recti, and you can see a bulge from where your abdominal muscles have separated?
  
  I suppose it's just confusing that your post says that YOU "just noticed" that you have it...so it's not something you've been diagnosed with but googled?
  
  Not something I have any experience with, but I would definitely plan to ask your OB about it at your next appt.

  
  

  
  

  

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• MuffinMom14 member

  July 2014

  Emerald27 said:

  Are you sure that it's a hernia, and not just your belly button being pushed out by your growing uterus? When baby shifts around, he/she could be putting more pressure there sometimes, making your belly button look funny. Could it also be diastasis recti, and you can see a bulge from where your abdominal muscles have separated? I suppose it's just confusing that your post says that YOU "just noticed" that you have it...so it's not something you've been diagnosed with but googled? Not something I have any experience with, but I would definitely plan to ask your OB about it at your next appt.

  Yeah, I mean. Is this something I'm supposed to be on the lookout for?! I don't even know what that would look like.
  

  

  
  
  

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• trisharenee0316 member

  July 2014

  I got one from my first pregnancy.  A general surgeon advised me to wait, as a previous poster mentioned, until I was done having kids or if it became emergent (i.e., bowels impacted).  The mesh can otherwise rip if you have the repair done and are still planning more kids because it doesn't stretch with pregnancy.  This is going to be our last kid and my OB still asked me to consult with a general surgeon because he doesn't do hernia repairs at all, even if I have a c/s again.

  
  

  If it's giving you any problems during the pregnancy, you can wear an abdominal binder to support your growing belly and muscles, or one of those belly support bands.

  
  

  
  

  
  

  
  

  
  

  
  

  
  

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• MagentaMouse member

  July 2014

  Oh, sorry - yeah, my profession requires that I be able to recognize a hernia. That's why I said I noticed that I have one. It's definitely not a diastasis - those are very different bears. I wasn't really clear in my original post - I'm just not sure how much worse I can expect this to get in the next 15 weeks, so I was looking for people with previous experience. I'll have it fixed at some point and my OB probably won't be willing to do it herself, but I read a couple studies (from PubMed) that talk about RCS with concomitant hernia repair and how it's better in terms of cost and in terms of exposure to anesthesia, risks of one procedure versus two, etc. This is my last baby, so I'll probably just try to get gen surg on board to fix it during the section. Blergh. Thanks!

  

  
  

  

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• HappyCianci member

  July 2014

  OP, I have one. I started to notice it during my first pregnancy, and it is more prominent now. My midwives say there's not much to do at this point, and that there's a good chance that I'll never have to do anything about it, either. (For reference, mine feels about the size you describe).
  
  If you think about it, pregnancy puts more strain on your abdominal wall than you'll ever experience again, so if it doesn't worsen a whole lot in the next few months, it probably won't get much worse over the years, either.
  
  One trick to keep the hernia from growing is to hold a few fingers over it every time you cough, sneeze, or laugh. You literally hold your intestines in...so hot. But in seriousness, it does help, and it doesn't take long for it to become a habit.
  
  Good luck, and try not to stress about it too much. It's a very minor complication.
  

  Me: 31  ~  Copilot: 37  ~  Our son: 3/25/11 ~ Our daughter: 10/5/14
  

  
  

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• Emerald27 member

  July 2014

  Ok, ladies, how do I know if I have this? What do I look for?

  
  

  
  

  

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• erinchrisitne424 member

  July 2014

  I am the queen of hernias and having them repaired unfortunately. I had an umbillical one repaired with my first c-section. I did have to have a general sergeon do the repair my OB coordinated the time with a general surgeon so that it all took place at once.@MagentaMouse PM me of you have more.specific questions I have had 5 hernia repairs so unfortunately I am well versed in the routine.

  

  

  

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• MagentaMouse member

  July 2014

  Emerald27, don't worry. I think you'd be able to tell if you had one. Basically, when you're bearing down (coughing, laughing, grosser things, etc.), if your belly button area pops out and then you can push it in with your finger, the hole letting the abdominal contents out is a hernia. Or, (but this isn't as easy), if you put your fingertip waaaay in your belly button and you can feel a ring under your skin, which will feel kind of like muscle, then that's another way to feel for a hernia. As always, the photos on Google are kind of extreme...I don't recommend looking at those . Like PPs said, incarceration (abdominal contents getting stuck in the hole like Pooh) isn't a huge risk with this type of hernia, so it's really more of an annoyance.

  

  
  

  

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• Emerald27 member

  July 2014

  @MagentaMouse Nothing weird happens to my button when I laugh/cough, and I don't feel anything except funky button-ness when I stick my finger in it. It's shallower than it used to be, though...but that's just baby, of course! :P

  
  

  
  

  

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