Yikes! That overwhelming and scary feeling of having a hernia during pregnancy can leave you restless and concerned. You may be wondering How do I manage this while I'm pregnant? Will this affect my baby? Well before I dive right in to the meat of this post, I want to first explain exactly what an umbilical hernia is.
So what is an umbilical hernia?
A hernia is when a piece of tissue protrudes through a hole or weakened area of your muscles. The tissue that protrudes through could be fatty tissue, fluid or intestine. There are several different types of hernias. The most common hernias happen in the abdominal area including the umbilical hernia. This particular hernia creates a bulge around your umbilicus AKA belly button or navel.
Umbilical hernias are either present at birth and heal on their own or they are created from increased abdominal pressure caused by fat or fluid. There are several conditions that can cause a person to have increased pressure in their abdomen. One of these conditions is pregnancy.
Pregnancy creates increased abdominal pressure over time due to the growing baby in your uterus. The increased pressure is usually not a problem. However, having several pregnancies close together in a short amount of time can weaken your abdominal muscles to the point that a hole is created and therefore a hernia is formed.
This is the situation in my case. I've always been one to be physically fit and I enjoyed working out. It was part of my life up until I had kids. After the first three were born, I still managed to maintain a gym membership but over time the demands of work and home left me with no extra time for the gym.
Somewhere along my fourth pregnancy I developed an umbilical hernia. I'm not exactly sure if it happened during pregnancy from the increased abdominal pressure or if it happened during the actual birthing process. It may have been a combination of both. Either way, I noticed that my once profound belly button was not as deep as it previously had been. At times it even looked like it was slightly an out-tie belly button. Other then cosmetic reasons, it didn't bother me at all. The trouble began when I became pregnant with my fifth child.
At the time, I had a deep cough and horrible nausea all during the first trimester. After one restless night of vomiting and coughing, I woke up the next morning with a painful stomach ache.The entire right lower side of my abdomen starting from my belly button over to my appendix was tender and it hurt to move. The small bulge on my belly button felt very tight and was painful to touch. I was also bloated and burping frequently. After an hour or so I began to feel intermittent sharp shooting pains from my right side towards my belly button. It progressively became worse. My mind began to transform into nurse detective mode and I started guessing what I thought it could be. My immediate thoughts were complications with my hernia or appendicitis. Not only was my umbilical area painful, the entire right side of my abdomen was tender to touch.
WHEN YOUR HERNIA BECOMES PAINFUL IT'S TIME TO SEE A DOCTOR.
With the symptoms I had we knew that this was an urgent matter and my husband drove me to the Emergency Department.The ED doctor diagnosed me with an incarcerated hernia. An incarcerated hernia is when a piece of the intestines get stuck in the hole or weakened muscle.When this happens, the bowel (intestine) can become strangulated in which it starts to lose blood supply. This event can cause the intestine to become gangrene and if left unresolved, can lead to death.
SIGNS AND SYMPTOMS OF AN INCARCERATED HERNIA
Severe pain
Nausea
Vomiting
Constipation
Inability to pass gas which will cause the gas to come up the other end resulting in a burp
Discolored hernia bulge
Possibly a fever
SIGNS AND SYMPTOMS OF AN INCARCERATED HERNIA IS A MEDICAL EMERGENCY
TREATMENT
Try to reduce the hernia back down through the hole
Immediate hernia repair surgery if unable to perform the above
The physician explained to me that they would first attempt to push the intestine back through the hole in my abdominal wall. Because the hernia was so painful to touch, she had the nurse administer intravenous pain medication prior to starting.The attempt failed and the general surgeon was called. I began to pray that everything would work out and I would not need surgery. Fear and anxiety flooded my mind. When the surgeon arrived she explained to me that if she could not push the intestine back in place I would need an emergency surgery. She stated she preferred not to perform surgery on a pregnant women but that if it was necessary the risks of doing harm to me or the baby would be low. Information regarding this can be found here. Once again I prayed that God would guide her hands and be with us as she attempted to fix this. Another dose of IV pain medication was given before the second attempt. She began by massaging the bulge in a circular motion and would intermittently stop while applying gentle pressure. The whole process was still painful but the medication took the edge off. Tears rolled down my face as she was massaging it down. Towards the end, she lightly flicked it into place. Ouch!
Once it was completely down the pain immediately dissipated. A huge relief was lifted and I immediately started feeling better. The nausea and bloating slowly went away. She had the nurse give me an abdominal binder (tummy brace) and told me to wear it at all times. Not only was this device extremely uncomfortable, it was large and very stiff.
When we left the hospital that night, we drove to the nearest Wal-Mart and I bought a waist trimmer. A waist trimmer is a soft brace that you wear around your waist line to help you lose weight during workouts. I knew I had to have some sort of support around my stomach or I would end up back in the emergency room. The waist trimmer was my only option at the moment. The material was soft and ten times more comfortable then the abdominal binder they gave me at the hospital. I've researched supports that you can buy for hernias but this was the most affordable fro me at the time. Also very comfortable and supportive during my pregnancy. As you can see in the picture, I've put this product through a lot of use. If your interested in this product you can find it in the sporting goods section at Walmart. Another option is to try pregnancy support bands that fit around your waist and cover your belly button.
WAYS TO MANAGE YOUR HERNIA AT HOME IF IT STARTS TO BOTHER YOU
Lay flat, slightly apply pressure to the herniated bulge and massage it in a circular motion until you feel it go down. Give yourself at least 10 minutes of lying down so that your stomach muscles can relax before you try to manipulate it. Sometimes the bulge will go down on it's own. If it does not go down and you have the symptoms I described above go to your nearest emergency room.
Apply a tummy brace and wear it for the next day or two. Don't wear it too tight.
If you are coughing, sneezing or straining to have a bowel movement, apply pressure to the location of where your hernia is. This should prevent it from popping out during a strain, cough or sneeze.
Rest and do not overwork yourself. If you toss and turn a lot while sleeping, wear the tummy brace to bed.
After a few weeks of wearing the waist trimmer around the house I didn't need it anymore. It was as if my hernia disappeared. The baby was growing and my uterus had grown to surpass my belly button. Which meant no more hernia issues for awhile. For a visual reference and understanding of this, check out this picture. After the baby was born, I had occasional issues with my hernia. When the bulge felt painful, I would lay flat and massage the bulge down just like they did in the emergency room. It worked every time! Even though this worked, I knew that is was temporary and that eventually I would need a hernia repair. My goal was to get in shape so that I could be as healthy as I could be before I even thought about going through with the surgery.
However, I ended up pregnant again and went through the same situation as I did when this all started. This event landed me back in the emergency room again with the same symptoms as before. After tossing and turning one night due to crazy pregnancy dreams I woke up with a sore belly button. I tried to take it easy that day by wearing my waist trimmer ( I bought a new one this pregnancy) but I just couldn't get the rest I needed taking care of a five, three and eighteen month old. When I lifted the baby out of the high chair I felt the hernia pop through. It's such a weird and painful feeling. It is truly hard to explain unless you've experienced it. After going to the emergency department again ( almost two years later), I ended up seeing the same exact doctor as I did the first time. She even remembered me.
After explaining everything once again she was able to push the hernia back in without calling the general surgeon and I returned home pain free.
I guess the moral of this story is to take care of yourself and to allow yourself time to heal.
The past couple of years have been go, go ,go non-stop and I get it. As mothers, we're so busy taking care of everyone else that we put ourselves on the back burner.
Taking the time to strengthen your core muscles post postpartum is definitely something I would recommend for any woman who is pregnant or planning to get pregnant.
I wish I would've done it. After this pregnancy, my goal is to lose weight and hopefully try to strengthen my core as much as possible before undergoing a hernia repair. Unfortunately, the only way to fix a hernia is to have it surgically repaired. I'm going to do whatever i can to avoid that situation. Maybe even try to find natural ways to heal it. If I find that answer I'll be sure to post it and share with all of you.
Disclaimer: I am just a mom sharing my experiences. I am in no way , shape or form a physician or acting as such. If you have any medical issues or concerns please refer to your physician or midwife.
I hope this post was helpful. If so, please leave a comment below. I would love to hear your experiences as well. Thanks for reading!
