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Pregnant with a bellybutton hernia?

By May 1, 2008 - 8:23am
 
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I am pregnant and experiencing pain in my bellybutton. My doctor said I have a bellybutton hernia?? I have never heard of this. Has anyone experienced this before?

Add a Comment7 Comments

EmpowHER Guest
Anonymous

hi I am pregnant and have severe belly botton pain which caused by the hernia. Does anyone know how to deal with this? I have another 5 months to go and the pain is unbearable.

December 24, 2009 - 8:24am
(reply to Anonymous)

Contact your OB right away! That is what I did when I was experiencing extreme pain and my OB set me up with an appointment with a surgeon the next day. I was lucky and was able to wait until after my baby was born to have surgery but you should have it checked out to make sure that you are not risking your health. Let them know if it hurts all the time or only when you press on it. It is just better to be safe. Call your doctor.

June 9, 2010 - 11:30am

I have experienced this. Here is my story.
https://www.empowher.com/news/herarticle/2009/05/18/pregnancy-and-umbilical-hernia-part-1
https://www.empowher.com/news/herarticle/2009/05/18/pregnancy-and-umbilical-hernia-part-2

July 15, 2009 - 3:07pm
EmpowHER Guest
Anonymous

yes i have experienced it i was born with it

June 25, 2009 - 3:47am
EmpowHER Guest
Anonymous

Hi,

I am 28 weeks pregnant and I have been diagnosed with a non reducing umbilical fat hernia. I have had opinions from my gp, and obstitricin and a mid wife all of which have very different opinions of this. What I want to know is, will it get worse as i get bigger? And what can i do to possibly stop it from getting worse? Everyone keeps saying 'nothing' but surely there are preventative things i can do. I have got myself some tubigrip which goes around my stomach but this seems to be making things a little more painful not so much in the hernia itself but when i urinate. Should i be concerned like my gp is or should i let it be like my obstitrician suggests?

January 22, 2009 - 6:05pm

I did not have a hernia with my pregnancy, but my son was born with bilateral inguinal hernias (I read they are very similar to umbilical hernias).

He had a simple procedure done to correct them, with minimal discomfort and the recovery time was just a few days.

What did your doctor say about your hernia? I hope you hear from others who have experienced this, too!

May 1, 2008 - 1:58pm

Thanks for your question. By bellybutton hernia, your doctor may be referring to an umbilical or para-umbilical hernia which are relatively common in adults. They are more common in overweight people and in women, especially after pregnancy. Most surgeons recommend they be surgically repaired, as they tend to get bigger over time, the U.S. National Library of Medicine and National Institutes of Health report.

Medline says "without surgery, there is a risk that some abdominal contents, typically a bit of fat or intestine, will get stuck (incarcerated) in the hernia defect and become impossible to push back in, which is typically painful. Any patient with a hernia that cannot be reduced, or pushed back in, while lying down and relaxed should seek urgent medical attention."

Some doctors do not recommend surgery while pregnant, however. Did you and your doctor discuss possible surgery options already?

May 1, 2008 - 8:32am
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