During pregnancy, your umbilical cord passes through the tiniest opening in your baby’s abdominal muscles. This opening usually closes after your baby’s birth. However, in some cases the muscles do not join completely and causes an umbilical hernia after pregnancy.
Causes of Umbilical Hernia
The abdomen and pelvis experiences an excess pressure during pregnancy which pushes the organ outwards. This pressure is so severe that a part of the organ or tissue protrudes through your abdominal wall, causing a bump at or nearby your belly button.
There are several factors that make the internal pressure of your abdomen high. These include:
- Obesity
- Multiple pregnancies
- Prolonged coughing
- Fluid in the abdominal cavity
- Heavy weightlifting
- Previous abdominal surgery
- Straining during bowel movements
Symptoms of Umbilical Hernia
These are some of the symptoms of an umbilical hernia after pregnancy:
- Changes in the skin - A hernia develops around your weakened abdominal region and often occurs after a C-section delivery. It causes the skin around the navel near the affected region to bulge out. If the hernia cuts off your normal blood flow to the intestinal region, the skin around the bump gets reddish or turns blue due to the lack of blood supply.
- Pain - A hernia may cause the sensation of mild pain and burning around the affected abdominal region. It may also put an excess strain on your abdomen when you have bowel movements or persistent cough, and cause a lot of pain. When the hernia strangulates, you may experience severe pain and your entire abdomen turns rigid and tender. In this case, you may need to go through an immediate surgical procedure if your bowel spills into your peritoneal cavity.
- Gastrointestinal Symptoms - When a hernia strangulates, you can experience certain signs of digestive disorders such as nausea, vomiting, constipation, and blood in the stool.
Ways to treat Umbilical Hernia after Pregnancy
The surgical procedure effectively fixes a hernia. It repairs the weakened muscle wall and obstructs the organ from protruding outside. In most cases, the doctor recommends performing physical exercise after child birth. Yoga and stretches are some of the exercises that can reduces the protrusion naturally.
For small hernia which are not noticeable, no treatment is needed. However, larger hernia is dangerous when left untreated as there are chances that the intestine will get penetrated into the area of hernia or the blood supply to the penetrated area can be interrupted. Therefore, the part of intestine inside the hernia can get damaged. A large hernia can also cause severe pain. See our doctors at KIMS Cuddles to find out the right treatment for you.
*Information shared here is for general purpose Please take doctors’ advice before taking any decision.
