PG With Hernia

I got one with my 3rd pregnancy also. At first we didn't know what it was. I thought I was going to die one morning. I was on my knees in so much pain and my husband took me to my doctor. We found out it was a hernia and she gave me a support belt to wear and said that there was nothing they could do while I was pregnant. Same advice as the other mother, my doctor told me to stay off my feet as much as possible and to NOT do any heavy lifting. It went away after the birth of my beautiful baby girl.

I had the surgery when I was 7 months pregnant with my first. Everything went well and my OB stayed close by and checked on me throughout. I was in alot of pain and was confident in the suggestions my OB had to go ahead with the surgery. Good luck to your daughter.

I had one below my chest during my 2nd pregnancy. And it was uncomfortable, like a burning/ripping sensation. I just toughed it out til the end. And it repaired itself, it was along the linea alba.

Hi L.. I would have her try to hold off on the surgery until after the baby is born or as close to her due date as possible. If she just cannot stand the pain then however she should do it. After all she is the primary concern and she cannot be miserable for the next 4 months. Has she asked her surgeon or OB for stronger pain meds? She can take those in moderation during pregnancy and they may help her get to term and deliver at which point they can do the surgery. Best of luck whatever ya'll decide. Be sure to let us know what happens.

I was 17 weeks pregnant when I had surgery like that....and then with another pregnancy a similar problem arose when I was almost 30 weeks pregnant...that time I opted to wait.. I was already uncomfortable enough! It was painful to wait but I just felt more comfortable...with the decision not the pain. I was a wreck during the previous surgery wondering if the baby was ok from the surgery. and even though she was fine, I didn't want to put myself through that worry again. There is enough to worry about during pregancy.

i'm not a surgeon or a dr., but it seems to me that if women can have their middles split open to fetch babies, then someone could figure out a way to give her an epidural or something & do laparoscopic surgery for the repair without general...?

When I was pregnant with my second I had a hernia and I saw a surgeon and she didn't want to do surgery until a month after I delivered due to the fact surgery could induce labor. Like most people said get her a support belt you can get one at motherhood that really helps! And stay off her feet. She needs to realize though if she does have real extreme pain on the hernia like my surgeon said it feels like the worst pain of your life then she needs to go to the hospital asap! The intenstines could get trapped and she could need er surgery. I would definatly try the belt before surgery though.

With my third child, I found out I was pregnant one week and had massive Gallstones the next. This was 20 years ago. The doctors wanted me to have an abortion but I refused. I had to wait until I was between my 5th and 6th months to have surgery to remove the dreaded thing. I too went through a lot of pain, but the surgery was successful. Yes, it is dangerous with being pregnant and most likely (as I had) her OBGYN will have to assist. I know it is scary but it will definately make the rest of her pregnancy more enjoyable. Also, make sure she follows all the doctors directions... Which will basically mean no lifting, no mopping, sweeping, anything like that for the rest of the pregnancy!!

I had a hernia in the upper portion of my intestinal tract that could have been problematic for my child's and my health if I had not done anything about it. My gastric surgeon said that it was best repaired in the second trimester, before my son grew into the area affected.

I decided to do the surgery under general anesthesia and both my son and I slept peacefully while they repaired the problem. We monitored heartbeats upon awaking and were just fine with no negative complications. My son and I were a little loopy with pain meds in recovery, but it was more important, in my opinion, to do the surgery than open the potential for an emergency surgery down the road in the last trimester.

Making the judgement call is the hard part and that's really personal to her type of hernia, situation, potential for crisis while pregnant, etc. The actual act of surgery and recovery is, professionally, not a difficult one.

I wish your daughter the best in her decision. Feel free to email me if you would like to learn more about my experience.

I have a hernia and found out in my first pregnancy. It must have been there all along but I didn't know because I had never gained more than 10 pounds beyond high school weight. My doctor also sent me to a surgeon and they left it up to me to decide. The alternative was to wear a pregnancy support belt to lift the weight up. I was also to stay off my feet as much as possible in my everyday work. It caused a considerable amount of pain when I was on my feet too much but I made it through. I never had to undergo surgery because I lost the weight and it stopped paining me. It didn't help that my first born was 10/2 and my second 8/12. I hope this works for you too.