This story is mine, actually. I am the last person in the WORLD I ever thought would get a hernia during pregnancy. I make sure my recti stay together as much as possible during pregnancy, if not completely together by doing seated tuplers and avoiding comprising movements. The connective tissue, therefore, doesn’t have to stretch over the organs like SARAN WRAP, like it does when the diastasis is bigger, thereby increasing the likelihood of a tear or imperfection of the connective tissue (linea alba/linea negra). When the organs poke through the imperfection or hole in the connective tissue, THAT is a hernia…..So what happened…..?
During this pregnancy I experience 2 severe Urinary Tract Infections (UTIs) – one right on top of the other…I had to go in for special cultures, etc. Well, this was during the time that I typically “pop out” with my pregnancy belly. Sadly, the pain was too severe to do seated tuplers, which I believe would have prevented what then happened….
I could see when I was finally starting to heal from the UTI that my recti had split – and I had a diastasis. Not a big one, – like a 2 ½ in the middle, and 1 shallow on the top and bottom. I also noticed a painful area near my belly button, and a strange protrusion – a slightly bluish color. I thought – OH NO!!!!! HOW could this BE?!?!
I began researching, and of course consulting with Diastasis Rehab headquarters in New York. Both avenues told me that I could make the hernia pop back in (as long as it was not an endangerment to my health-kind-of-hernia) only AFTER PREGNANCY, but DEFINITELY NOT DURING.
However, I am not one to let things lie. I felt inclined to begin doing sets of seated tuplers WHILE MANUALLY holding in my hernia. After doing several trial sets, I became in contact with Julie Tupler about working with the hernia this way, which she thought sounded promising and monitoring the situation of doing sets this way.
What you are about to read has never been done before, and is the first of its kind that I have ever found. This could change the way hernias are dealt with during pregnancy:
Here is what happened:
Day one – very painful hernia – seemed like it was getting bigger – it was 2 fingerwidths tall and 1 fingerwidth wide. Manually holding in the hernia at first seemed to take both of my hands to make sure I gingerly slid the hernia back into the tear of the connective tissue. I found I had to angle my hernia TOWARDS the belly button, and then slightly back away to get the hernia to pop IN. When I could feel the surface pain was gone, and I could feel the absence of the protrustion, I knew the hernia was back “in.” I then did “standing” seated tuplers while tucking my chin and bringing my head down (a “standing” head lift) – so I could both bring the connective tissue back together AND shorten the recti. I also did the regular seated tuplers as well.
I splinted ALL DAY making sure to try and bring the hernia in as much as possible while splinting.
Day two – I woke up and did more seated tuplers STANDING while holding the hernia in manually. It was smaller it seemed and the pain was HALVED!! That seemed encouraging. I did several more sets. It was very helpful to me to see my exposed belly while doing these to make sure I pushed in the ENTIRE hernia while doing these. I did about 3 to 4 sets of 100 this way, as well one of two sets of 100 seated tuplers (normal) in the car without holding in the hernia.
I again splinted ALL DAY (AND NIGHT) making sure to bring the hernia in as much as possible.
I also because VERY cautious of my body mechanics – avoiding anything that would shoot the hernia back out and destroy my work – I kept my back flat while bending over, I didn’t pick of anything too heavy, and I kept my transverse in on the work part of everything I did.
Day three – I woke up and I didn’t “sense” my hernia. I had to feel around to see if some of it was still there. Finally I found a little sliver of a hernia by my navel. It was now 1 fingerwidth long, and 1/3 of a fingerwidth wide. This was VERY heartening. I did more standing seated tuplers while tucking my chin and bringing my head down, keeping my pelvis tilted, and MANUALLY bringing in the hernia. It was small enough now that when I brought the hernia in, it felt like bubbles when it went through the tear – and only very slight pain. I couldn’t even see the bulge anymore, and NO bluish color.
Day four – slight setback – I went to target and decided to get very organized. I purchased 10 heavy bins that stack and put them in the car myself – they were too heavy for me to keep my transverse in all the way – the hernia came out a little bit – but didn’t regress all the way. I KNEW I should have asked one of those cart boys for help!
Day five – I am of course STILL wearing the splint both night and day – making sure that I don’t feel the pull of the splint above of below the hernia area if it wanders – as this can cause pressure of the hernia area to pop out more – it must be DIRECTLY over the herniated area. I did more sets of 100 – both standing seated tuplers and regular seated tuplers. I feel like the standing ones give me slightly more leverage and view to get the hernia just right.
Day six – Still wearing the splint – I can’t really tell the hernia is there at all –both in sight and feel. I do more regular seated tuplers know , as I can tell the hernia won’t go the other way, but will be more apt (even with the forward forcefull pressure of my growing uterus) to go back in where it should.
So that is that – against all knowledge and experience out there – I brought back in the hernia DURING PREGNANCY – at 28 weeks – with the baby slightly ahead of schedule. This is HUGE!! This is the first time this has been tried and it was SUCCESSFUL. There is hope. Now no surgery after birth for a stupid hernia – and in only a week. I wouldn’t have believed it myself if it didn’t happen to me. Just like the many in the medical world (many still don’t) believe that diastasis recti can be brought together without surgery, they’ll think the same thing about bringing a hernia in while PREGNANT (many hernias can be brought in AFTER pregnancy with seated tuplers). But now the world can know it IS possible – and we are ahead of the curve!
(DISCLAIMER: don’t do without supervision of someone educated in this area).
Wow! What awesome news…Don’t you just want to shout this to the world? I’m sure Julie will help you out with that. Incredible!
Amazing!! Congrats–what a great feeling to have that taken care of BEfORE the baby comes!!
Were you able to keep the hernia from returning during birth? I’m afraid even if I can fix it during pregnancy (I’m 33 weeks now) that it will pop back out during birth. I know about Julie’s perfect pushing, but I just wondered how this worked for you. Also, did you continue to wear the splint all the time, etc. during the rest of your pregnancy to prevent the hernia from returning?
Hi Kimberly!
Yes – I never did see any sign of a hernia after I helped heal the connective tissue over the organs, as I posted. No remote signs of any sort of the hernia. It was in fact TOTALLY healed…and still the WORLDS ONLY DOCUMENTED CASE of reversing a hernia that I have been able to find. I did splint the entire rest of my pregnancy to prevent the hernia from returning, and I did use the splint during interums while pushing during labor. While you push – keep that transverse to the spine!!!
*addendum to above comment – this is WORLDS ONLY DOCUMENTED CASE of reversing a hernia DURING PREGNANCY! Many have done it afterwards, but this is the first hernia to be reversed DURING PREGNANCY.
This was such a huge blessing! I am crying, thank you so much for posting this! I have an umbilical hernia, probably 1 tip of finger wide, and thought I could never have kids, which I adore! Now I am hopeful, and I feel I CAN be a mommy someday! Thank you, thank you!! This is a blessing.