Can I Still Get Surgery on my Belly Button if I Plan on Having More Kids?

Yes you can get your umbilical hernia fixed. This is usually done by a general surgeon although some plastic surgeons do this procedure as well.  An umbilical hernia can be repaired as part of a tummy tuck surgery or other abdominal rejuvenation like liposuction or can be done alone.  I would talk with a general surgeon or a plastic surgeon that your OB recommends to see what options are available for you.  Best of Luck, Dr. Kerr

Yes, you can get an umbilical (belly button) hernia fixed now before having children. It is probably best to wait for a tummy tuck until you are done having kids.

Also, it is possible for the hernia to come back in the future, especially when you have more kids. But this is the risk you'll have to take for the blessing of children.

See at least two or more plastic surgeons in your area to discuss in detail.  I hope this helps.

It sounds like you have an umbilical hernia.  This can be performed using only local anesthesia in my office with minimal recovery time. It is not necessary to wait until you have another child. The advantage of having a plastic surgeon repair the hernia is that he/she can also remove the excess skin of the belly button and make it look better. This is called an umbilicoplasty. I am sure that if you google umbilicoplasty in New York, you will find that I am among the most experienced and am happy to see you in my office for a free consultation.

Hi there-

Dr. Aldea gives an excellent description of umbilical hernias, and I agree that while this is not an emergency, you should consider repair. 

If you are certain you will be having more children, I would not proceed with Tummy Tuck until your family is complete- so while these types of hernias can be easily repaired at the time of your tummy tuck, you may be better off if it will be that long before your family is complete having it repaired through a small incision around the belly button.

Umbilical hernias are fairly common with pregnancy and it is worth waiting for them to resolve on their own. If the hernia persists it can be repaired, and you might want to before your next pregnancy. No reason to wait as long as five years.
Best of luck,Peter Johnson, MD

It sounds like you have an umbilical hernia. The point in the belly where the blood vessels from the umbilical cord pentrated your abdomen allowing you to receive nutrients and oxygen from your mother in the womb is a potential point of weakness. In some people this area is somewhat larger and pressure inside the abdomen literally pushes the intraabdominal lining along with several potential abdominal contents including a segment of intestine. 

A small ventral hernia need not be repaired. Neither is a very large hernia in which the contents can be easily pushed back in and therefore do not pose a threat. The hernias in between where the opening is big enough to allow pooching to occur but may then entrap the sac causing an INCARCERATED hernia need to be repair to prevent a scenario of loss of blood supply to the tissue in the sac creating a surgical emergency.

An umbilical hernia can be repaired with an incision around the belly button or it can be rapired at the time of a Tummy Tuck.  A Tummy Tuck should be delayed until your weight is stable and you completed your family. 

Thank you for the question.

Based on your description and your OB/GYN's comments  I think you are probably dealing with an umbilical hernia. You should be  examined;  it an umbilical hernia is present,  you should have it repaired in the  near future.

Since you are planning on having further pregnancies, I would suggest that you delay tummy tucked surgery until you have completed pregnancies.  However, your umbilical hernia should be addressed now. If the appearance of your umbilicus is of importance to you, then I would suggest that you consider having the surgery done by a well experienced board-certified plastic surgeon.  He/she may be able to address the local hernia as well as the appearance of the umbilicus.

I hope this helps.

Umbillical hernias are common occurences with the stretching of the abdominal wall with pregnancy.  A large umbillical hernia is ironically less of a risk than a small one.  A small hernia has a greater chance of having intra abdominal tissue become trapped and unable to escape.  Tissue swelling can cut off the blood supply creating an emergency need for repair to prevent tissue death.  So it might be prudent to repair your hernia but put off the  tummy tuck until after you have finished having children.