Woman Shares Her Story of Developing a Side Effect of Pregnancy We Don’t Hear Too Often
(Pexels / Freestocks)
Moms know that pregnancy and childbirth aren’t always a walk in the park. While some lucky few do get to enjoy a completely uncomplicated path to motherhood, others hit numerous bumps along the way. Even less common of are the complications that might arise long after you’ve given birth. On the mental front, there’s things like postpartum depression and the less-talked-about postpartum anxiety. On the physical side are hemorrhoids, hair loss, and one that’s rarer still: umbilical hernias. Now, one mom is speaking out about her experience with this unusual condition.
Kari Horn, a Virginia-based mom, gave birth to a baby boy 18 months ago via C-section after a lengthy, high-risk pregnancy. Horn has endometriosis, a condition that causes uterine tissue to grow outside the uterus, as well as a tilted uterus. These conditions made conceiving difficult for Horn. Additionally, she has Group B Strep, which meant she needed to give birth quickly and on antibiotics to protect her baby.
Her c-section recovery was slow, but then she noticed a bump on her belly button that gave her pause. A friend suggested it might be a hernia, and surely enough, it was. Not only that, but it was actually three hernias altogether.
“I’m convinced that after a C-section and triple hernia repair, I will never have proper strength back in my abs or a pain-free day. My C-section scar still hurts to this day on top of the repaired hernia areas, but we make the best of it. At least eating, breathing, and holding my son is no longer uncomfortable, so that’s a win,” Kari told the Huffington Post.
After being inspired by other mothers sharing their postpartum bodies online, Kari felt inclined to do the same, especially since umbilical hernias are rare. In fact, these types of hernias are most common in infants due to frequent crying. Horn said that the hernia repair has been much more difficult than her c-section recovery–so that tells us a lot. Still, she hopes that her post will help women to “love their bodies more.”
While Horn has since made her viral Instagram post private, here’s an excerpt of what it said:
”Sometimes, despite what your dream of child birth is, you have to have an emergency C-section. Sometimes, no matter how much coconut and vitamin E oil you put on your pregnant belly, you still get all of the stretch marks. Sometimes, even when your baby is now a toddler, you find out that you have not one, but three umbilical hernias, and you have to get your abs and muscles cut into again. Then sometimes you’re allergic to the bandaging the doctor used and end up with burns and a rash all over your already sore tummy.”
No doubt pregnancy and postpartum life can have an intense effect on us mothers.
”Those of us who have become ”˜less than ideal’ over time just have the scars, stretch marks, bruises, etc. to show it and remind us that we are warriors,” she said.
We couldn’t agree more.
