The Post-Pregnancy Belt What It Is and How It Can Help

Pregnancy changes in your body can take time to recover. Women can use a post-pregnancy belt to help their muscles after having a baby. Wraps or belts might help with the pain and healing, especially after a Cesarean section. It is also helpful to provide support to muscles & organs as they move back into place after childbirth. 

How Does A Post-pregnancy Belt Work?

Light compression from the abdominal belt can support your natural transverse abdominal when you can’t contract it. Belly belts more or less ‘splint’ the muscles that have operated during pregnancy. It could help you to be more conscious of using your abs, which is the first step in getting them back to full strength. They could also help with spinal alignment, encouraging the organs, the uterus, and all muscles to return to normal. Adding to that, binding can improve the image of the body and, with exercise, how well the body can bend forward.   

Benefits of Post-pregnancy belts

The belts or wraps can be considered as a belly binder. Doctors gives a suggestion of binding after major abdominal surgery, including a C-section.  

There are benefits of using a belt which include the following: 

• Help relieves the pain 
• Helps you to move around 
• Helps increase the blood flow 
• Helps with muscle and incision healing 
• Helps with the posture 
• Lowers the swelling from surgery 

1. Support Your Pelvic Floor.

Your organs change & move during pregnancy to build room for a growing baby. In pregnancy, the hormones make your pelvic floor muscles relaxed. It can cause you to leak urine after having a baby. A postpartum belt can offer compression to hold powers in place as your body heals gently. 

2. Diastasis Recti 

During pregnancy, the two large muscles which run down either side of the stomach area split apart as your uterus pushes & expands against them. It is called diastasis recti. By eight weeks postpartum, your separated stomach muscles go back into place. A belt can compress and support the forces as they move back into place. 

What Is The Risk Of A Post-pregnancy Belt?

They are usually used after you have a C-section. With some benefits, they may also have risks which include pain, too much pressure, itchiness or rashes, and pelvic floor prolapse.  

The risks may happen due to wearing the wrong kind of belt or wearing it too tightly. The post-pregnancy belt helps to provide support for your recovering body. Wearing a belt too tight can do more damage than good.  

Even though some people may claim it is a waist trainer that can help you lose weight post-pregnancy, there isn’t any evidence of this.  

Using a Pregnancy Belt After a C-section

The belt must be wrapped tightly, which can result in extreme pressure on the surgical wound. While the dressings can help support the damage and prevent reopening, the stress you may experience from a post-pregnancy belt may pose complications.  

For one, the pressure can cause significant pain at the particular surgical site, causing you to focus on more pain management than you might typically require. It doesn’t allow your wound to breathe and may cause tiger bleeding as you move the belt around. In most cases, further damage may happen to the tissues around the injury, and it can heal unevenly, giving you trouble with future pregnancies and permanent issues regarding muscle use. 

When wrapping the tummy with a post-pregnancy belt, it’s always important to check with your medical professional. In the case of a C-section wound, it’s advisable to wait until it has healed. 

Type of Post-pregnancy Belts

There are different types of belts available; we have listed some of them. 

• Elastic belts: These are made of soft, elastic fabric. It must be flexible enough to breathe, move, and shift easily. It should be long enough to warp around the hips and abdomen comfortably.  
• Support belts: You can find adjustable support belts which are helpful for your hips and back to support good posture and sore muscles. Both good posture and hip support can help strengthen the pelvic floor.  

Also, Check – Cosmetic Surgery: Top Things You Have To Know

Post-pregnancy Belt Shopping Tips

Finding the best postpartum belly belt for you comes down to the unique needs of everyone.  

• Comfort: When it comes to belly binding efficacy, compression is the point. That said, you should seek the support of a belt that is not a waist trainer or too tight a corset.  The goal is to alleviate pain with adjustable and stretchy styles that can adapt to your body. Consult your doctor to find an excellent choice for you and your recovery.  
• Ease of use: If your post-pregnancy belt is a pain to put on, you aren’t going to use it. The same goes if it’s a struggle to wear while completing daily tasks. Settle on a postpartum belt that doesn’t disrupt your life with difficult or annoying closures. Only you know what you may find frustrating.  
• Discreteness: Some belts are more seamless than others. If you like to wear fitted clothes, you need to keep that in mind. 

The Safety of Post-pregnancy Belts 

Wearing a belt in the post-pregnancy stage isn’t for everyone. While it can lower the pain from surgery and support your body, you need to think about a belt that is easy to wear, is not tight, and is safe to wear. 

What To Keep In Mind While Using A Post-pregnancy Belt?

If you are going to try it, make sure It’s not too tight. The reason is that extra compression puts more pressure on the pelvic floor, makes it weak post-pregnancy, and holds weight during pregnancy. Also, during pregnancy, you don’t want to constrict the blood flow to the uterus. If you had a C-section, ensure the edge of the belt is not directly on the incision, where the wound can get irritated.