Will A Belly Band Make Me More Comfortable?

There are lots of products out there on the market for pregnant women to help them feel more comfortable.  Supportive clothes, pregnancy pillows, supportive shoes, and a belly band. Whether or not you need any of these items is totally up to the person.  And whether or not the person is uncomfortable enough to need something. I have been blessed this second pregnancy where I am carrying my baby super low and he has been predicted to be about 8lbs 12oz by the end of it all.  So low giant baby leads to some discomfort.

At the beginning of my pregnancy I had a tendency to compare this one to my first pregnancy, and when someone would suggest that I could benefit from a pregnancy pillow I would roll my eyes and be like well didn’t need one for my first pregnancy don’t think it will help in this one.  Well I was wrong, my husband finally tired of hearing me complain about hip, shoulder and back pain while I slept just ordered me a pillow. That was the greatest thing in the world. Boy did it relieve some of the aches and pains and I actually could get a good night’s sleep. 

Well now that I am at the 36 week point in the pregnancy, the pillow was no longer helpful. My belly was too big and the pillow having a soft case over it was making me too unbearably hot.  So packed that away and am back to sleeping with a pillow for my head and a pillow between my legs. As my pregnancy has progressed I have been getting lots of pelvic pain, cramping in my front abdomen, and sometimes when I stood up, it felt like the baby was going to fall out.  None of these are pleasant. I would come home from work and just be exhausted from the discomfort. I tried different pelvic stretches that were supposed to help. I even spoke with my doctor and got, “Yep, second pregnancies with big babies are a kick in the butt.” Well that is not helpful. I figured I needed to do my own research on the matter. 

In my research I found belly bands.  Now I thought these were silly, but as I mentioned before I thought pregnancy pillows were silly too and they got me through my second trimester.  Belly bands are used to support your lower back and abdomen. There are lots of different styles of them. Some that come up over the top of your belly completely, others that come up halfway, and then there are some that are just at the lower part of your belly.  Belly bands are said to be able to reduce the pain you are having from either sciatic nerve pain in your back or round ligament pain. They give you gentle compression while wearing them giving you the ability to do daily activities in more comfort. Depending on the type you get it can also help with posture not allowing you to slouch helping your spine and hips stay aligned.  Along with stabilizing your hips it can also help improve your balance. There seem to be some great benefits to them. The problem is people don’t seem to do enough research on them before purchasing. Since there are so many different choices out there. Some on the lower expense end and then others that are on the higher expense spectrum.  

On any product you purchase it’s always good to do your research, or read reviews about a product.  My findings are people review when they either extremely love something or they extremely hate something.  Make sure you read both, it’s good to know negative feedback as well as positive. Some issues with belly bands can be that they are made of non breathable fabric so your abdomen gets super sweaty.  Depending on the brand it may not give you the support or relief you are looking for. Some brands may tend to bunch up where you are having to adjust it constantly throughout the day. If you get a belly band and love it to pieces you are wearing it all the time you can become overly dependent on it, meaning you almost cannot function without it.  Some belly bands are sleek and made to wear they hide nicely under your maternity clothing. Not all of them are like this though, so you may be able to see that you have on a band. Now that can be a con or you may be so uncomfortable at this point you don’t care if you can tell or not you just want the relief, that is personal preference. You can wear a belly band too tightly, which can put strain on your uterus.  So make sure you have read how tight it should be or speak with your doctor if you have any questions so you don’t cause harm in trying to get relief.  

I finally broke down and bought a belly band.  This was due to the fact that every time I walked for longer than ten minutes I literally was holding my belly to help relieve the pressure.  I was also getting tired of feeling like the baby was going to fall out. I did a load of research before purchasing one. I got one that merely supports under your belly.  It wraps around at the lowest point of your belly and fastens in the back. I wasn’t quite sure about it at first. But like anything that is new it took some getting used to.  I started wearing it when I went to work. My job is mainly sitting at a computer all day, and I can tell you it was extremely helpful when I would go to stand up, but it was miserable to wear all day sitting.  I only work for about 5 hours, but it still was not something I will wear back for just sitting. So I started wearing it around the house when I was cleaning, or standing doing dishes or knew I was going to be sitting and standing a lot in a small amount of time and boy did it do wonders.  I got to where I didn’t even realize I was wearing it anymore, it gave me so much support when I would stand up from sitting. The feeling of the baby falling out doesn’t occur when I have the band on. It is incredible how much just this little band supports my big belly and just taking off some of the pressure from my pelvis.  I now consistently wear it when I am up and about the house doing things or if I am out running errands and will be on my feet for awhile. I know I have more energy from it just from the fact of not being exhausted from the pain I was enduring.  

Do I think belly bands are for everyone?  No I do not. I think it is dependent on your pregnancy and your discomfort.  It is another added cost of something you will only use for a short amount of time.  For me though, I didn’t mind this because I was too uncomfortable I wanted relief. I didn’t need a belly band in my first pregnancy, but as the doctor said a second pregnancy big baby is a kick in the butt.  Make sure you do your research on what will best fit your needs if you are thinking of getting a belly band. Or even talk with your doctor they may have some suggestions on good brands and what will help your discomfort.