What are belly bands?
During pregnancy — and after — women often utilize maternity support garments to help alleviate pain, remain more active, or support their pre-pregnancy wardrobe. Maternity support garments such as belly bands can help alleviate discomfort, lower back pain, and pelvic girdle pain throughout your pregnancy.
However, belly bands should be worn in moderation and with caution to avoid any potential adverse effects.
Belly bands are stretchy tube-shaped garments that mothers-to-be wear around their belly. They can cover unbuttoned shirts or pants to accommodate your growing tummy, but the belly band can also help support your lower back and hips through light compression.
Belly bands are also known as belly sleeves, maternity bands, or pregnancy bands. They are similar to belly belts, which are more rigid and offer greater support for your abdomen, hips, pelvis, and lower back. Postpartum belly wraps or girdles — which offer structured support for postpartum recovery — are sometimes referred to as belly bands.
Benefits of wearing a belly band during pregnancy
Pain relief
For many pregnant women, back and joint pain is a constant struggle. Many women experience a wide range of pain, including:
- Sacroiliac and ligament joint pain
- Lower back pain
- Pelvic girdle pain
Lower back pain and pelvic girdle pain is especially common and can be frustrating — or may make it difficult to engage in your typical daily activities.
Wearing a belly band when you’re pregnant can potentially help support your back and your baby bump, especially during activities. This can result in a decrease in pain and improvement of overall comfort.
Support during physical activity
Research shows that exercise during pregnancy offers consistent benefits for both the mother-to-be and her growing baby. Routine exercise can help prevent conditions such as preeclampsia, prenatal depression, and gestational diabetes.
Moderate to high-intensity exercise has proven to be typically safe in most pregnancies, but you should always consult with your doctor before incorporating new exercise routines during pregnancy.
The gentle compression of the belly band can help support your growing baby bump and make physical activity more comfortable and enjoyable.
Improved posture
During pregnancy, your growing baby can put a lot of pressure on your spine. This pressure can lead to lower back pain and soreness, but the belly band can help support correct posture and prevent overextension of the back.
Postnatal support
After your baby has been born, you may find that you have decreased core strength. This is because of the stretching of the muscles and ligaments that naturally occurs during pregnancy. Research shows that, when combined with core exercises, wearing a belly band can help support the abdomen and lower back as you heal from pregnancy and childbirth. The result is a noticeable decrease in discomfort.
Belly bands can provide benefits to women who have experienced diastasis recti, or the separation of the abdominal muscles, by physically helping to pull the abdomen muscles closer to one another.
QUESTION
The first sign of pregnancy is most often: See AnswerRisks of wearing a belly band during pregnancy
While wearing a belly band can offer benefits to many pregnant and postpartum women, there are risk factors to consider. No matter what the purpose of your belly band, it is essential that you only wear the band for a few hours at a time. Overuse of the belly band or any support garment can weaken your muscles and promote overdependence.
Belly bands should be used as a part of a core strengthening regiment during pregnancy and after. While belly bands can offer pain-relief and support, they cannot replace core strengthening exercises.
Before using any compression or support garments, always consult your physician. Belly bands or pregnancy belts can cause changes in your baby’s heart rate, increased pain, muscle weakness, and skin irritation.
International Journal of Medical and Health Sciences: "Effect of Abdominal Exercises versus Abdominal Supporting Belt on Post-Partum Abdominal Efficiency and Rectus Separation."
Journal of Clinical Nursing: "Effectiveness of maternity support belts in reducing low back pain during pregnancy: a review."
Journal of Pregnancy: "The Effect of Maternity Support Garments on Alleviation of Pains and Discomforts during Pregnancy: A Systematic Review."
PLOS One: "Changes in trunk posture and muscle responses in standing during pregnancy and postpartum."
Spine: "Prevalence and factors associated with low back pain and pelvic girdle pain during pregnancy: a multicenter study conducted in the Spanish National Health Service."
Sports Health: "Exercise in Pregnancy."
Top Are Belly Bands Safe During Pregnancy Related Articles
Pregnancy Discomforts: Common Causes
During pregnancy, most women will experience discomforts during the 1st, 2nd, and 3rd trimesters. Common causes of discomforts during pregnancy include nausea and vomiting (morning sickness), fatigue, breast swelling and pain, hemorrhoids, stretch marks, mood swings, dizziness, migraines, tooth pain and bleeding gums, and pica. Common causes of pregnancy discomforts include constipation, heartburn, indigestion, reflux, varicose veins, abdominal pain, problems sleeping, congested or bloody nose, and flu like body aches.
When Should I Be Concerned About Pelvic Pain During Pregnancy?
Pelvic pain in pregnancy is a common issue that affects many women. Learn what causes pelvic pain in pregnancy, how doctors diagnose pelvic pain in pregnancy, and what you can do to treat pelvic pain in pregnancy. Pelvic pain is common in women and can have a variety of causes. Some of the possibilities include inflammation, irritable bowel syndrome (IBS), and endometriosis.
13 Ways to Stop Sugar Cravings Fast
The root causes of sugar cravings are most often lifestyle-related. You stop sugar cravings by making lifestyle-related changes, so there's usually no quick and easy way to reduce them.
How Long Does It Take to Get Your Body Back After Pregnancy?
Your body goes through a lot of changes during pregnancy. It takes anywhere from a few weeks to a few months to get your body back after pregnancy and delivery.
magnesium sulfate
Magnesium sulfate is a salt of magnesium, a naturally occurring mineral, used to prevent and treat convulsions (seizures) from preeclampsia and eclampsia (toxemia) in pregnant women. Magnesium sulfate is also used to treat certain heart rhythm disorders, magnesium deficiency, and acute kidney inflammation (nephritis) in children. Side effects include flushing, increased sweating, low blood pressure (hypotension), depressed/poor reflexes, flaccid paralysis, low core body temperature (hypothermia), circulatory collapse, depressed cardiac function, central nervous system (CNS) depression, respiratory paralysis, excess fluid in the lungs (pulmonary edema), extreme drowsiness, and others.ondansetron
Ondansetron is an antiemetic medication prescribed to prevent nausea and vomiting caused by cancer treatments (chemotherapy and radiation, and anesthetic medications used during surgeries). It is also used to treat extreme and persistent nausea and vomiting during pregnancy, and itching caused by opioid medications and certain specific conditions. Common side effects of ondansetron include headache, feeling unwell (malaise), fatigue, constipation, low tissue oxygen levels (hypoxia), drowsiness, dizziness, and gynecological disorder. Consult your doctor before taking ondansetron if pregnant or breastfeeding.
Pregnancy Planning (Tips)
Pregnancy planning is an important step in preparation for starting or expanding a family. Planning for a pregnancy includes taking prenatal vitamins, eating healthy for you and your baby, disease prevention (for both parents and baby) to prevent birth defects and infections, avoiding certain medications that may be harmful to your baby, how much weight gain is healthy exercise safety and pregnancy, travel during pregnancy.Prenatal Vitamins
Prenatal vitamins are recommended by most doctors prior to getting pregnant, throughout your pregnancy, and after you have your baby. The developing embryo and fetus need extra vitamins for healthy development. Prenatal vitamins contain iron, calcium and vitamin D, folic acid (to prevent birth defects), zinc, iodine, and vitamin A. Some prenatal multivitamins also contain other minerals and supplements like vitamin B 12 and omega-3 fatty acids.pyridoxine
Pyridoxine is a form of vitamin B6, a water-soluble vitamin and an important micronutrient required for the normal functioning of many biological systems in the body. Common side effects of pyridoxine include headache, drowsiness (somnolence), abnormal skin sensations (paresthesia), nerve damage (neuropathy), impaired coordination/balance/speech (ataxia), seizure (from very large IV dose), folate deficiency, excessive acidity in body fluids (acidosis), increase in liver enzyme AST, nausea, and hypersensitivity reaction.
Swollen Ankles and Swollen Feet
Swollen ankles and swollen feet is a symptom of an underlying disease or condition such as edema, medications, pregnancy, injuries, diseases, infections, lymphedema, or blood clots.
What Are the 3 Prenatal Tests?
Prenatal tests are medical procedures performed during pregnancy to assess the health and development of the fetus and to help identify any potential problems or abnormalities. The three most common prenatal tests include ultrasound, amniocentesis, and chorionic villus sampling (CVS). Other prenatal tests include pregnancy test, first trimester screening, second trimester screening, noninvasive prenatal testing, fetal ultrasound, genetic counseling, biophysical profile, Group B streptococcus (GBS) test, glucose tolerance test, anomaly scan, and alpha-fetoprotein (AFP) test.
When Should You Stop Traveling While Pregnant?
For uncomplicated pregnancies, it can be safe to travel during your pregnancy. However, the recommended time to travel is during your second trimester.