Maternity Support and Post-Partum Girdles
During our recent pregnancy, we used three items which we feel helped enormously, all recommended by our OB/GYN.
* A maternity support band. This is worn during pregnancy and goes under the belly to give support. It distributes the weight from the back and helps to keep the pressure of the growing baby from the cervix.
* A postpartum girdle. This is worn as soon as possible after delivery to help return the shape of the waist and belly to its pre-pregnancy state.
* Stretch Mark Cream: it seemed to work miracles to avoid stretch marks from the pregnancy as you will see below.
Buy The Amon Band
Maternity Support
Materity Support Belts
Our OB/GYN insisted that we use a maternity support band because she was worried that we might have an early birth and she felt that we needed to take the pressure from the baby off of the cervix. Our baby was full-term, so maybe it helped.
My wife liked wearing the band, because it helped to redistribute weight from her back. Particularly during the last months/weeks of pregnancy.
We put it on during the day when there is alot of standing and walking. We took it off when we were sitting for a long-time, like when having a meal at a restaurant.
The best way to put it on is to
* put it in position,
* lie on a bed flat on your back
* Adjust it to the correct level low under the belly.
Often the father can help to make sure that the belt is in the right place and the same position every time.
Maternity Support Band
We bought our maternity support band in a local shop. This is NOT the exact same band, but the maternity support band we used looks very similar to this one.
What Do You Think About Maternity Support?
Tell us your thoughts about postpartum girdles and/or maternity support bands
Post Partum Girdles
My wife used a post-partum girdle and we strongly believe that it helped her to return to her pre-pregnancy shape. Her OB/GYN put it on her 2 days after she gave birth. We made a mark on the girdle to show us how tight it was. Everyday, we put it on a little bit tighter. She wore it for a month. Her waist is once again small and she fits into the same clothes she wore before she got pregnant.
There is not alot of clinical evidence to prove if a Post-Partum Girdle is effective or how it works. But many women swear by them. The idea is that a post-partum girdle, like a big compression bandage, holds the abdominal tissues together and allows body parts which were pulled apart during pregnancy and birth, to return to their pre-pregnancy shape and position and for the underlying tissues to undergo "reknitting".
In many cultures, abdominal binding after birth is quite common. In several asian and latin american countries, women's mid-sections are routinely bound after pregnancy in order to help women return to a shape similar to their pre-pregnancy days.
In the book "Natural Health After Birth" By Aviva Jill Romm, belly binding in the first month after birth is recommended to help return the uterus to its rightful place. According to Judith Goldsmith, author of "Childbirth Wisdom From the World's Oldest Societies" in some cultures "the abdomen was bound to complete drainage of blood as well as to help contract the uterus".
Your midwife or ObGyn may be able to advise you if a post-partum girdle, worn in the first month after delivery will be of benefit to you.
My Wife's Belly
Un-Retouched Photos

This is my wife's belly in her first month of pregnancy and 1.5 months after delivery. These are NOT touched up. The only thing I did was crop them so that the size is similar.
Post-Partum Girdle That We Used
This is the portpartum girdle that we used. This postpartum girdle is inexpensive, easy to put on. Only small problem is that it tends to role down at the top when sitting down. But it was a small inconvenience.
It is essentially a big stretchy elastic band with velcro at the ends. It is very simple and perhaps there are better ones than this. But as it was under $20, we felt that it was a very small investment. When we were buying it, we decided it might help, couldn't hurt, and if it did nothing, it would not be a big loss. We were not disappointed.
We feel that the postpartum girdle helped greatly to bring my wife's waist back to her pre-pregnancy shape. She fits in her same clothes she wore before giving birth. You would never know she had a baby.
Buy The Belly Bandit
Belly Bandit Postpartum Tummy Wrap
Post-pregnancy girdle
Post Partum Support Belts
GABRIALLA Postpartum Girdles
Is This Your Idea of Maternity Support?

(Photo by MarkyBon)
Slim Carioca Post Partum Girdles
Do You Know Someone Who Is Pregnant?
Send Them a Link NOW!
Other Post Delivery Support
Stretch Marks
Clarins Stretch Mark Control
A postpartum Girdle will help you prevent a saggy stomach. But what do you do about stretch marks?
My wife used Clarins Stretch Mark Control. She applied it once per day in the evening before going to bed. Because Clarins is kind of expensive she only used it once per day and she applied a less expensive brand in the morning. One 6.7 oz tube lasted her approximately 1 month. She started in the 3rd or 4th month and used approximately 5 or 6 tubes of Clarins and 5 or 6 tubes of a less expensive brand throughout the pregnancy.
You can see the results in the photo above. That is her belly. 1.5 months after pregnancy there are no stretch marks. Would we have gotten the same result using exclusively a cheaper brand? Maybe. But we read good things about Clarins and decided that our approach was a good compromise. If you can not afford Clarins, try a less expensive brand. If you can afford it, you may want to use ONLY Clarins.
Between the Postpartum belt and the Clarins Stretch Mark Control, she healed nicely from her pregnancy. The only way to see that she was pregnant is the C-Section scar, not shown in the photo.
See These Related Sites
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Girdle: The Original Shapeware
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Girdles were widely popular for about 50 years from the early to the mid 1900's. Made& originally of rubber and later elastic, girdles smooth the body line and made the wearer appear to have a nicer form. Girdles replaced the very restrictive corset...
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Sassybax: Shapewear For Your Upper Body!
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Sassybax big focus is bras. Sassybax has done for the upper body, what the more well know Spanx has done for "the bottom line". The Sassybax byline is "Comfortable Bras Eliminate Visable Bra Lines". Do you remember "visable panty lines" or VPL? Now,...
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Have you heard of Spanx? If not, listen up! Spanx is one of the fastest growing brands of shapewear in the world. In fact, it is safe to say that Spanx reignited the interest in shapewear, which had nearly died off until a few years ago. Started les...
Other Valuable Links
- Pregnancy Clothing (Dutch Language)
- This is a dutch language link list to various types of pregnancy clothing.
Do you have experience with Maternity or Postpartum Supportwear?
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Reply
- Tracy-B Tracy-B Mar 11, 2009 @ 2:24 pm
- Hi! I dont know what I would have done without maternity wear during my pregnancy, it helps keep some pain off your back...this is an awesome lense! Please visit my Squidoo a guide for first time mommies!
http://www.squidoo.com/babypregguides
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