As your uterus expands during pregnancy, it puts extra pressure on your belly and lower back, and you may experience pregnancy ‘growing pains’. Although this can be very uncomfortable, and even painful, it is your body’s way of stretching and growing so that it can support your baby.
These growing pains usually start at around 12 weeks and tend to continue as your bump expands, but it can differ for everyone. Apart from the abdominal pain and back pain that comes as a result of your growing bump, the extra weight your body is carrying can also have an effect on other areas of your body, causing shoulder pain, hip pain, and swelling in the legs and ankles.
Many moms-to-be are prescribed pain medication, but if you’re looking for non-medicinal remedies, you may be interested to know that a belly band is proven to decrease pain and improve comfort in pregnant women.
Do I really need a belly band?
Belly bands have a myriad of benefits for all stages of your pregnancy. A study in Spine Journal reported that 71% of women report lower back pain, and 65% report pelvic girdle pain during their pregnancy, so, unfortunately, the chances are that you will experience discomfort at some point while your bump is growing.
For this reason, a belly band is a must-have for any expectant mom. It’s safe for both you and your baby and can help support your lower back and your bump during activities, which decreases pain overall. It also offers mild compression to support your hips and back.
Belly bands are a wide strip of fabric, made from stretchy material, that is designed to expand with your belly for optimal comfort. There are many available options, but we highly recommend this one from The Mommy Care Kit because it is designed for comfort and is suitable for use during and after pregnancy.
It has an elastic band to prevent bunching and provides mild compression. Wearing the belly band from The Mommy Care Kit helps to distribute the baby’s weight evenly over your belly and lower back, which reduces strain on the lower back muscles, belly, ligaments, and joints.
When should I use a belly band?
Many women like to use belly bands during the earlier stages of their pregnancy, while their body gets used to the growing pains. However, some moms like to use them postpartum as well, to help them feel supported while they readjust to their pre-pregnancy clothing.
When and how often you use it is completely up to you because it has no nasty chemicals, no pills, and no side effects that you need to worry about.
Tip: To avoid overdependence, and to keep your abdominal muscles strong, it is recommended that you don’t wear your belly band constantly. Wearing it for 2-3 hours at a time will allow you to get all the benefits a belly band can offer.
6 benefits of using a belly band
1. Eases sacroiliac (SI) joint pain
Sacroiliac joint pain is common in pregnant women because it is caused by a hormone called ‘relaxin’ that is released during pregnancy. This hormone causes the hip joints to become loose and unstable. It may show up as a sharp pain in the lower back, near the tailbone.
If you have this type of pain, a belly band will support the hip joints and provide some stability, which will ease your symptoms. Wearing your belly band during activities will help to keep everything supported and prevent further pain and stress on the joints.
2. Helps round ligament pain
This type of growing pain usually occurs during the second trimester of pregnancy due to the extra weight and pressure on your ligaments as your uterus expands. Many women find this pain to be unbearable, and symptoms can be anything from a dull ache to a sharp pain below the belly.
A belly band distributes the extra weight you’re carrying evenly across your lower back and belly, which in turn eases the pressure on your round ligament joints — the root of the pain.
3. Eases symptoms of Diastasis Recti
Diastasis recti is a common condition among pregnant women, caused by too much pressure on your abdominal muscles. The left and right sides of your abdominal wall separate, and this can cause the intestines to push through the gap in the muscles. This can be very painful and uncomfortable and isn’t typically treatable with medication.
A belly band physically pulls the abdominal muscles together, so if you already have this condition, it can ease symptoms by pulling the left and right abdominal muscles back together, helping them to return to normal.
If you don’t have this condition, a belly band is also helpful for preventing it, since it keeps your abdominal muscles pulled together and prevents them from separating in the first place.
4. Prevents overextension of the lower back
With all the added pressure on your belly and back during pregnancy, it’s easy to overextend and injure your lower back muscles. Natural anatomic changes to your body mean that the extra weight you’re carrying can cause problems.
If you wear a belly band early on in your pregnancy, not only will it help your posture, but it can even prevent future overextension of your lower back when you’re carrying more weight later on in the pregnancy.
The band spreads the weight evenly between your belly and back, supports your hips and abdominal muscles, and therefore reduces the likelihood of your straining your back as a result of bad posture and uneven weight distribution.
5. Postpartum support
Pregnancy and childbirth can strain your abdominal muscles and cause lower back pain and stiffness. Even after your little one is born, a belly band can help pull the weakened abdominal muscles together, improve your posture, or take the pressure off a healing cesarean scar.
There are specific postpartum wraps that you can get, but our belly band at The Mommy Care Kit is suitable for postpartum use too. By combining this belly band with core strength exercises, you can regain your core strength quickly, leaving you with less recovery time and more time spent with your new bundle of joy.
The Mommy Care Kit - Belly band
🗸 Safe for you and your baby
🗸 Features an elastic band to prevent bunching
🗸 For use during pregnancy and postpartum
🗸 Mild compression
🗸 Improved posture
🗸 Eases growing pains (diastasis recti, Sacroiliac Joint pain, and round ligament pain)
6. Help prevent stretch marks
Nine out of ten pregnant women will develop stretch marks during pregnancy because of the pressure of the added weight on their bodies. Your collagen and elastin are stretched to their limits and can snap — leaving you with dreaded stretch marks.
The good news is that there is something you can use to help prevent them completely!
A belly band prevents your skin from overstretching with the added weight it is carrying. If you wear a belly band regularly (especially during the second and third trimester when your bump is growing rapidly) it will distribute the weight evenly between your belly and your back. Easing pressure on your belly means that the pulling and stretching that causes stretch marks in the first place is minimized, lowering your chances of developing them at all.
So whether you are currently suffering from growing pains, or you’re hoping to prevent them, a belly band can help to support you and your bump all the way through your pregnancy and beyond.
Don’t forget to get some light exercise, plenty of rest, and stay hydrated to keep your muscles and ligaments healthy and supported as they adjust to each stage of your pregnancy. Hopefully, this information will help some of you avoid growing pains altogether by using a belly band early in the pregnancy — wouldn’t that be a dream!
CLICK HERE to take a look at our belly band, and keep an eye out for more tips & tricks for a healthy, natural, pill-free pregnancy from The Mommy Care Kit.
Love & baby hugs,
The Mommy Care Club at TheMommyCareKit.com