belly wrapping! must share!

[aries24]

I'm 25weeks. Something I found out and must share for those who don't know. Having quite an attractive body, the thought of pregnancy has always scared me to the point of non excitment (although I adore children) because generally most women lose their flat tummys afterwards! And no amount of gyming and losing weight gets it exactly the way it was(I've seen this in many as work at a nursery school). So all my time I've just accepted this fact until I saw a friend of mine two months after the birth of her DD with an incredibly sexy flat tummy! She told me about belly wrapping! You wrap your tummy for 40 days night and day, very very tightly. It pushes the womb right back into place which doesn't happen naturally! And restores stretch marks by 50%!!!! Apparently its a very ancient practice in many cultures around the world!! Hope this helps for some of you's!! I can't wait to try it

She didn't exactly say that but just have a pop anyway.

How is that 'having a pop' Pickles??!!!!

She said she was a fitness type upthread...

I just have always assumed people that spend a lot of time at the gym or playing sport do it because they enjoy it. Clearly I'm wrong & life isn't too short to spend time doing something you hate just to end up with an attractive corpse at the end of it

I hadn't actually seen your post chunky.

We must have posted at the same time.

The Tupler Technique recommends using a splint which I think is essentially the same thing, as well as doing various exercises to close your diastasis. I don't think it's vain to want to look how you did pre-pregnancy, though I do think it's a bit unrealistic and you might find you care less once you've had the baby

I'm going to try this. They have wraps/corsets on Amazon.
My Braziallian friend did this as she says its very common in Brazil and after 2 kids, her stomach is totally flat.

I'm not exactly aspiring to that as I have a couple of stones to lose as well but it would be nice not to still look pregnant after 6 months.
Hell, I'll give anything a go to look better with minimum effort.

Where I lived in India it was standard practice to belly wrap after birth using strips of cotton. It was done within 24 hours of birth.
I will be doing it but I'll probably buy one of those wrap things than tie myself up every morning. I think I'll have more important things to be getting on with.
I don't know how well they worked but the idea is that the bindings push back and support everything that was stretched during pregnancy for the first 6 weeks. They believed it helped your stomach muscles to knit back into place.
I'm not sure about getting your figure back with binding but all the ladies I saw were back looking lovely in their sari pretty quickly although they were usually slim and rather fit to begin with, and they did know how to tie their sari in the most flattering way.

I think the main reason was it felt nice to be bound in and supported for a while, similar to a corset. That's the reason I will be doing it really. My back has been very painful and I would like some support until I'm OK to exercise properly again.

See, my fit and healthy friends have regained their figures quickly anyway - including one who's baby was just shy of 11lb.

Chunky is does come across like you are telling her a but what she should think & do. You ate obviously of a very different though process to her.

1. yes flat stomachs are considered sexy in the west. We are in the west. Op finds them sexy. She wants to keep hers (If possible)

2. I am no expert on this, so I can't really comment if it works or not. Tempted to google but won't!

3. she hasn't said she won't be doing enjoyable exercise.

I think it's a bit if a worry that a lot if this seems to be worry about her partner.

But I think if she enjoys her body and wants to try a faddy thing that night or might not work to encourage a flat stomach, why not?

I said earlier, If I asked for a good tip for a stretch mark cream or similar I don't think I'd get lambasted.

Your body does change, some elements you may not like (or not everyone)

I don't think it made you a shallow person to admit that and try something to avoid it?

I'm growing some fearsome varicose veins. I won't be wearing these as a badge of honour.

I don't think there's any need for the snarkiness ladies....

Whatever floats your boat....

"I'm not sure about getting your figure back with binding but all the ladies I saw were back looking lovely in their sari pretty quickly although they were usually slim and rather fit to begin with, and they did know how to tie their sari in the most flattering way. "

Exactly!!! I know quite a few women who have got their flat stomachs back really quickly after birth, all of which had washboard abs beforehand. I think the stronger your stomach muscles are prepregnancy the better they will cope and spring back afterwards.

OP, if you are as fit and flat stomached as you say you are you should be fine!

This is true. I'm imagining you with a Jessica Ennis physique op!

Oh my god you women are all so vicious!! She was only suggesting a way of getting back into shape, why the hell are all the claws out???

I've never been particularly fit (extremely curvy size 12) and don't exercise much, and it does worry me that my hubby won't find me attractive anymore... doesn't everyone have that niggle of insecurity? My hubby is a good man and loves me lots, but unfortunately he is still a man and likes attractive women!!

Honestly, all of you that for whatever reason acted so out of turn to this poor woman's comment, you should feel properly ashamed of yourselves. Do you think she's going to want to come back on these forums and talk to you all anymore?? What if she needed advice but couldn't turn to this forum because you've all been unnecessarily bitchy over what was, essentially, a SUGGESTION.

If any of the kids in my class behaved the way you did, I'd be dragging their parents in to talk to them about their spiteful behaviour.

Jeez.

Trick is to have a partner with a bigger belly than you, like mine

I'm thinking of getting this one;

www.amazon.co.uk/Underworks-Post-Delivery-Girdle-Belt/dp/B00478NDZA/ref=cm_cr_pr_product_top

I don't understand why the op got a blasting. There are plenty of women dieting and exercising to get their figures back. There are threads galore on getting better skin. Style and Beauty threads are full of women wanting advice on flattering outfits.

Whats the difference?

This is something that women in different cultures have been doing for centuries.

Man they are some Bridget jones pants!

I

Strikes me as rather old fashioned, puts me in mind of corsets, foot binding etc.

And effing uncomfortable and hot! Although if you're due in the winter perhaps nice and cosy...

I got my flat stomach back by breastfeeding, I know not everyone's as lucky but this seems a little ... odd to me.

Hopefully it'll be as comfortable and supportive too

I'm in shock that this poster's is getting such a hard time.

Each to their own, we're all making very personal and different decisions from each other when it comes to when to tell family, when to tell work, maternity leave, pain relief, vit k for the baby, bf vs ff even changing bags! Why should this be any different! What she's suggesting is fairly innocuous, not risking her baby's health... I've read so many posts about changing bodies over the course of my pregnancy and how different people feel about it... This isn't for me... It might not be for you... but does it really so much matter to you all if she wants to try something a little bit different to get back into shape after the pregnancy.

She hasn't posted on AIBU!

Your friend might just have been lucky. SIL always snaps right back into shape whereas I was a stripey blob for about a year after I gave birth (and she bottlefed and I breastfed).

Humn. I'm not entirely sure why the OP is getting a blasting either.

Whilst I agree that in the immediate post-natal period the focus must surely be on looking after the baby, rather than worrying about fitting into your jeans, I want to get back my figure too. And it doesn't seem unnatural to want to do so, accepting of course that it won't be immediate and it'll be harder to find time and energy to do the exercise that you used to do. Getting back my figure is not about pleasing my partner, it's because I like being fit, healthy and strong and enjoy the destressing that exercise provides.

I'm not at all sure re belly wrapping as a concept though. And MY it is unattractive. not sure that would help with post-birth morale?!

I agree with chunkychicken that it seems more logical to gently get active, get walking, then sitting on an exercise ball then move to abdominal exercises, combined with a healthy eating programme that's appropriate for breastfeeding. Both my sisters managed to get their stomachs back that way and so that's my plan.

Well my pants weren't much nicer in the weeks after. I wore tesco value pants and threw them all away.

I've only been on Mumsnet a few weld (10 weeks pg) and it's stuff like this that puts me off - some of you are so judgemental! I'm worried about my figure too and am not super fit, healthy baby is most important thing & my DH loves me however I am, but I don't think there is anything wrong with wanting to minimise the physical effects of pregnancy if you can! My DM put on a lot of weight with me & spent most of her life being unhappy and hiding away despite a very supportive husband. I don't want to feel the same way :-/
OP isn't talking about something that could be harmful to her or to the baby, so why the judgement?

A few weeks even

I wouldn't be without my flabby/ flappy tummy - I can entertain my boys for hours with it. They love patting it, sucking it and blowing big raspberries on it. Good on you for wanting to be svelte if that makes you happy but don't beat yourself up if your tummy doesn't spring back to washboard straight away.

I don't think it's sad that you want to regain your body after childbirth as best as you can...I think it's just the way it has come across as though you feel you owe it to your husband!

Frankly, you're creating life. Who gives a toss really if your stomach, thighs, boobs whatever are not as they were before you did this amazing thing?! I'm nearly 27weeks pregnant. I have always have an amazing stomach - best feature. :) I'm not worrying at all about how it's going to look afterwards because hopefully, if we are blessed, we will pop out a healthy baby and be absolutely overjoyed with this. We lost a baby last year. This put things into a whole new perspective I'm afraid. So long as my baby girl is healthy, I really couldn't give a shit about hurrying to get my amazing stomach back!!!!!!!!

Neither could my DH. He loves me, not my amazing stomach or body or whatever!!! Of course, I have every aspiration to get back into the best shape that I can naturally through eating sensibly and exercise, but I am a woman who will have just given birth.

And neither should you. At 27 weeks I'm worrying about whether my baby will survive until term and come out healthy. Then I'm worrying about feeding her (hoping to breastfeed, but scared about it!) and how we will cope with the massive adjustment to our lives...

Meanwhile...you are worrying about your flat stomach?!