Once I had a waist... abdominal wraps?

[Umnitsa]

Apparently it is common in Asia for women to bandage themselves post pregnancy as it helps for loose skin and abdominal muscles to get back into shape. Has anyone tried doing it? Does it work? Can you recommend a particular brand of such belts / wraps / girdles?

(From a vain 7 month pregnant woman who looks like she has eaten a big watermelon but foolishly hopes she will look stunning in pencil skirts one day again)

Hiya!
Im a mum to two older children, and expecting my third, what i did when i had them was bought a few pairs of those 'big knickers you know the ones that you wear under dresses that hold it all in, but i bought a size smaller, that really helped, plus i slept on my stomach, my babies were both almost 11 pound, so you can imagine how enormous, and to be honest hideous i felt, but it really workd.... worth a try ! good luck x

No answers - I'm also 7 months pregnant with first baby, so no experience to help - but I'd like to know if any of these wraps help for back support in the period immediately after birth while the abdominal muscles recover. I've got a bit of a history of lower back problems and I'm worried about my back giving way once I've had the baby: I wondered about using some kind of binder for a few weeks until I've done enough Pilates for my stomach muscles to be doing their job properly again. Has anyone tried it, and did it help?

(Sorry for hijack, OP!).

I'm going for my fist pair of spanx (If they're good enough for Gwyneth!) after this one, having said that I don't think my tummy muscles have recovered from having twins five years ago!! I have taken up pole dancing (as an exercise, not a career choice!)and that is really good for the tum - it is HARD

I had one of the slimming wraps after DC2 I think it was the universal sliming wrap that guarantees you lose 6" and keep it off for 30 days or they will do it again for free.
It def tightened things up.
My best tip however is sadly exercise cycling or running are cheap and very effective and dont lose it too quickly as the elastin needs time to repair.

I don't know about the wraps, but I can say that wearing loose tops is best for the esteem post-birth because it hides all. Exercises are the best way to get things back together, but you do have to take things a little slowly and not plough straight into full-on sit ups. (Not that you can anyway; you can actually feel the gap between the two halves of your abdominal muscles to begin with and it's very odd!)

As long as you do the exercises as recommended by the midwives (and they give you a guide as I recall), it shouldn't take too long. For me, actually, the part that took longest to shrink back were my thighs - I recommend baggy trousers.

Urmmm you could try looking at belly bandit. I'll be investing in one for after my pregnancy (as well as a pair of running shoes) .

I had separated stomach muscles with my 2nd so had to wear a tubi grip thing for a few weeks afterwards. No idea if it helped me physically but damn it helped my confidence when my jelly belly wasn't on show

Thank you for the responses! I am certainly planning to go back to Pilates / aerobics as soon as I can (ahem, good intentions...), but was hoping to aid the process of getting back into shape with some sort of supporting / compressing wrap. There is an off-chance I'll have ECs as well, so presumably the wrap will not just help with the aesthetics of the jelly belly but also with keeping things in place post-op.

MrsWeebs, goodlifemummy - I like the idea of normal spanx knickers; it might be a little too hot to wear them all the time (I'm in due in August) but certainly worth considering (and they more attractive than specialised medical contraptions!)

Pettsville - I think proper postnatal wraps and girdles are supposed to give some lumbar support as well, another pro in my book.

Hermya - have you tried the BellyBandit before? That's the one that most online searches return, but I read some poor reviews on a few US sites. Have also found a similar one on the website called Vespa and Ladybird, but not sure about its performance (I think I am rather attracted by the whimsical name though!)

Knackered - did you use a normal tubigrip bandage as a wrap or they have a special tummy girdle thingie? I think it is routinely given in US hospitals after cs, might be the solution.

Umnitsa No I haven't, but I do plan to either get that one or the ladybird one (only just found out about that one) even if the only thing it does is make me feel a bit better about myself after giving birth and make me sit up properly. I also plan to take up running and pilaties again to work on my core muscles.

Hi All
I'm reading this thread with interest as I'm due to get married at end of August. I'm about 7-8 weeks at moment (dating scan on wednesday) so will be 18-20 weeks at wedding (which is in a hot country!).
I want to look as "least pregnant" if possible - do you know if its safe to wear spanx and hold everything in or is it bad for the baby?
This is my first so very confused and lots of questions!
Thanks

Lulabel at 18-20 weeks I would have thought your best bet is a dress cut to disguise the bump? Obviously everyone is different but you're unlikely to be huge and spanx will probably just be hot and uncomfortable without making much of a difference. For me at least there was nothing I could do at that stage to physically change my shape but I could still just about "hide it" in the right outfit!

Hi Chesterado
Unfortunately I chose my dress last December when babies were a long way from my mind!! But on the plus side, because i'm getting married somewhere hot, it is quite silky and floaty. I have my fitting in a couple of weeks so will ask them to make it generous so its not so obvious!
Its positive that you think its unlikely I'll be huge though :-)