So let’s talk about this blog post headline! I’m guessing it caught your interest because you are either an expecting mom, new or even veteran mom. We’ve all been there or will be there . . . you’ve just had the baby but yet you look like you’re still pregnant? (Can you relate? Let me know in the comments below!). I’ve been there myself a few times now. It was probably the worst after I had my first son. I could barely move pain-free after labor and delivery and didn’t really have any mommy friends near by (I had just moved to Santa Monica 8 months pregnant.) who could share their tips and tricks with me. I felt super conscious going out in public with my mummy tummy, especially after someone asked me when I was due . . . “Yeah,” I said, “I had the baby a few weeks ago.” All I knew to do was nurse and be patient. This is what postpartum is supposed to be like, right?
The truth is “Yes, it is.” Accepting your new body is definitely part of the new mommy process, especially in the early weeks and months. There is no reason to feel in a rush to get back to your pre-pregnancy body. You’re not getting back to your pre-pregnancy life, so there are things you do have to accept will be different. But . . . it doesn’t have to be.
When I was pregnant with my second, mommy guru Rachel Pitzel (creator of Club Mom Me) told me about the Belly Bandit and how much it had made a difference in her postnatal recovery from baby #2. Coincidentally, I also discovered diastasis recti late in my second pregnancy, and my OBGYN highly recommended I wear a binder immediately post-birth. When I looked into the Belly Bandit (after seeing the never-ending wrap from the doctor’s office) I saw they made a belly wrap designed specifically for petite and a short-waisted women – the B.F.F. Winner! I bought it immediately and wore it post Liam (my second son). I definitely noticed a huge difference in my belly going down quickly. However, I don’t think I put it on soon enough or often enough because I started wearing it this time 48 hours postpartum and have been wearing it more religiously, and it’s definitely been paying off. If you click through in my Instagram post, you can see the transition from 2 weeks postpartum after using the band from what I looked like immediately post birth. (You have to click on the image to see).
https://www.instagram.com/p/BWXvspRlOK2/?taken-by=sarahaleyfit
Honestly, there are so many reasons to wear a belly wrap in post besides just your vanity, but I titled this post “The Solution to Postpartum Vanity (Plus so much more!)” because postnatal recovery can be so hard on your self-esteem, especially this day in age with so many pics and images of women magically “bouncing back” post birth. If think you have diastasis recti (read HERE to learn how to check for it and find out what it is), it’s a great way to help those muscles start to recover until you can exercise on your own again. Here is a whole list of other benefits to the Belly Bandit:
- Supports back, leg & core muscles
- Adds support while breastfeeding
- Provides comfort after C-Section
- Helps minimize stretch marks
- Accelerates healing
- Applies medical grade compression to
help expedite fluids through the body - Lose inches & look slimmer instantly
- May help with muscle memory
and body shaping - Helps with abdominal separation also
known as diastasis recti
If you have questions on sizing it’s all available on their website. Check out my video below to see how you wear it too.
https://www.instagram.com/p/BVyBdpHldfd/?taken-by=sarahaleyfit
** This post contains affiliate links. If you click on my links in this post and make a purchase, I’ll receive a referral payment — at no additional cost to you. Mama’s gotta make a living!
