Are you thinking of getting a binder, corset, girdle, or belly wrap after baby? Or maybe you’ve heard that it could heal your diastasis recti?
If you are on social media, you have likely come across ads saying that this new corset or belly band will close your abdominal gap, flatten your tummy, and make magic happen!
The abdominal wall has been stretched out through pregnancy, so if it brings the abs closer together, it must be healing it, right?
Unfortunately, the healing process is not that straight forward.
Let’s take a closer look and start with what could make postpartum binding a terrible idea, then we’ll see under what circumstances you could actually benefit from it!
The danger is wearing a postpartum binder that’s too tight
Not all belly binders, girdles, wraps, and belly bands are created equal.
Compressive ones and waist trainer styles can actually make pelvic floor issues, digestion, stress, and back pain much worse:
+ 1. Compressive belly binding forces pressure up and down
Imagine squeezing a balloon in the middle, and how it makes the top and bottom bulge.
Well, the same thing happens when a binder squeezes your midsection. Pressure always takes the path of least resistance, so too much compression on your tummy forces pressure up and/or down:
• down on your weakened pelvic floor, forcing it to bulge down, increasing your chances of developing a pelvic organ prolapse and more pelvic floor weakening (which is never a good thing if you want your pelvic organs to remain inside your body!)
• and up into your diaphragm, stomach, and esophagus disrupting the normal breathing pattern (continue reading to see why it is actually very detrimental for your body), as well as potentially causing reflux, and heartburn among other things.
+ 2. Compressive belly binding prevents correct breathing pattern, which prevents core healing
Improving your breathing pattern at rest after pregnancy is the very first step to take towards restoring core and pelvic floor function.
Pregnancy often alters our breathing. The reason is simple: the growing baby puts pressure on your diaphragm, preventing it from dropping down optimally and forcing the breath to become more shallow.
Restoring proper breathing can be a challenge postpartum, but if you are wearing a tight binder it actually becomes impossible. Your diaphragm can’t work properly, your abdomen and ribs can’t expand naturally, and it forces you into a shallow breathing pattern that can’t support your pelvic floor function, digestion, parasympathetic nervous system (hello cortisol and high stress levels!).
It literally prevents the natural expansion of your entire core.
Here’s how it should work.
• When you inhale, the air should fill your lungs, your diaphragm should contract and pull downward, and your belly, back, and ribs should expand naturally.
• When you exhale, your diaphragm relaxes and moves up, pushing air out of the lungs. Your ribs move in again, your belly recoils, creating a smaller space in your chest and abdomen.
+ 3. Compressive belly binding doesn’t heal a diastasis recti
Wouldn’t it be wonderful to find a quick fix!
Fascia (connective tissue, which is what your ab midline is made of) needs to be loaded with the right amount of stress to heal.
If you wear a compressive corset, binder, or wrap, you remove all good stress and loading opportunities (which happen when we breathe in, exercise, and move in our daily life).
So you might see short term results after wearing you belly band, but you’ll quickly see and feel that they won't hold. Your core may actually become weaker overtime, worsening your symptoms.
Now that you know what not to look for, let’s see how you could benefit from belly binding!
postpartum Belly binding done right
+ 1. Be clear with the reasons why you want to wear a binder
If you decide to get a binder, do it to support optimal healing, breathing, movement, and core function.
Your motivation to wear one shouldn’t be driven by a cosmetic goal to hide your tummy right after birth. If your abdomen looks and feels extremely distended after baby, it’s normal! Your body went through a massive transformation, and you are healing structurally, hormonally, and emotionally.
Try to ignore the pressure of the society making you believe that women should erase any physical evidence of ever being pregnant! (I could go on and on about it, but let’s keep this topic for another blog post).
Being clear with the reasons you want a binder will help you choose the right product to achieve your goal.
+ 2. Find a product that supports you from your pelvic floor
The right product should gently draw your pelvic floor and your abdomen “in and up”, not squish you in the middle. So, if it has hooks, fasten them from the bottom up.
The goal is to provide a light support to your pelvic floor and abdomen when everything feels so loose and open. Think of it as gentle support, and a lift for your pelvic floor and tummy.
+ 3. Postpartum brands I recommend (honest review, not a paid ad)
After my 2 pregnancy I did use a girdle for a few weeks. I felt like my organs had “too much space” in my distended abdomen. Wearing a girdle supported my belly and helped me feel more secure. Note that I said “supported”, not “compressed” or “holding tight”!
At the time I was using a girdle Bellefit. I especially liked the gentle pelvic floor and tummy support, and the adjustable hooks. Keep in mind you may need to buy 2 different sizes to allow for swelling, rapidly changing body shape (due to your uterus shrinking back to its normal size), placing a pads or ice packs, and to support your postpartum belly without squishing it.
If I were to have another baby, I would choose supportive undergarments. Bao Bei Body offers some good ones. Their supportive leggings are good too (Note that you might need to size up if you are wearing them early postpartum. You want a comfortable therapeutic hug, not a tight fit. Order the size you will be when you are wearing them, not your pre-pregnancy size).
+ 4. Encourage a healthy breathing pattern and the right amount of tissue load
More and more research shows that the first step to core strength, stability, and overall function is the correct breathing pattern. After giving birth, most moms don’t breathe properly.
I often see 2 different issues:
• Some are reverse breathers. When they take a breath in their stomach draws in and their chest and shoulders raise on the inhale. On the exhale, their chest and shoulders sink down and their stomach expands out. Pregnancy has disturbed their breathing pattern and they have adapted by breathing up high in their chests.
• Others are belly breathers. Pressure follows the path of least resistance. Their abdomen is stretched after delivery and their rib cage is very stiff from pregnancy. They can’t get a good 360-degree expansion with each inhale (their sides and back ribs do not expand much with their breath).
Wearing a supportive garment may be especially helpful for those because the garment would support their tummy, preventing too much expansion in the front, and a better pressure repartition. This would help with this 360-degree expansion, as well as with loading your ab midline with the right amount of stress to allow healing.
+ 5. When is a supportive girdle best used?
When choosing the right product and size, belly binding can be beneficial in the immediate postpartum window, usually up to 6 weeks postpartum.
Why not longer? Wearing a supportive binder should be a short-term solution to assist your core when it can’t function properly. It could offer a gentle support to stretched muscles, ligaments and connective tissue as your body starts to heal. But it shouldn’t be used as a crutch, or band aid in the long run because it doesn’t promote long term core strength and function. You are already equipped with a “natural corset”: it’s called your core, and it needs to be restrengthened safely and progressively after baby so it can function properly without external support.
Don’t worry if abdominal binding doesn’t suit you, or if you are past this immediate postpartum window. Supportive underwear and leggings may still be a good option for you, but postpartum recovery is attainable without having to use support garments.
postpartum Belly binding in short
Belly binding doesn’t suit everyone, but when done properly, there can be a time and place for it. Just be clear with the fact that it’s not a shortcut to rehab your core, and it certainly won’t “do the work for you”!
Here are the questions you need to be asking yourself:
Can I take a big breath when wearing it?
Do I feel pelvic pressure or pain?
Am I being pro-active to restrengthen my core so it will eventually be able to function properly without external support?
Supportive garments can be incorporated as part of a comprehensive postpartum healing strategy. A strategy that includes breath work, alignment improvement, safe and effective core conditioning exercises, and nutritious foods.
If you focus on function first, the aesthetic will follow!
Healing your body takes patience and commitment, but if you are willing to put in the effort, the journey is worth it!