With so many changes in the body while you’re growing a baby, it makes sense that compression is a useful tool to keep you comfortable and supported, both before and after birth. Pregnant women love using Motif Medical’s Maternity Compression products to support their changing bodies, whether it’s for comfort during pregnancy or to increase their physical comfort during their c-section recovery. But if you don't typically use compression in your life, you may have questions about how to incorporate these devices throughout the childbearing year. Good news! Not only can Motif Medical’s compression products be covered by your insurance, but we’ve got the answers for how to use them to promote your overall wellness when you’re expecting a baby.
Pregnancy
A maternity support band is the first compression device that improves many women’s experience during pregnancy. Your baby bump will start showing sometime in the 2nd trimester and as it grows, it affects your center of gravity. This physiological change can pull your abdomen forward and is a leading cause of low back pain during pregnancy, especially if you are very active throughout the day. Utilizing a pregnancy compression garment or belly band to give your core muscles extra support will help you maintain proper posture throughout the day and result in less strain on your back. And who wouldn't like to skip the nightly backache? Motif Medical's Pregnancy Back Brace is the perfect tool for this situation. It provides lower back support plus gentle abdominal compression to keep you comfortable all day long.
Motif Medical's Pregnancy Back Brace is also a beneficial tool as you get closer to labor and birth. When worn correctly, it helps the baby get into and stay in a good position for delivery. Everyone's abdominal muscles separate some to create space for their growing baby. This is called diastasis recti and having additional compression to hold your baby closer to your body when you're up and moving around can increase your comfort and improve baby’s positioning. When a baby is held closer to your body while you move, it is easier for them to move lower into the pelvis, which helps them be in an optimal birth position, even before labor starts.
If you're looking for something so comfortable you could wear it 24/7 for support, look no further than Motif Medical's Pregnancy Support Leggings & Shorts. It's like having someone help you carry your baby bump around all day long! New mothers love how soft and versatile these leggings are and they can't get over how much better they feel when they wear them. These are a great tool to have in the 2nd and 3rd trimesters and are also super comfortable in the postpartum! After you give birth, having some gentle compression on your abdomen feels nice, which makes these the perfect transitional pants to have on hand for your postpartum recovery.
The next compression tool you can use during pregnancy is Motif Medical's Compression Socks. As your baby grows bigger and your uterus expands, blood flow to and from your legs becomes more difficult for your body—especially when you're standing. This can lead to swelling in your feet and ankles at the end of a long or busy day. Compression socks are the best way to combat this. Swollen feet are uncomfortable and even painful, but wearing compression socks helps your body keep the blood flowing and prevents the collection of fluid in your lower extremities. Some people love their compression socks so much that they put them on before they even get out of bed in the morning!
Tranisitioning to Postpartum
The first weeks after your baby is born is full of changes and adjustments. Rest is one of the most important things for you to do. Whether your baby was born via c-section or vaginal delivery, your body is going to be sore and need rest and support to recover.
As you transition into your postpartum recovery, Motif Medical's Compression Socks continue to be a useful tool. In the first couple of weeks after birth, it's recommended that new mothers rest and take it easy to give their bodies time to heal and recover.
Most healthcare providers will recommend following the 5-5-5 rule. This advice advocates for new mothers to spend 5 days in bed, 5 days around the bed, and 5 days around the house. This reduced activity level coupled with the changes that occur in the cardiovascular system increases the risk of developing blood clots in the initial weeks postpartum. Because compression socks improve blood flow, wearing them during this less active time in life can help prevent the serious complications of blood clots, even when you aren't moving around as much. That means you can help yourself have an uncomplicated postpartum recovery even while you’re napping and staying in bed!
Postpartum
Motif Medical also makes a Postpartum Compression Garment. This item is designed to help new moms heal after both vaginal birth and c-section deliveries. Postpartum compression is different from shapewear in that its goal isn’t to flatten your abdomen but to help your body heal after the physical changes of pregnancy and birth. The postnatal support garment provides gentle compression on the abdomen, pelvic floor, and hips because they have expanded during pregnancy and now must come back together. This support enables you to move around more comfortably and maintain good posture, even while your body has so much flexibility. Postpartum is the single largest hormonal change in a woman's life and the physical transformation that happens along with that is the fastest physical shift she'll experience, too. Motif's Postpartum Compression Garment provides the physical support that everyone needs for optimal well-being and healing in their abdomen, hips, pelvic floor muscles, and ligaments in the postpartum period.
The Postpartum Compression Garment is soft and breathable. It covers the abdomen, but will not inhibit breastfeeding, so it can be worn at anytime of day and is beneficial to use for the first couple of months postpartum. Talk to your OB-GYN or healthcare provider to see if you are eligible for insurance coverage of any of these compression garments so that you can set yourself up for a happy and healthy pregnancy and an easier postpartum recovery.
Your Support System
How can you support your emotional self during postpartum recovery? Find supportive people to talk to. While becoming a parent for the first, second, or any number of times doesn’t mean it’s easy. Emotional support is essential to help you explore the thoughts and emotions you can experience in this transition. Postpartum support groups or breastfeeding support groups are perfect for this. The people you meet there will be in the same stage of life as you are and experiencing the same struggles, joys or maybe they were having that issue last month and can give you some advice. Either way, it is beneficial to know that what you’re going through is normal . Remember, you aren’t alone in figuring it out! Joining a postpartum group is a perfect way to give yourself postpartum support.
If you had a difficult birth or a birth that went differently than you had planned and you’re trying to process that, I recommend a book, “Birth Story Brave ” a guided journal for you to work through by yourself, at your own speed. This book will assist you in acknowledging the disappointments and joys you may feel when you meet your baby. How you mentally process your birth matters, but those emotions are often complex and can also feel conflicting.
Not everyone will understand why it matters so much to you—don’t listen to them. Birth is an extremely vulnerable and personal event in our lives! You are entitled to feel however you want about the experience you had. The book “Birth Story Brave ” can help you process those feelings and emotions so that you find peace with how your birth story went.
About the Author
Rebekah Mustaleski is a Medical Advisor for Motif Medical. She is a Certified Professional Midwife with Roots & Wings Midwifery, where she promotes evidence-based maternity care for families seeking an out-of-hospital delivery.
Information provided in blogs should not be used as a substitute for medical care or consultation.
Information provided in blogs should not be used as a substitute for medical care or consultation.
