How Can a Pregnancy Support Band Help Your Pregnancy?
With all of the prenatal and baby-related products that are available these days, it can be difficult to know which ones are really necessary and which ones are not. While there are many optional pregnancy products, the gentle compression provided by a maternity support belt is not something you’ll want to do without! A pregnancy support band helps with many discomforts of pregnancy, such as lower back pain and pelvic girdle pain, so for most pregnant women, having a pregnancy band is a good thing. There are many benefits to wearing a support band, sometimes referred to as a maternity belly band, maternity belt, or pregnancy belt. Pregnancy support bands are different from belly wraps or waistband extenders. A high-quality band is designed to provide gentle compression and the extra support you need as your body changes. How does a pregnancy support band keep you more comfortable in the second and third trimesters? Below are the top three physical benefits of wearing a support belt during pregnancy.
Support Your Body With Better Posture
Physiological changes are inevitable during pregnancy—after all your body has to change to make space for your growing baby. To accommodate your little one, your abdominal muscles and ligaments stretch while your organs shift out of the way. The result of your growing belly is that your center of gravity shifts and can impact your balance and posture. It is not uncommon for pregnant women to develop “lordosis of pregnancy,” which is an exaggerated curve in the lower back. Because the spine isn’t designed to be in that position, the change in posture usually leads to low back pain, and round ligament pain, and can also contribute to the development of diastasis recti.
Using a pregnancy support belt provides support to your core muscles and reduces the risk of pregnancy discomforts. By maintaining better posture throughout the day, you will be protecting your spine and abdominal muscles from pregnancy-related strains. Even better news is that when you take care of your core during pregnancy, you are setting yourself up for an easier postpartum recovery! Because you don’t have to correct poor posture habits or work to heal diastasis recti, your postpartum healing time is faster and that’s a real benefit!
Functional Movement Patterns During Pregnancy
This point is related to keeping a better posture while you’re pregnant but is just as essential for a healthy pregnancy and postpartum recovery. As the body changes during pregnancy, it is common for pregnant women to change their normal movement patterns—this means how they bend, walk, and move. It’s not unusual for your baby bump to lead to less optimal movement patterns during daily activities, which puts additional strain on the muscles, ligaments, and connective body tissue. These altered movement patterns cause irritation in your sacroiliac and hip joints and contribute to pelvic floor dysfunction and pelvic girdle pain. If you exercise during pregnancy, the altered movement patterns can also lead to injury during your regular exercise routine.
Using a belly band with gentle compression for extra support when you are active helps you retain functional movement patterns, even while your body is changing with your growing baby. Maternity support garments cradle your abdomen and support your hips and lower back so that you feel the need to move differently while you exercise and move.
Being mindful about your movement patterns is also important since you won’t wear your support band all the time.
Be intentional about hinging at your hips when you brush your teeth and squatting when you pick something off the floor. These regular movements have a big impact on your body wellness and help you maintain functional movement patterns during pregnancy.
Improved Circulation During Pregnancy
Wearing a maternity belly band will also benefit your circulation during pregnancy. As your uterus grows larger to make space for the baby, it puts more pressure on the blood vessels that flow to and from your legs. When you wear a pregnancy support band, it supports your abdomen and relieves some of that pressure, which allows the blood to flow better. This improved circulation can help with swelling, blood pressure, and varicose veins!
1+2+3 = Improved Comfort in Pregnancy
And what all of those things add up to, is a healthy and comfortable pregnancy! When someone is thinking about having a baby, I’m sure they aren’t thinking that they can’t wait to have low back pain, pelvic girdle pain, and poor circulation. And the good news is that you don’t have to! Wearing a compression garment will help your body move and function more optimally and also allow you to enjoy your pregnancy more because you won’t be dealing with some of the common pregnancy discomforts.
There are so many benefits to pregnancy support bands that many insurance companies now cover the cost of them in an effort to promote a healthy pregnancy! Check with your doctor or midwife to see if they can write a prescription for you or go to Motif Medical’s insurance website for additional information.
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.
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