If you’ve recently had a baby or if you’re currently pregnant, you may have heard of postpartum girdles and postpartum belly wraps. I’m an absolute advocate for these things because they made such a huge difference in my recovery after my third baby compared to my second.
Related: My Journey Through Postpartum Depression
Related: My Daily Plan to Lose the Baby Weight!
Benefits of a Postpartum Girdle
- Using a postpartum girdle might actually help avoid diastis recti. I suffered from diastis recti after my second baby and looked pregnant for months and months postpartum. I found this to help TREMENDOUSLY after baby #3.
- Reduces back pain. Holy crap, this WORKS! My posture is horrible anyway, but the immediate weight dstribution difference after delivery takes a huge toll on my body. Using a postpartum baby wrap takes my back pain away completely. I can tell an immediate difference when I take it off.
- Your pants may fit sooner! Honestly, I haven’t worn pants that aren’t made of spandex in about 4 years – I’m only slightly exaggerating. My thighs are bigger than before I had kids, so I’m confident my pants wouldn’t fit anyway, but I just FEEL more confident when I’m wearing my wrap.
- May help your uterus and abdomen shrink faster. This is a huge deal for a lot of mamas. It comes as a huge shock to most first time moms when they look 6 months pregnant a few days or weeks after having their baby. For the mom that will do anything to look more like her pre-pregnancy self sooner – a postpartum girdle is a non-negotiable.
Are Postpartum Girdles and Postpartum Belly Wraps Safe?
The overwhelming majority of doctors agree that yes, using girdles and wraps postpartum are safe.
Definitely check with your doctor before deciding to use one because every woman and her recovery is different.
My doctor actually recommended I try one when I complained about postpartum cramping immediately after having my second baby.
This was my main concern when I was about to have baby number 3. That first night after delivering a baby was brutal!
My midwife suggested I try a postpartum belly wrap the first night after delivering and the results were nothing short of amazing.
It was a night and day difference compared to my first night of recovery after having my second baby.
Best Postpartum Girdles
The best part about this 3 in 1 girdle, other than the extremely cheap price point, is how versatile it is.
It acts as a:
- belly belt – that you’ll use immediately after delivery and continue to use for about the first week
- a waist belt – the part that will really help ease any back pain you experience after pregnancy and will continue to use for about the first 6 weeks
- and a pelvis belt to help speed up the natural shrinking process your uterus undergoes after delivery.
If you have never used a postpartum girdle before, this is a great one to try!
This postpartum girdle is also a 3 in 1, but is just a little bulkier, in my opinion.
One of the biggest perks of this 3 in 1 girdle is just how much support it offers.
You still get the belly, waist, and pelvis belts, and the high-quality velcro allows it to stand up to wear and tear for your entire postpartum recovery.
Check out the 3 in 1 Postpartum Support Recovery Belt here!
Corset-Style Postpartum Girdle
You guys, a corset-style girdle like this is seriously what made me feel like myself again after having my third baby.
The only issue (and a semi-big one) that I had with this is that it was so hard to get myself out of it to use the bathroom.
I considered this a minor issue because after you have a baby, you feel like you can hold it for days compared to when you have to practically run to the bathroom when you’re pregnant.
If you need to give yourself a confidence boost in addition to some postpartum back and abdomen support, this is 100% the girdle to try.
C-Section Belly Band
If you’re a c-section mama and you’re searching for a postpartum girdle, this is a great one to try.
It’s cheap, has awesome Amazon reviews, and it has helped many moms recovering from c-sections speed their recoveries.
If you decide to try this one out, please comment and let me know what you think! I (so far) have managed to avoid c-section so I’m looking for input from moms who have been there and found success with a specific girdle or postpartum belly band!
Get the Postpartum Belly Band C-Section Shapewear here!
Postpartum Shapewear
If you’re looking for postpartum support that is sleek enough to act as shapewear, give the Diane & Geordi Shapewear a try.
I thought after wearing yoga pants for 9 months that I’d feel so suffocated by shapewear, but honestly I loved feeling like I was doing something about my thighs too.
It’s absolutely ridiculous, and I beat myself up about it, but I am most insecure about my thighs above all else after having a baby.
If you’re anything like I am, definitely give this shapewear a try!
Waist Trimmer Belt for Postpartum Recovery
This waist trimmer belt is one of the cheapest postpartum belts I’ve found.
It’s breathable, but beware that it does run small.
This is definitely something to pick up if you aren’t looking for something that can hide under your clothing.
Postpartum Slimming Underwear
I have these and really loved them at about 6 weeks postpartum.
The main purpose of these is to act as shapewear.
While I didn’t feel a ton of support in the way of back support and abdominal support from these, I definitely felt like they helped to hide my postpartum belly and were invisible under my clothes.
I highly recommend picking these up and having them on hand during your postpartum recovery!
Plus-Sized Postpartum Wrap
If you’re a plus-sized mama and are looking for a postpartum wrap, this is a great one to try out.
While other postpartum wraps run notoriously small, this Braceability Stomach Binder promises to fit tummy circumferences between 60 and 72 inches.
Full-Length Postpartum Girdle
I have one of these and LOVED it!
It gave my boobs a huge boost and was so supportive from bust to thighs.
I bought mine for a conference I was attending just a few months postpartum and was afraid people who didn’t know me in real life would be congratulating me on my pregnancy the entire time – even though I was 5 months postpartum.
Diatis Recti is a real jerk.
This Marena Recovery Thigh Length girdle was a life-saver. I’ll be using it often after I have baby #4.
Did you use a postpartum girdle or postpartum belly band after having your baby? What kind did you like best? Let me know in the comments!
