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If you’re pregnant and starting to feel the strain, you’re not alone because, in addition to embarking on an emotional rollercoaster, pregnancy can inevitably cause a number of physical ailments, too.
From general aches to pelvic girdle pain, carrying a baby is hard work, and if you’re finding that your growing bump is preventing you from keeping active or carrying out daily tasks, it might be worth considering a bump support belt or band. But what are they and how do they work?
Pregnancy support belts are wide re-enforced fabric belts, often with multiple straps that wrap around your lower back and abdomen to gently cradle your bump and lift it up slightly. The belts help to alleviate some of the strain of your bump, ease pressure on your back and pelvis, and even improve your balance. However, a support band is slightly different as it’s a single loop of material that rolls down over your bump and provides gentle support as your baby grows.
While any major pains in pregnancy should be discussed with your doctor or midwife, a maternity belt or support band can really help with lower back, hip and pelvic pain – but it’s worth noting that they shouldn’t be worn for prolonged periods of time.
Typically, you should only wear one for a few hours while engaging in exercise or any activity that you’re finding painful, like walking or housework, to prevent overdependency. If you’re unsure whether one is right for you, make sure to consult your healthcare provider first.
Keen to try one? We tested a number of belts and bands spanning a range of price points and made sure to assess each on factors like the fabric quality, fit, comfort and how much flexibility and support they provided.
Several different types of support garment are available for pregnant women and new mothers. It can be confusing to determine which products are most suitable for each pregnancy stage and postpartum phase.
In this article, we provide a breakdown of the most popular maternity support garments currently on the market, what they claim to do, and what the research says about them.
The primary types of maternity support garment available for pregnant women and new mothers are:
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Belly belts support the lower back and hips.Belly bands are flexible tube-like garments that women wear around the belly to extend the life of prepregnancy clothing by covering unbuttoned or unzipped pants. They also act as a layer to help cover areas of skin that become exposed as the belly expands.
Some belly bands provide mild compression and may offer the hips and lower back an element of support.
Belly bands remain popular among pregnant women and come in many different sizes, shapes, colors, and designs. They often have some elastic or a rubber trim to help prevent them from bunching up.
Belly bands are sometimes called belly sleeves or maternity or pregnancy bands.
Belly belts are rigid belts that wrap around the abdomen to help support the lower back, pelvis, hips, and abdomen during pregnancy.
Belly belts typically sit on top of clothing, although some people may wear them underneath. Belly belts are usually more narrow and strap-like than belly bands, especially the part that lies across the front of the body.
People may also refer to belly belts as maternity or pregnancy belts, braces, or straps.
Prenatal or maternity cradles consist of a belly belt that wraps around the lower body and an upper strap that extends over the top of the belly. Together, these form a cradle for the belly.
While some prenatal cradles are available to buy as a single item, they often come as an add-on to belly belts or in combination packs with them.
Many maternity briefs and leggings contain an underbelly supportive belt and a non-binding waistband, which provides a stretchy space to accommodate the pregnancy bump. Most maternity briefs and leggings claim to help support the lower body, including the legs, buttocks, and hips.
Some maternity tops contain supportive sports bras and belly bands that absorb pelvic weight. Most supportive maternity tops claim that their structure helps reduce stress on the upper body.
Postpartum belly wraps and girdles contain multiple layers of alternating stretchy and rigid wrapping that extends from under the breasts to the hips. They are also sometimes called belly bands.
Although there is scant unbiased research to support their use, most postpartum belly wraps claim to help by:
If you want to learn more, please visit our website Pelvic Brace For Pregnancy.
Below, we consider the possible benefits of certain maternity support garments, as well as some of their limitations.
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Wearing a belly band may reduce the need to buy new maternity clothes.The design of belly bands allows them to extend a pregnant woman’s wardrobe by covering the lower abdomen. The intention is not usually to offer much support, although different brands provide various options.
There is little to no scientific research to back the claims that some belly bands do offer support.
The potential benefits of belly bands include:
The potential cons of belly bands include:
Belly belts aim to offer pregnant women support by taking some of the weight of the growing belly.
The potential pros of belly belts include:
While there is still not enough scientific evidence to fully support the use of belly belts to reduce pregnancy pains, a few early studies indicate some potential benefits from wearing belly belts when pregnant.
A 2017 study evaluated 46 pregnant women with pelvic girdle pain. Pelvic girdle pain usually occurs in either the back of the thigh or the space between the middle of the pelvis and the pubic bone. Women with pelvic girdle pain usually have trouble walking and standing for extended periods.
In the women who wore pregnancy belts frequently for short periods, the belts seemed to reduce the intensity of pain and make daily tasks more manageable.
A 2015 review of methods for relieving pregnancy-associated pain in the lower back and pelvis found that pelvic belts and acupuncture were the only methods with strong positive evidence to support their use.
The potential cons of belly belts include:
Wearing a belly belt for too long could cancel out the benefits of wearing one. In a 2017 study in which 46 pregnant women wore one of two different pelvic belt models, both belts reduced pelvic girdle pain but only when the women wore them for short intervals a few times a week.
Maternity support garments range from inexpensive, basic underwear to expensive, multi-piece cradles and girdles. However, there is virtually no scientific evidence to either support or discourage the use of most of these types of garment.
Women looking for the right maternity support garment may wish to consider the following criteria:
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Avoid wearing maternity support garments in hot weather and when working out.Women will often decide how and when to wear a maternity support garment based on the product instructions and how it feels on them.
However, it may be best to wear belly belts, or the tightest part of any clothing, below the belly bump and above the pubic bone and hipline.
Although there is little scientific evidence to confirm when women can safely wear supportive maternity undergarments, it is probably best to avoid them when:
There is not enough research to fully determine the benefits and drawbacks of most maternity support garments. One key thing to consider with all garments, however, is that it is best not to wear any of them too often or for too long at a time.
Most health authorities recommend that pregnant women avoid constrictive or tight clothing, especially for extended periods or in warm or humid environments. Pregnant women are prone to overheat, and tight or constrictive clothing can increase the likelihood of this by:
A 2015 study recruited 20 pregnant women with pubic pain. The women wore either a flexible, neoprene support belt or a rigid, foam-lined belt for roughly 5 hours daily for 3 weeks. They then wore the other belt under the same conditions for 1 week. The researchers found that:
Some older research involving non-pregnant adults also suggests that wearing tight or constrictive clothing could increase the risk of specific health issues, which pregnant women already have a higher likelihood of developing. These include:
As a general rule of thumb, if clothing leaves pressure marks on the skin, feels uncomfortable, or causes a sense of relief on removal, it is probably too constrictive to be suitable for a pregnant woman.
It can be challenging to decide which maternity support products are most suitable at each point during pregnancy.
Overall, belly bands and supportive undergarments, such as maternity tops, underwear, leggings, and tights, usually offer only mild compression and minor support.
On the other hand, belly belts, maternity cradles, and postpartum wraps or girdles tend to be more constrictive and offer more support, although they are typically less fashionable and less easy to hide.
While lots of good maternity support products are available, most do not have proven health benefits, and some may not be safe for all women. It might be best to talk with a doctor or obstetrician before wearing any maternity support products.
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