How a Pregnancy Support Band Could Help Reduce Hip and Back Pain

Your little bundle of joy is growing fast! They’ve finished with most of their major prenatal developmental milestones, and now it’s all about getting bigger. Your ligaments and nerves are being stretched to their limits as your uterus continues to grow and support your baby.  This might be putting some extra strain on your body.

There are a few remedies for  back pain, including some light exercise and pregnancy pillows. Many moms also opt for a Cradle Me Baby pregnancy support band to find a bit of hip and back relief. 

Pregnancy support bands, or “belly bands,” are used mostly in the third trimester when your baby belly reaches an all-time high.  These are wide belts that wrap around your belly to support your lower back, pelvis, and abdomen.

Just how exactly can a pregnancy support band help, and in what ways?

Posture

You can always tell a woman is in her last trimester by the way she stands:  with one hand on their lower back, leaned backward, trying to compete with gravity against the weight of their massive tummies. This type of posture is damaging to the lower back and core muscles, which are necessary for an easier childbirth. 

These belts support your lower back and stomach, which helps you stand up straighter by putting your center of gravity in the right place. They put a small amount of pressure on the body, which helps maintain core muscle strength and a more proper stance.

This extra support is especially beneficial to reduce the risk of falling. By stabilizing the pelvis, back, and abdominal area, you can improve your balance because your center of gravity will be in the best place. 

Exercise Support

Workouts are much harder to perform with a giant baby belly.Still, exercise is important for you and your baby's health during pregnancy. You shouldn’t let your belly or your back keep you from what’s important. 

The extra support provided by a belly band can reduce overall hip pain and discomfort. . This helps your squats, cycling, and yoga exercises become even lower-impact and easier to do. 

At the same time, these belts support the lower part of your belly. The extra weight puts pressure on other parts of your body, which is relieved by the compression under your belly.

Just think of it as an enormous sports bra, but for your stomach!

Overall, wearing your pregnancy support band when you're doing more difficult things can help you stay active.

Pelvic Girdle Pain Relief

The hormones associated with pregnancy cause your muscles and ligaments to loosen up. This can cause increased and unnecessary bone movements in your pelvis, leading to pain in your pelvis and lower back.

This is what’s called pelvic girdle pain, or PGP, and is more prevalent in the third trimester as your baby puts more pressure on your bones. One in four pregnant women will have pelvic girdle pain, which is a very painful condition that affects the hips, pubic bone, thighs, and lower back. 

In serious cases, pelvic girdle pain makes it hard to walk, move your hips, or part your legs. Research has shown that women who wear pregnancy support bands notice a reduction in intense pain. This helped them perform regular day-to-day activities that otherwise would have been painful.

Postpartum

After your baby is born, you could still experience some mild discomfort. Your core muscles will be a little weaker after pushing, and so will your hips and pelvis. 

You just gave birth, after all! It’s about the same, if not  worse, than an intense workout. Your body needs to recover, and it could use a little support to do so. 

Wearing a belly band postpartum can ease the weakness in your abdominal muscles. This is especially true for women with diastasis recti, a condition in which the muscles in the middle of the stomach pull apart. 

Support bands for pregnant women apply much-needed pressure to the right places, making it easier for the awkward muscle gap to close.

Experience the Benefits of Belly Bands

 

Belly bands come in different shapes and sizes to help you find the right support. You can wear them over your clothes for comfort around the house or under your clothes, such as stretch maternity shorts.

If you choose to wear pregnancy support bands under your clothes for outings, many of them will come in different colors to help blend with your skin and shirts. They’re very stretchy, and you can wear them for comfort even after your pregnancy ends! Be mindful of how much pressure they give you, though. You don’t want your circulation to be interfered with, and you shouldn’t wear them if they make you feel uncomfortable.