Best Pregnancy Support Belts

Hey mom. How are you doing? As your pregnancy progresses you’re beginning to see some of the physical changes in your body. You’re most likely in your second trimester, and your growing belly is now visible, as your baby grows inside you. However, with your growing belly comes some additional challenges for which you may need some support. But before we get into that, let’s discuss what’s happening with your body.

Second Trimester Body Changes

The bigger your baby bump gets, the more uncomfortable you begin to feel. This discomfort is due to the loosening of the ligaments in your body leading to changes to your posture and for many, pain in different parts of your body. A type of pain that you may experience as a result of the increased body weight are called Round Ligament Pains.

Round ligament pain during Pregnancy

Round Ligament Pains are the sharpshooting sensations that usually take place after 14 weeks of pregnancy. They are often felt in the lower belly or groin area on one or both sides of your belly. Many women experience it during the second and third trimesters. And this is very common and normal.

These pains happen when the uterus expands to make more room for our growing baby and to prepare our body for labor. As the uterus grows, the ligaments around the abdomen get stretched and can result in back pain.

Pregnancy support belts are very helpful to overcome ligament pain and back pain. These belts add support to the belly so you can easily continue your daily activities with little to no discomfort or pain.

What are pregnancy support belts?

If you are experiencing round ligament pain, pregnancy support belts and bands can be very helpful. These belts and bands wrap around your lower back and abdomen to support your bump easing the pressure on your lower back and pelvis.

How pregnancy support belts work

Your growing bundle of joy can also be a source of strain and pain during your pregnancy. Pregnancy belly belts wrap around your lower back and abdomen, providing support for their belly and helping to prevent pelvic and hip pain during pregnancy. Many pregnant women have reported that belly belts help ease their pelvic pain.

Types of Pregnancy Support Belts

Ok, before we start, there is one important thing you should know: pregnancy support belts and pregnancy bands are different from each other. Pregnancy bands are designed in a way to help you wear your regular jeans and trousers for a much longer time. While the belts provide more support for your belly to help with the weight and discomfort of your growing baby.

Belly Bands

Belly bands are flexible and stretchable. These bands are made of soft garments shaped like a tube. They come in a variety of sizes, colors, designs, and shapes. When your tummy gets bigger most of your regular clothes won’t fit anymore. You can use belly bands to hide those unbuttoned or unzipped pants. These bands also help you to cover the skin of your belly that gets exposed as the belly expands.

Some belly bands provide very mild compression on the belly and can also support your lower back and hips. They are mainly used as a fashion accessory.

Belly Belts

Belly belts are used as maternity supportive wear. These are more rigid belts that wrap around your belly in a way that covers most of it to add support to the lower back, hips, pelvis, and abdomen during pregnancy.

Some belly belts are narrower and strap-like and you can wear them to help extend the life of your regular clothes during pregnancy. But it is usually sitting on top of clothes like a camisole or vest.

Some other benefits of belly bands and belly belts

Belly belts and bands also have many other positive effects. Some of these are:

• Improved posture

Belly belts are designed to support your abdomen and lower back by balancing out your center of gravity. By wearing pregnancy belly belts, you can enjoy improved posture during all three trimesters.

• Prevent leg swelling

As the pregnancy belt distributes the weight of your baby bump evenly, you will experience reduced lower back pain and leg strain. By wearing pregnancy belts you are also minimizing the risk of leg swelling.

• Lower the risk to falling down

As the belly and bands balance the growing belly, your chances of falling are lower.

• Belly belts reduce the aches and pains in back

As belly belts distribute the baby’s weight equally in all parts, it alleviates the pressure on lower body muscles, joints, and back. As a result, you will experience less abdominal and lower back pain.

• It reduces bladder pressure

Your growing uterus and baby puts extra pressure on the bladder. This is the reason you have so little control over your bladder. But wearing a support belt helps you to minimize the pressure on your bladder.

• Support wear helps prevent preterm contractions

In some cases, women experience pre-term contractions, also known as Braxton-Hick contractions. As the maternity wears provide support to the belly, it reduces stress and pressure on other parts of the body that helps to prevent preterm labor.

• Support wear mades exercise easier

If you wear a pregnancy belt or band in the third trimester, it helps improve mobility, so walking and running may be easier and more comfortable. Moreover, these belts will help reduce the chances of any injury while you are exercising.

Best Pregnancy Support Belts

In our review of pregnancy support belts, we looked at the features of the belt, the price range as well as the review rating in making our choice. That being said, here are our top picks for pregnancy support belts that you can use during pregnancy:

The 3-in-1 Maternity Belt

Made with soft breathable material, this lightweight maternity belt is comfortable. Made with elastic mesh, its four elastic side panels add compression and ventilation. Great for back and belly pain relief and helps lift the abdomen to improve your posture. With it’s multi functional design this adjustable belt can be used through all three trimesters and even afterwards during postpartum.

 

Back Support Maternity Belt

This belt is made of soft, lightweight materials so nobody will notice that you're wearing one. The Hook and Loop closure of the belt makes it more practical and easy to use. It provides gentle compression and supports the abdominal area. It gives enough stretch and compression to reduce bladder pressure and distribute the baby's weight more evenly. It eases the discomfort of weight gain during pregnancy and supports your baby bump. The belt also reduces pregnancy pains. This belly wrap relieves lower back pain as it provides support by lessening spinal pressure to relieve straining in your back.

Maternity Belly Band 

This pregnancy band is super comfortable and breathable which makes it the first choice of many pregnant women. There are high-quality silicone strips on the bottom that helps the abdominal band keep it from sliding down so make sure you wear this part at the bottom. It is made of elastic soft fabric, so you can breathe and move comfortably. This band is very long and it covers your complete belly. Best used to extend the life of your regular clothes when pregnant. This band can be used for exercise/workouts and it helps your posture. It supports weak abdominal muscles during pregnancy. And the best part about this maternity band is that it is cost-effective.

Considerations before wearing a pregnancy belt or band

Being pregnant doesn’t mean that you have to be uncomfortable all nine months. Pregnancy support belts can be a relief for you to avoid any discomfort while working. But we recommend that you should ask your health care provider before using them. During pregnancy, your practitioner should know everything you do.

Also, remember that pregnancy supportive wear should only be used in moderation. Use them only when you are feeling very uncomfortable. Wearing these belts and bands all the time can slow down the blood flow.

If you are wearing a pregnancy belt or pregnancy band, also remember to:

• Talk to your doctor and ask him or her if you can wear a pregnancy belt or band.
• Check your insurance coverage, you can ask your doctor for a belt if your insurance includes a baby belt.
• Don’t overuse it. Wearing belt too much can reduce airflow to your skin and blood flow to the organs.
• Talk to your doctor about how often you can wear the belt. Most doctors recommend wearing it for only four to five hours a day.
• Tight bands and belts can cause discomfort so use snugly support garments.

Final Thoughts

You can customize pregnancy belts and bands so they can fit you better. During pregnancy, your center of gravity changes, and these belts provide extra firm support. They also help to balance a good posture.