I'm starting to think about postpartum (wow, time flies!) I keep wondering about belly binders (Belly Bandit, etc) and am wondering if its worth the $$. I don't expect any miracles, but I don't like the idea of feeling super jiggly after birth. For the record, this will be in August (though its not super hot in Seattle), and I was around a size 12 pre-pregnancy.
What do you think? And if you like it, tell me what brand/model!
73 votes
coconut / 8475 posts
I love belly binders but not the bandit.
It isn't strong enough IMO.
I liked the Squeem and I've heard and seen awesome results with the bellefit (ask matador).
I used the Squeem at about 2w pp, and a JCPenney one before that (Flexee), like as soon as I showered in the hospital, and my stomach was flat. I never looked pregnant after giving birth. It didn't protrude.
pomelo / 5228 posts
@CupQuakeWalk: Thank you! I was trying to figure out a non-brand name thing to call it. I've edited the thread 
coconut / 8475 posts
@Mrs.Someone: oh ok! then, HELL YES!
Eta: I had a small (use immediately post birth) and an xs (used 2w pp). I was a 0-4 prepregnancy. I recommend 2 sizes for sure:)
grapefruit / 4213 posts
I was all belly. I liked the Bamboo Belly Bandit for the fact that it made me feel a little better when I looked in the mirror and made me stand up straighter. But I'm not convinced it actually made things shrink any more than they would naturally. I wore it for the first 6 weeks.
GOLD / watermelon / 14076 posts
@Mrs.Someone: I wore a belly bandit (gave birth in August as well!) and loved it. You can see my progress pics (2 days PP vs 2 weeks PP after wearing the belly bandit) in this thread:
http://boards.hellobee.com/topic/real-bellies-the-gold-version#post-1026057
hostess / wonderful watermelon / 39513 posts
I used one that the hospital provided after my C-sections.
GOLD / cantaloupe / 6581 posts
YES! I just used some shapewear I had, and it helped tremendously with the pain after my lovely combo c-section/pushing. I'd say it helped with the swelling as well, but really, I loved it for the pain relief.
wonderful olive / 19353 posts
I bought one from Amazon and wore it for a couple weeks. I didn't feel like it did much for me. My belly eventually shrank up on its own after a few weeks.
pomelo / 5228 posts
Thanks ladies!
Have any larger ladies used one of these things? I wear shapewear occasionally, but always have issues with rolling if it doesn't include some form of shorts in the design. And I don't think I want to buy anything that would make going to the bathroom more difficult postpartum
pomelo / 5298 posts
I wore the one that was given to me by the hospital (c-section). Somewhere I acquired another one too (but I don't recall where). It was a life saver for me. I think I wore it for close to a month.
And I'm plus-sized.
nectarine / 2765 posts
I wore the belly bandit and really liked it. I don't think it's a miracle worker but I did like having everything sucked in and it was fairly comfortable. I honestly wasn't as consistent as I should have been but I wore it a decent amount. My stomach returned to normal after about 6 weeks or so. Honestly, I don't know if it made any difference in my results or not but I would wear it again if I have any more lo's.
The one mistake I made was taking my measurements right after birth (I was still huge) and ordering that size. I shrunk considerably in just a few days and only wore the larger size for like two days.
grapefruit / 4988 posts
I used the belly bandit. I used the oh so expensive BFF version because I am very petite. I got it in two sizes and definitely needed both.
The good: I do think it helped. I looked good by 6 weeks, which is what they promise. My tummy is definitely not completely flat right now but that is probably because I haven't worked out in forever. I look pretty close to how I looked pre-pregnancy, and I am in my 30s so I think that's pretty good.
The bad: I couldn't wait to be done wearing that thing. It creased really badly and kept riding up, so it just wasn't that comfortable. In the early days, it made nursing kind of weird too. Plus it was visible under my clothes so I didn't like to wear it when other people were around.
I will probably wear them again the next time around even though they were uncomfortable because I am kind of vain and I like how I slimmed down pretty quickly.
honeydew / 7091 posts
So, I'm probably about the same size, bordering 12/14 before I got pregnant. I did NOT use anything after baby #1, and wish I had. Even if it didn't actually do anything, that flabby stomach is just... no. I needed *something* on my stomach, and ended up wearing an undershirt that was 2 sizes too small just around my stomach (one of those spaghetti-strap ones). It helped keep things a little more under control. But it wasn't totally enough - I'm just too cheap to spend money on something real 
pomelo / 5228 posts
I'm thinking of ordering this for my hospital bag, then deciding later if I need something better:
I'm afraid of the other binders being too bulky, so I like this 2 for 1 idea. Its pricey though!
honeydew / 7091 posts
@Mrs.Someone: That looks perfect! If it was like $20 I'd be all over it!
pomelo / 5228 posts
@swurlygurl: Hah, I wish! I wore something like this for my wedding (though not nursing obviously) and it was pretty comfortable.
honeydew / 7916 posts
@Mrs.Someone: I don't know if I'm in the minority, I read something about wearing one of these immediately after delivering. Then I realized that no way was I bothering with that! Going to the bathroom was scary enough! And being home now I'd rather wear my full panel yoga pants to keep things contained.
watermelon / 14467 posts
I loved wearing one. It never got me to pre-baby size (honestly, I couldn't afford a second size since I wasn't getting paid), but I felt much better with everything contained. It helped me stand up straighter and also helped with pain I was having in my ribs where they stretched so much.
pomegranate / 3863 posts
I wore the belly bandit bamboo version and it definitely helped! It certainly wasn't the most comfortable thing (maybe I had the wrong size?) and I didn't sleep in it or wear it ALL the time but I definitely had to buy a smaller size after a couple weeks. I wish I had been more religious about wearing it but I'm still happy with the investment and how well it worked for me.
kiwi / 524 posts
I just kept wearing my full panel maternity pants and, when they got too baggy, I wore my Bella band.
cherry / 149 posts
I got a fairly cheap one off Amazon. I didn't use it consistently so I don't know if it would have made my stomach flat faster, but it helped me feel a lot better when I was standing up the first few days so it was worth it.
eggplant / 11716 posts
@Mrs.Someone: I got this super cheap one off amazon (two sizes) and really liked it. I wouldn't wear it outside the house because it was visible under clothes but I heard they all are. http://www.amazon.com/Underworks-Post-Delivery-Girdle-Belt/dp/B0002UCES4/ref=sr_1_9?ie=UTF8&qid=1402752858&sr=8-9&keywords=belly+binders
apricot / 358 posts
@catlady: exactly this!! Mine creased really bad too, which made it pretty uncomfortable to wear. Either way, I will probably invest in another binder/shaper of some sort, as I don't think my old belly bandit would fit or be comfortable with the horrible crease.
pomelo / 5228 posts
@Anagram: Thanks! I saw this one when looking and liked the price and that it seems less bulky than the rest
pomegranate / 3392 posts
My friend lent me hers, I believe it was the bamboo belly bandit, and I used it for about 3 weeks. I don't know if it was all due to that that my belly regained its shape pretty quickly, but it did keep me comfortable in those early days. I say yes!
blogger / coconut / 8306 posts
@Mrs.Someone: I had one that the hospital gave me post csection. Loooooved it. It was supportive and comfortable, though I likely wouldn't have paid for one if I had to.
honeydew / 7687 posts
@Mrs.Someone: I had 2 sizes of belly bandit and used them almost all the time for at least 2 months PP. absolutely did nothing in terms of my stomach shrinking- i had diastasis recti and still do. They did help me FEEL more normal though.
papaya / 10560 posts
I bought a bellefit and it was worth every cent. I had two kids in 17 months and was determined to bounce back because I felt so gross after my first birth and it took forever to lose the extra flab. I started wearing it two days after giving birth with my second and I just felt so aligned. I know that seems weird but true. 3 weeks after having dd I was back in my size 4 pants. I didn't fit in my pre-preg pants 9 months after having DS, which at that point I was Prego again anyway. I can't recommend the bellefit enough!!
Eta-at first I could barely get zipped. I had to gradually zip more and buckle more each time I work it.
pomegranate / 3565 posts
I had the belly bandit and I think it did initially help shrink my tummy. But after a couple of days it got uncomfortable because it hit right by my c section scar. I try to wear it but end up taking it off.
pomegranate / 3706 posts
I had belly bandits in sizes M and S- bound tightly after both babies and was so uncomfortable, I ditched them pretty quickly and never wore them more than a few hours each day. I don't really think they did anything, but I also am a freak of nature who left the hospital each time definitely swollen and up some lbs, but all traces of true baby bumps were gone.
GOLD / pomegranate / 3688 posts
Yes, but *absolutely* get two sizes. I was outgrew (undergrew?) the one size I had really fast, so it wasn't that useful. I wish I just sucked up the expense and bought the next smallest size as well. Next time, I will (I already own the bigger size). It's not super confortable (digs in), but it feels good to have everything sucked in.
papaya / 10343 posts
I'm plus sized and did not wear anything like this and I (comfortably) wore my pre preg jeans today (lo was 1 month old yesterday. So I'd say they are not always necessary.
persimmon / 1343 posts
They gave me an abdominal binder in the hospital after my c-section and OH MY GOODNESS I would not have survived without it holding everything in. It not only did wonders for the pain, I feel like it helped my belly get back closer to normal size. I wore it for about 7 weeks postpartum and by that point it was too stretched out to wear anymore. I never bought one of the non-medical ones though, this was a binder for after abdominal surgery.
persimmon / 1472 posts
I used the abdominal binder that the hospital gave me and I swear its the reason I was able to have a relatively flat stomach again! I had to ask for it and I hated wearing it (it creased and the bottom would roll up sometimes), but unkept at it wearing it during the day. I plan to wear a binder again but this time around I am investing in a Bellefit dual closure! Hopefully the hook/ eye closure on the bottom will help the rolling up problem.
pomelo / 5041 posts
I got one from the hospital post c-section and it was really helpful for my recovery. I am not sure I'd spend a bunch of money on one - a cheap one will do the same work!
pineapple / 12234 posts
@Mrs.Someone: did you decide which one you're going with? I was just going to use the belly bandit since I haven't heard anything negative about it - until this thread. I'm considering the yummy tummy nursing tank since on top of a binder, I want something tight on my stomach underneath my shirts. My old nursing tanks were way too loose!
cantaloupe / 6869 posts
I got a Belly Bandit and I ended up wearing it twice. I hated the feeling of constriction on my belly! It felt kind of disgusting.
pomelo / 5228 posts
@HLK208: I think so! I'll either get the Yummy Tummie (http://smile.amazon.com/gp/product/B003R9B2T4/ref=ox_sc_sfl_title_2?ie=UTF8&psc=1&smid=A15EGX4M9P4K4T) or This cheap binder (http://smile.amazon.com/gp/product/B0002UCESE/ref=ox_sc_sfl_title_1?ie=UTF8&psc=1&smid=A15ZBZS63FGQ09). Probably the tank though.
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