Belly Bandits and Binding – About so much more than Skinny Jeans

When I first read about Belly Bandits,  I was very quick to presume that they were some sort of modern girdle to get women looking stick thin and fitting into their pre-pregnancy jeans within hours of giving birth.  Full of indignation, as I continued to read, I learned that far from being a modern westernised concept born of vanity, belly binding has been practiced by women around the world for thousands of years to protect their bodies and accelerate the post-birth healing process.

Ancient Symbol of Motherhood

One of the earliest forms of belly binding found was in the Mayan culture where women wound long strips of cloth and braided grass round their abdomens to push the stomach muscles back together, reduce postpartum bleeding and reposition the womb.  As the stomach healed and contracted, the cloth was shortened and tightened. In many tribes, this sort of belt was worn with pride and was in itself a symbol of motherhood.

Over the centuries, the practice spread around the world until each culture had it’s own practice of belly binding. Indian women would bind their stomachs as part of a ritual to warm and close the "open" stomach and birth canal after giving birth. It was also believed that binding would accelerate the body's process of getting rid of waste blood after the baby was born.

Since then, Japanese mothers have used a "sarashi" and Hispanic women wrap their bellies with a "faja" to help speed the healing process of their stretched-out midsections. In fact, mothers in Indonesia, Thailand, Singapore, Latin America, Spain and the Philippines have commonly used and still employ some form of abdominal compression wraps to care for their bodies after giving birth.

So what are the benefits of Belly Binding?

Your stomach takes a fair bit of battering during pregnancy and often muscles become loose or separated. After giving birth, using a compression support such as the Belly Bandit encourages the use of your core muscles and gently persuades tummy muscles back together again. It helps to reduce the swelling of the uterus and decreases bloating from water retention.  Wearing a Belly Bandit gives your back and legs additional support and is great at supporting your upper body during breastfeeding. It has even been shown to minimize stretch marks and reduce the risk of hernias. And if you’ve had a C-section, you can position the Belly Bandit over the scar to protect it and keep the stomach compressed.

So yes, Belly Bandits can help you get back into your skinny jeans quicker but much more importantly, they help accelerate the healing process and are one of the kindest gifts you can give to your body after giving birth. I only wish I’d known about it sooner but I’ll be telling my daughter about it and hopefully she’ll be telling hers.  It’s time to reawaken this important tradition - after all, thousands of years of motherhood can’t be wrong.

Belly Bandits are available in Born stores or online at Born Direct

Visit the Belly Bandit website for more information.

Love

Helen