I am pregnant and am looking to purchase a belly bandit compression garment for after my delivery. I know it is supposed to help flatten your tummy quicker (combined with exercise of course) but does it help get rid of that deflated balloon/wrinkly appearance? There seem to be all these amazing testimonials online but it sounds too good to be true. I am ok with a bit of fat that I can work on over time but I'd really like to not have that wrinkly appearance if at all possible!

I bought one right after delivery, and I never wore it! I finally just sold it on eBay because I was never as religious about wearing it as you're supposed to.

Honestly, my tummy is going back fine on its own (still have a bit to lose though).

Personally, I think that how your stomach reacts to pregnancy has more to do with genetics than anything else. However, if belly support makes you feel better, then wear one
I think that I recall some other threads on this subject too, so if you do a search, you may find some additional information.

^ thanks ladies! I did a search but didnt find much on the specifics of what the garment did besides help shrink the tummy quicker.

I also forgot to mention that this is my second pregnancy, my tummy didnt get rid of that wrinkly look with the first (I saw improvement over time but it didn't go away) and my LO is almost 3 so I am trying to help the process along this time if possible.

Sarah, is there anything specific you are doing to help get back in shape? Any advice would be much appreciated!

Originally Posted by Prettyvogue

Sarah, is there anything specific you are doing to help get back in shape? Any advice would be much appreciated!

Breastfeeding and staying hydrated - keeping active - I'm not really gung-ho on working out yet, because I'm still so freaking sleep-deprived and now my schedule doesn't have much room. So I'm not really doing anything hardcore. It's not the top of my priority list.

A lot of people do have success with belly wrapping! It was just not something that I could remember to do ALL of the time which is what they recommend.

Originally Posted by sarahloveslouis

Breastfeeding and staying hydrated - keeping active - I'm not really gung-ho on working out yet, because I'm still so freaking sleep-deprived and now my schedule doesn't have much room. So I'm not really doing anything hardcore. It's not the top of my priority list. A lot of people do have success with belly wrapping! It was just not something that I could remember to do ALL of the time which is what they recommend.

But again, I'm not sure that its fair to say that women have had success with belly wrapping because there's really no way to tell if it has to do with genetics or belly wrapping. I have had two babies, never used a belly wrap, and my tummy is pretty much as flat as it always was. I could see how belly-wrapping could offer some temporary support though and it might help a woman to feel better about herself after pregnancy.
Anyway, here are some other threads that I referred to earlier:
What's the best wrap for belly postpartum?
Body wrap "taut" by Brooke Burke
After Delivery - Confinement and Wrapping of the stomach..

I do have to say, the Bamboo Belly Bandit that I bought was very comfy and yes, did provide awesome support that felt good!

So, yes, who knows if it does work as well as they claim (or if it's the customer's genetics that play the part), but if you have the will to keep it up and you feel good, go for it!

Someone gave me one after my second was born. It provided awesome back support, which was great as I have a terrible back, but other than that, it did nothing for me. I really don't think much of anything aside from genetics plays any role in this- I don't see how these things could actually do anything to shrink your stomach, aside from (maybe) reducing the amount you can eat because they are so tight. If nothing else, I'd expect them to make things worse since you would be relying on outside support, not muscles, to keep it flat while it was being worn.

I used these for about 4 weeks after my pregnancy. I really have no clue whether it actually helped my stomach shrink down. However, mentally it made me feel better because it helped my stomach appear flatter, even though it was far from that! After four weeks, though, I gave up because it was so annoying to wear--I had to have someone else help me get it on (because you want it to be super tight) and it kept riding up.

I bought three types of belly supports and though it made my stomach flatter by the time I took it off it was never long lasting. Plus I never used them daily because they are a pain to put on and it's so hot to wear them out. I bought the hip band one which made my hips feel better when they were achy but I doubt it shrunk my hips. I bought one that was like a girdle and had a flap so I can pee. That was a struggle to get into. And also a big flexible bandage type one by wink which turned out to be the best. It squeezed everything in while flexible enough to move around. I heard the belly bandit was very stiff and it was difficult to sit in. The wink band was only about $40 I think. All purchased on diapers.com. After about 4 weeks my stomach became flat on its own now that I'm 8 weeks postpartum I'm hoping doing a lot of an work will tighten the rest of my flab. Hope that helps and good luck!

It won't hurt. I wore something similar after baby#5 and I got back down to my 120's. I also have good muscle tone due to core strength exercises and yes, genetics. I also credit breastfeeding. I will wear some sort of band after this pregnancy too.

I bought the bamboo belly bandit and wore it for the first week. I really liked the support it gave especially when lifting and feeding the baby. I was really worried about diastasis recti and I think external binding might give the connective tissue along the centre of your abdomen a bit of a rest after all the strain of pregnancy and the delivery. the most important thing though is doing gentle core exercises that exercise your transverse abdominal muscle like taking deep breaths and holding them in etc. there are some good DVDs you can order online. I also bought a treadmill that I thought would allow me to excercize around the babys nap schedule. I used it maybe twice, he would always wake up. Breast feeding and running after a busy baby definitely helps. Anyway, after a couple of months my tummy was back to normal and I was 2 sizes smaller than from before I was pregnant.
I would definitely recommend the band, it gives some support, there's no real side effects and there is the small chance it may actually work.

I gave birth about 6 weeks ago, My mother bought me the belly bandit in bamboo in small while I was in the hospital, being a firm believer of binding for at least 6 weeks...then after a week it became loose already, so she had to get me the XS and then in less than 2 weeks I out grew it again, I searched high and low looking for a belly band that would fit me after the XS size but everything runs the same... smallest is 27 inches and up. I almost resorted to spanx but then the compression was still not tight. My tummy is now flat and no one can really tell I gave birth and have 2 kids, thanks to breastfeeding. yes the belly bandit helped but I believe that breastfeeding did most of the part!

I had a few of these, including the Bamboo Belly Bandit as well as one given to my by the hospital (doctor ordered it at my request). I couldn't wear them. I had a c-section with old school vertical incision (belly button to pubic bone) and I could not handle the pressure on the incision. It took me a while to flatten out, but I definitely did get back to pre-pregnancy belly, and that's with the big scar down the middle.

Originally Posted by vhdos

Personally, I think that how your stomach reacts to pregnancy has more to do with genetics than anything else. However, if belly support makes you feel better, then wear one I think that I recall some other threads on this subject too, so if you do a search, you may find some additional information.

I agree, I'e had two kids, no stretch marks and no abdominal seperation. But I also worked out the entire time I was preggers, and still work out now. My mom didnt get stretch marks with me, though she has been over weight ever since (maybe because she gained 80 pounds! i gained 25 with the first and 23 with the second. both my babies were und 6 pounds though.

After I had the second I got the Hip Shrinx. I dont know if it shrank them but when I started working out it definitely made me feel more held together when I ran.