Belly band benefits: Pros and cons of maternity support ...

Belly band benefits: Pros and cons of maternity support ...

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Several different types of support garments are available for pregnant women and new mothers. The various options can be overwhelming, making it challenging to choose the best products for each pregnancy stage and postpartum phase.

In this article, we provide a detailed overview of the most popular maternity support garments, their intended purposes, and current research findings.

Types of maternity support garment

The primary types of maternity support garments available for pregnant women and new mothers are:

Belly bands

Belly belts support the lower back and hips.

Belly bands are flexible tube-like garments that women wear around the belly to extend the life of prepregnancy clothing by covering unbuttoned or unzipped pants. They also act as a layer to help cover areas of skin that become exposed as the belly expands.

Some belly bands provide mild compression and may offer the hips and lower back an element of support.

Belly bands remain popular among pregnant women and come in many different sizes, shapes, colors, and designs. They often have some elastic or a rubber trim to help prevent them from bunching up.

Belly bands are sometimes called belly sleeves or maternity or pregnancy bands.

Belly belts

Belly belts are rigid belts that wrap around the abdomen to help support the lower back, pelvis, hips, and abdomen during pregnancy.

Belly belts typically sit on top of clothing, although some people may wear them underneath. Belly belts are usually more narrow and strap-like than belly bands, especially the part that lies across the front of the body.

People may also refer to belly belts as maternity or pregnancy belts, braces, or straps.

Prenatal or maternity cradles

Prenatal or maternity cradles consist of a belly belt that wraps around the lower body and an upper strap that extends over the top of the belly. Together, these form a cradle for the belly.

While some prenatal cradles are available to buy as a single item, they often come as an add-on to belly belts or in combination packs with them.

Maternity support clothing

Many maternity briefs and leggings contain an underbelly supportive belt and a non-binding waistband, which provides a stretchy space to accommodate the pregnancy bump. Most maternity briefs and leggings claim to help support the lower body, including the legs, buttocks, and hips.

Some maternity tops contain supportive sports bras and belly bands that absorb pelvic weight. Most supportive maternity tops claim that their structure helps reduce stress on the upper body.

Postpartum belly wraps and girdles

Postpartum belly wraps and girdles contain multiple layers of alternating stretchy and rigid wrapping that extends from under the breasts to the hips. They are also sometimes called belly bands.

Although there is scant unbiased research to support their use, most postpartum belly wraps claim to help by:

• supporting the lower back
• speeding up postpartum recovery, especially after a cesarean delivery
• improving blood circulation

Potential pros and cons

Below, we consider the possible benefits of certain maternity support garments, as well as some of their limitations.

Belly bands

Wearing a belly band may reduce the need to buy new maternity clothes.

The design of belly bands allows them to extend a pregnant woman's wardrobe by covering the lower abdomen. The intention is not usually to offer much support, although different brands provide various options.

There is little to no scientific research to back the claims that some belly bands do offer support.

The potential benefits of belly bands include:

• Reducing the need to buy new clothing. Belly bands can help prolong the life of maternity clothes. Some women feel uncomfortable with clothing that exposes their growing bellies, but the bands cover this area. As a result, a pregnant woman may have to buy new maternity clothing less often.
• Are usually suitable both during and after pregnancy. Many women are most likely to wear belly bands during the earlier months of their pregnancy when they require less support. However, women can also use belly bands during the postpartum months as they readjust to their prepregnancy clothing.
• Often inexpensive. In addition to potentially saving women money by extending the life of their prepregnancy clothing, some types and brands of belly band can be very affordable.

The potential cons of belly bands include:

• Lack of support. While different brands vary in their design, most belly bands only offer minor compression at best and provide little to no real support.
• May bunch up. Some belly bands do not come with special trims to hold them in place and reduce bunching. Even belly bands with these trims might bunch up or ripple because they are not rigid and do not have binding, ribbing, or Velcro to secure their positioning.
• Lack of research. There is currently little scientific research to either support or discourage the use of belly bands during pregnancy.

Belly belts

Belly belts aim to offer pregnant women support by taking some of the weight of the growing belly.

The potential pros of belly belts include:

• May help encourage proper posture. Belly belts could help stabilize a pregnant woman's abdomen and lower back by taking some of the weight of her belly and by evening out her center of gravity. A study involving 90 pregnant women found that wearing a maternity support belt slightly improved posture during all trimesters.
• Might lower the risk of falls. Belly bands may reduce the risk of falls for pregnant women by stabilizing their pelvis and improving their balance. A study that included 90 pregnant women found that wearing a maternity support belt improved balance and reduced the risk of fall during all trimesters.
• Make it easier to exercise. According to the American College of Obstetricians and Gynecologists, wearing a belly belt during the later stages of pregnancy may help make some activities, such as running or walking, more comfortable. A belly belt may also help pregnant women avoid injury while exercising.
• May help reduce some pregnancy aches and pains. Belly belts may help alleviate some of the aches and pains that can occur during pregnancy by taking some of the belly's weight and helping stabilize the body.

While there is still not enough scientific evidence to fully support the use of belly belts to reduce pregnancy pains, a few early studies indicate some potential benefits from wearing belly belts when pregnant.

A study evaluated 46 pregnant women with pelvic girdle pain. Pelvic girdle pain usually occurs in either the back of the thigh or the space between the middle of the pelvis and the pubic bone. Women with pelvic girdle pain usually have trouble walking and standing for extended periods.

In the women who wore pregnancy belts frequently for short periods, the belts seemed to reduce the intensity of pain and make daily tasks more manageable.

A review of methods for relieving pregnancy-associated pain in the lower back and pelvis found that pelvic belts and acupuncture were the only methods with strong positive evidence to support their use.

The potential cons of belly belts include:

• Unsuitable for prolonged use. Women should avoid wearing more constrictive garments, such as belly belts, for too long at any one time because they may decrease blood flow to the abdomen and growing baby.
• Can be expensive. Many belly belts can be expensive, especially those that are more rigid or have thicker padding. As they play a functional role rather than a cosmetic one, belly belts should ideally be of reasonable quality and robustness.

Wearing a belly belt for too long could cancel out the benefits of wearing one. In a study in which 46 pregnant women wore one of two different pelvic belt models, both belts reduced pelvic girdle pain but only when the women wore them for short intervals a few times a week.

Other maternity support garments

Maternity support garments range from inexpensive, basic underwear to expensive, multi-piece cradles and girdles. However, there is virtually no scientific evidence to either support or discourage the use of most of these types of garment.

Women looking for the right maternity support garment may wish to consider the following criteria:

• what the product is for
• how comfortable the product is to wear
• their size and body shape
• product price and budget
• available colors, patterns, styles, and designs
• product quality
• how long they will use the product for
• how easy the product is to obtain

How to wear maternity support garments

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Avoid wearing maternity support garments in hot weather and when working out.

Women will often decide how and when to wear a maternity support garment based on the product instructions and how it feels on them.

However, it may be best to wear belly belts, or the tightest part of any clothing, below the belly bump and above the pubic bone and hipline.

Although there is little scientific evidence to confirm when women can safely wear supportive maternity undergarments, it is probably best to avoid them when:

• in hot, humid, or elevated environments
• working out or exerting a lot of energy
• in areas with limited airflow
• the pregnancy has complications
• the mother is unwell

Other considerations

There is not enough research to fully determine the benefits and drawbacks of most maternity support garments. One key thing to consider with all garments, however, is that it is best not to wear any of them too often or for too long at a time.

Most health authorities recommend that pregnant women avoid constrictive or tight clothing, especially for extended periods or in warm or humid environments. Pregnant women are prone to overheat, and tight or constrictive clothing can increase the likelihood of this by:

• limiting airflow
• trapping body heat
• making it harder to breathe deeply

A study recruited 20 pregnant women with pubic pain. The women wore either a flexible, neoprene support belt or a rigid, foam-lined belt for roughly 5 hours daily for 3 weeks. They then wore the other belt under the same conditions for 1 week. The researchers found that:

• wearing a support belt increased daily functional activity levels
• both types of support belt decreased pain
• the participants found the flexible belt more comfortable

Some older research involving non-pregnant adults also suggests that wearing tight or constrictive clothing could increase the risk of specific health issues, which pregnant women already have a higher likelihood of developing. These include:

• constipation
• lower back problems
• digestion problems
• nervous system problems

As a general rule of thumb, if clothing leaves pressure marks on the skin, feels uncomfortable, or causes a sense of relief on removal, it is probably too constrictive to be suitable for a pregnant woman.

Summary

It can be challenging to decide which maternity support products are most suitable at each point during pregnancy.

Overall, belly bands and supportive undergarments, such as maternity tops, underwear, leggings, and tights, usually offer only mild compression and minor support.

On the other hand, belly belts, maternity cradles, and postpartum wraps or girdles tend to be more constrictive and offer more support, although they are typically less fashionable and less easy to hide.

While lots of good maternity support products are available, most do not have proven health benefits, and some may not be safe for all women. It might be best to talk with a doctor or obstetrician before wearing any maternity support products.

The Effect of Maternity Support Garments on Alleviation ...

The literature search generated a wide spectrum of reviews, studies, clinical trials, and reports, of which 24 articles were retrieved. 18 articles were excluded, as they were either review studies or the garments of study were used as part of the treatment and not the sole intervention or were carried out after pregnancy or in nonpregnant women.

In total, six peer-reviewed studies were used in this review, of which three are trial studies, two are pilot studies, and one is an observational study. Details of the study design, methods of measurement, and outcome measurements from the selected studies are presented. Three outcome measurements were identified from the studies: alleviation of pain, improvement of balance, and improvement of functionality and mobility.

Effect of MSGs on Pain Alleviation

Low Back Pain. Although there is a variety of terms used to define LBP during pregnancy and unclear diagnostic criteria, multiple studies show that LBP is one of the main discomforts experienced by women, with approximately 50% to 80% of the pregnant population affected. It is reported that LBP affects the performance of ADL during pregnancy and is one of the main causes for working women to take sick leave during pregnancy.

There are several presentations of pregnancy-related LBP: Carr in her paper mentioned multiple descriptions of LBP such as high back pain, sacroiliac or posterior pelvic pain, and lumbar pain as the most common of them. Albert, Godskesen identified two broad categories of LBP as pain arising from the area of the lumbar spine and pelvic joint pain manifested distal or lateral to the fifth lumbar vertebra. At the same time, there are many causes attributed to LBP such as increase of weight in a specific body part, alterations in posture, muscle fatigue, hormonal changes, and increase of strain in body structures because of the abdominal weight; however, little validation of the hypotheses regarding the causes is available.

A variety of trials investigating nonpharmacological treatments for alleviating LBP have been found using treatments such as exercise, progressive muscle relaxation (PRM), spinal manipulative Therapy (SMT), Kinesio Taping (KT), neuroemotional techniques (NET), transcutaneous electrical nerve stimulation (TENS), osteopathic manipulative therapy (OMT), Sham Ultrasound (Sham US), and the use of MSGs.

Only two trials were found to use MSGs as a sole intervention treatment using different types of MSGs (belts and full torso garments) and showing positive results for LBP alleviation and improvement of QOL during pregnancy.

Carr's study investigated the reduction in pain scores and the effect of pain in ADL. The study sample was formed by 30 women allocated to the garment group ( ) and 10 women allocated to a nontreatment group, but due to information contamination during the study, a garment was given to the nontreatment group during the second week of the study. The groups were comparable in gestational age, activities levels, and pain scores before intervention. The participants of this study were at least 20 weeks pregnant with self-reported LBP over the previous week and at least a self-reported "medium" level of pain, with no history of preexisting back pain or disc disease. The participants were asked to wear the garment for two weeks during waking hours.

Pre- and post-intervention tests were applied to measure the intensity and duration of pain and its impact on ADL during pregnancy through the pain in pregnancy (PIP) profile questionnaire. Also, a set of activity-related questions asking about the amount of twisting, bending, lifting, walking, sitting, and standing plus open-ended questions about the acceptability of the garment were applied. The intervention group had significantly fewer days of pain after the two weeks of intervention: t(26)= 3.48 and p=0.001, and significantly fewer hours of pain: t(26)= 3.56 and p=0.001, while the comparison group did not have any significant changes in the pain variables over the time during which they did not use the garment. Although the study showed that the intervention group achieved higher LBP relief based on PIP scores, it did not mention the possible mechanism of action of the garments which may influence its effectiveness, neither the interface pressure induced by the garment to the underlying body part, garment construction (fabric and garment details), nor the garments' fitting guidelines.

The study concluded that although there is a need for further study of the effects of MSGs on LBP alleviation, the use of MSGs can significantly reduce pain scores and effects of LBP in women's lives and it also concluded that MSGs could offer a safe, low-cost, and accessible comfort measure for a large number of women affected by LBP during pregnancy.

A second trial that demonstrated the effectiveness of MSGs for alleviation of LBP is the randomized trial by Kalus, Kornman, which evaluated the impact of wearing a MSG on LBP severity associated with functional impairment and satisfaction with life (SWL). The garments used during the study were a full torso garment with straps to the shoulders, made out of polyamide and elastane and with an elastic panel that sits under the abdomen ( ), and "Tub