As a pregnant women you will no doubt begin or already are feeling some sort of discomfort or even pain. This is because the weight of the pregnancy puts weight and strain onto your body, especially your lower back and pelvic area. Reports say that over 70% of pregnant women have some sort of lower back pain, and over 60% incur Pelvic Girdle Pain during a pregnancy. Think about it, imagine holding a workout weight, that only gets heavier and heavier each day, in front of you for 24 hours a day, 7 days a week, for 9 MONTHS! Of course your body is going to feel it.

Your body is going to try and adjust by relying more on muscles that you normally don’t use, ones that aren’t built up and are not as strong. Its going to naturally release additional hormones called Relaxin to try to help, but this at the same time loosens your hip joint causing it to become less stable. Additionally, the increased weight will start having an affect on your posture, you will not be walking the way you should. Later in your pregnancy you will be walking in a way that most people refer to as “waddling” and this causes more discomfort. There is just a thousand changes going on in your body when it is creating another one, and many of these changes cause you to experience discomfort.

 

So the question remains, is a maternity band safe to use? Does a maternity band help? The simple answer is yes, but when its used correctly! Lets discuss some benefits of why a maternity band can help.

It’s simple logic, just as a sports bra will hold your chest in place, keeping it from moving around too much when running, the light compression of a pregnancy band can do the same. A maternity band or belt can help support your uterus when doing physical activities by keeping it more in place and stable. When using it though, it has to be at a support level, not a level of doing all the work. Too tight and it can cause circulation issues, acid reflux, low blood pressure and more. If you experience any of that immediately loosen or remove. Be sure to check and have your doctor help you properly put it on.

 

These bands again were not created to again do all the work and are not made to be worn all the time. They should be worn minimally. Perhaps when you are doing the most moving around or at your highest activity level. Maternity bands help distribute the weight of the baby around your abdomen and lower back,taking some of the weight off those muscles. You still want to use those muscles by no relying solely on the band, if you do it can cause you to weaken these muscles instead. We mentioned before that your posture will be affected, using a band can teach your body correct posture helping you walk more correct, more upright, keeping those muscles strong and causing less pain.

So if you are a pregnant women that plans to be on your feet, looking into a maternity band might be a good idea. Let it help support your body and take some of the “pressures” off you so to say. Again though be sure to use it according to its directions and let your doctor help you safely use it.

So if your a pregnant women that plans to be on your feet, looking into a maternity band might be a good idea. Let it help support your body and take some of the “pressures” off you so to say. Again though be sure to use it according to its directions and let your doctor help you safely use it.