The question of when to start wearing a postpartum bandage is of interest to many young mothers. Such elastic belts do not have serious contraindications for use and help a woman recover faster. Therefore, in most cases, they can be worn immediately after childbirth. Only if this is a personal initiative, and not a doctor’s recommendation, it’s worth learning a few important nuances.
Selection recommendations
Choosing the right postpartum bandage is easy. All models of these products can be divided into 2 types: some are designed to recover after a difficult birth, others act on a specific muscle group.
Size should be chosen as it was in a woman before pregnancy. The exception is situations when, after childbirth, the young mother recovered greatly, gaining more than 12 kg. In this case, the bandage will be needed several sizes larger.
The elastic belt is suitable for those women who recover after a difficult birth. It can also help prevent the development of intervertebral hernia, because during pregnancy, the spine in the lumbar region is subjected to excessive stress.
Postpartum bandage helps speed up the recovery process after childbirth and alleviate the overall well-being of a young mother. When wearing the product, the peritoneum, external walls and internal organs, especially the uterus, are well stretched, and all this is fixed in the correct position. It is possible to achieve positive results:
- The uterus after birth begins to contract many times faster, gradually returning to its previous size;
- Postpartum hemorrhages do not increase, but, on the contrary, stop much earlier than usual;
- The abdomen is significantly reduced in a short time;
- The abdominal muscles recover to their previous state, they become as elastic as they were before the birth of the child;
- A fold does not form on the stomach, the skin does not sag.
Supportive corset brings maximum benefit to those women who cannot boast of naturally elastic muscles. It also provides lumbar support. This is especially important for problems with the spine or back, since during pregnancy they can become very aggravated due to a sharply increased load on the lower back.
According to experts, women who wear a postpartum brace heal stitches faster, while significantly reducing the risk of divergence. Therefore, doctors strongly recommend putting on the product to those who have had a cesarean.
It is also important that with constant wearing of a support corset, the pain decreases, and in general the woman feels much better.
We also read:How to remove the tummy after childbirth (7 exercises in pictures + video)
Contraindications
The postpartum bandage can be an elastic belt, shorts or a corset made of very dense traction material. Such products provide support for the abdomen and abdominal organs. A postpartum bandage is designed to restore skin on the surface of the abdomen and prevent the appearance of stretch marks. Nevertheless, despite all the positive effects, some women are not recommended to use such a product.
Contraindications for wearing a postpartum bandage are as follows:
- kidney disease causing a variety of edema;
- certain types of sutures after cesarean section;
- diseases of the stomach and intestines.
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Doctors do not recommend making a decision about wearing a postpartum bandage, especially for those women who have had a cesarean. It is worth consulting with a specialist first, and he will already express his expert opinion on the advisability of using a support corset in a particular case.
What do the doctor's say?
Putting on a postpartum bandage is recommended with maximum relaxation of the abdominal muscles. This can be achieved if you lie on your back. Having put on an elastic belt, the skin on the abdomen under it needs to be spread out with your hands, since after childbirth it remains rather flabby for some time.
There are no clear time limits for wearing a postpartum bandage. In most cases, skin elasticity is fully restored within 2-2.5 months after the birth of the baby. Up to this point, it is better not to remove the bandage at all, making an exception only for washing. Sleeping is also recommended in an elastic waistband or corset. It is advisable to purchase 2 postpartum bandages so that you can always wear the second while the first is washed.
You can put on a supportive corset from the moment the young mother begins to walk, but it is recommended to coordinate this with the gynecologist. Periodically, it is worth removing the product for 2-3 hours. This will allow you to relax and relax a little as the woman who recently gave birth, and the skin on her stomach.
We also read: Choose a postpartum bandage (+ learn to tie the stomach)
Consultation from an obstetrician-gynecologist with 30 years of experience
I tried to wear a postpartum bandage, but it was a terrible inconvenience to me, in particular, I pressed hard on protruding bones. Although she seemed to be picking up with a specialist and the doctor recommended, but in my case I had to abandon him.
I am categorically against bandages. Our body is very unique and is able to recover itself after childbirth and not only after them, but external intervention is useless, it only weakens the regenerative power. Itself already gave birth to two, without any medical lotions, I will say more, gave birth at home, and not in the hospital. My kids and I are in great shape.