While pregnancy is definitely a state of bliss, it can also be difficult to get used to your body changing. Your body will change in ways you never thought possible as it prepares to make room for the baby. While it might be painful to feel your favourite jeans’ waistband growing tighter, what’s even more painful is the stress your back experiences while working hard to support your belly.

Wearing a pregnancy belly band can help you decrease the pressure on your lower back and properly support your baby bump during everyday activities. The band can be adjusted over and under the belly and wraps around the lower back. This way, it lifts up the belly and takes off some of the weight, thus providing some relief to your back’s aching muscles.

The pregnancy belly band also helps improve your posture. We’re all familiar with the typical leaning back posture of pregnant women who try to adjust to the extra weight they carry on the front of their body. By providing support to the lower back, the belly band prevents overextending the muscles on your lower back and encourages correct posture.

Another benefit of wearing a belly band is the fact that it helps you stay active – both at work and at home. Bear in mind that the physical discomfort you’ll experience can affect your mental focus and thus your work performance. The support the band provides might be just what you need to get you through the busy days at work and help you feel comfortable standing on your feet for longer periods of time.

If your of idea of being active involves exercising, you should continue to do so. When done moderately, exercising is beneficial for both you and your baby. Not only does exercising help you preserve your ligament and muscle strength, but it also helps prevent depression which some new mothers can experience right after post-partum. Wearing a belly band during your pregnancy workouts can help keep you and the baby safe by supporting your muscles and preventing stretching or bending too far.

The belly band can also be helpful even after you’ve given birth. As muscles and ligaments get stretched during labour, decreased core strength is very common in the weeks following it. Many women find that wearing the band during that period helps speed up the healing time and decrease discomfort. Combined with specific exercises, a belly band can also be beneficial for women who have experienced separation of the abdominal muscles, as it significantly helps in closing the gap.