with Dr. Whitney Haase

So you just had a baby, and you want to “get your body back.”

I totally understand. Being a new mom is VERY hard, and adjusting to your new body doesn’t make it any easier. Especially when social media is full of moms who “bounced back” in just a few weeks. Looking at your stretch marks or extra tummy skin probably usually doesn’t feel great.

Here’s the big question: Is using a belly wrap or binder the best way to help you “bounce back” after birth?

I get this question from lots of mamas, so today we’re digging in.

If you’ve ever searched for the best way to improve your postpartum recovery or postpartum weight loss, odds are very high that you’ve seen at least a few ladies credit their quick recovery to wearing a belly wrap or belly binder. Some of them swear by putting one on within just a few hours after birth.

I have a few problems with this approach:

1. Your first priority for your body after birth should not be to shrink your waistline.

2. Using a binder or brace of any kind does not help your muscles long term.

3. Belly wraps promote dysfunctional breathing and other inefficient movement patterns.

First up, shrinking your waistline after birth should not be your main focus.

Let’s start with the phrase “bounce back.” I have many problems with this wording on its own.

You just did something amazing — grew and birthed a beautiful little human — and you should be proud of yourself. Emphasizing the need to almost instantly bounce back makes it seem like there is something wrong with your new postpartum body.

There is nothing wrong with you.

Yes, you should be very intentional about your recovery. You should nourish your body with whole foods, gratitude, and gentle movement. But your worth as a woman should never be defined by how quickly your waist shrinks. Or doesn’t.

This isn’t a popular opinion, but I don’t believe you should strive to look the same as you did before your first pregnancy. Your body is different now. That doesn’t mean it’s worse or weaker or damaged or broken. You are beautiful, but different. It’s important not to confuse different with inferior, and I think advocating for early belly binding sends the wrong message to women. Please be gentle with yourself, mama.

Next up, using a binder or brace of any kind does not set up your muscles for long term success.

Our bodies are incredible at adapting (hello, pregnancy!), and this often means that our muscles will be very lazy if we let them. When we wrap our bellies, it can certainly make our core feel more together. All braces provide that feeling of stability. However, if we give our core external support like through a belly wrap — especially for extended periods — it will ultimately teach our core muscles that they don’t have to work very hard because the wrap is there to do the work for them.

If you want to have a strong core after pregnancy, teaching those muscles to work less could be the opposite of what you actually want. Gentle breathing and movement in the first few weeks after birth helps to load your muscles the right way. This means a stronger core for you. What else does a stronger core mean? Less leaking, less back pain, less pain during intercourse… but mostly it means a more confident mother.

Last up is how belly wrapping/binding promotes dysfunctional breathing and other inefficient movement patterns.

Sucking it in is a horrible strategy to stabilize your core, and it just facilitates many other problems that pregnant and postpartum women are already more likely to experience. By sucking in our bellies, we actually prevent our deep core muscles from activating properly (i.e. the diaphragm, transverse abdominus, obliques, and pelvic floor).

Want to know why so many moms still have back and pelvic pain, leak when they jump, and can’t have comfortable intercourse, even sometimes years after having their last baby?

They have learned the wrong ways to use their muscles. Continued belly wrap use won’t do you any favors to undo these inefficient patterns.

After the birth of my first child, I let anxiety about my new body take precedence over the joy and gratitude for the miracle my body had just performed. I decided to focus on postpartum core and pelvic floor rehabilitation because I saw firsthand how lacking the current healthcare model is for postpartum women. Through proper breathing and movement training, we can help you regain the strong core and pelvic floor you were meant to have. Wherever you are on your postpartum journey, I’m here to help. 

If you’d like to chat to see if I’d be a good fit to help during your pregnancy or postpartum recovery, please call our office at (402) 256 6683.