Belly Bandit Review.

I've been meaning to write about this forever, especially for any of you readers still waiting to deliver, or for many of us who will want a second baby.

I picked up a Belly Bandit at local boutique Due Maternity around 37 weeks, in order to help with my postpartum belly. Missed that post? Click here for a full wrap-up of what the Belly Bandit is supposed to do. Anyhow, I decided to go with a size M, having gone into the store to try it on with my enormous nine-month belly. Plus, the sales associate said that it was fully returnable as long as it hadn't been worn yet, so I figured that if the medium was too big, I could always go exchange it for a small.

As you all know, I ended up having a c-section. I had heard that the Belly Bandit was especially helpful with c-sections, providing exceptional abdominal support during your recovery, and this was 100% true. I put it on for the first time as we left the hospital, two days postpartum, not wanting to have to continuously remove it for the hospital staff to check my incision. I was admittedly nervous that it would be painful over my incision, but it wasn't. In fact, it was so comfortable and provided such amazing support, I wore it both night and day, taking it off only to shower. The medium was the perfect fit initially, fastening snugly around my post-baby belly, but within six days, I had sent D out to go pick up a size small. No way would that thing have fit initially, but that's how quickly it reduced post-pregnancy bloating and swelling. I can imagine this would be even more accurate with a natural delivery, since I'm certain the sutures in my uterus were causing even more swelling than was normal. I sure felt that way, at least!

Anyhow, starting about a week postpartum, I had moved into the small, and already felt amazing about how well it was working. I fit into my pre-pregnancy jeans at 10 days postpartum (!!!!) and I completely attribute that to the Belly Bandit. It certainly wasn't for lack of eating, at least not once I got through the initial few days recovery! I continued to wear it for the six weeks it recommended, though sometime right before week four it started to fit less comfortably, as my waist shrunk and was no longer even with my hips and rib cage's width (if that makes sense?) It just didn't seem to handle the curve/contour of my smaller waist as well. It still worked wonders, however, and when I finally retired it around six weeks, I felt confident enough with my flat belly to wear my normal tight shirts and sweaters without feeling like I had a major post-baby bulge. I would 100% recommend this product to ANYONE! Definitely plan on buying two sizes though to accommodate your shrinking belly! Trust me, you won't mind buying a second one when you see the progress!