Will a postpartum belly support help strengthen your abs?

I get this question quite a bit. 

What about postpartum support band, girdle, etc? 

Will it help strengthen your abs or heal your diastasis? 

So let’s chat a bit about postpartum supports, what they can and cannot do, and what type of support may be helpful vs what supports may not be so great. 

Support vs Girdle

You may think these two are the same, but they most certainly are NOT. While one can be advantageous in the postpartum period, the other can cause unwanted symptoms and actually hinder healing. So, which one is which? 

A postpartum support- like recovery shorts or bands- provide gentle support for the belly. Like a warm hug. This kind of support allows you to still move freely while giving you some support for your core without putting pressure on the pelvic floor. This kind of support still allows you to breathe, move, sit, and use your core in functional ways while providing a bit of feedback and often just feels really good- like full panel maternity pants that support a belly that has changed a lot. 

A postpartum girdle or waist trainer is much more rigid. This kind of garment doesn’t allow for freedom of movement and keeps the core rigid often calling for the trainer or girdle to be worn very tight around the belly. This type of rigidity can place extra pressure on a pelvic floor that is already under a bit of stress and healing in a lot of ways. While we may think that this rigid support would help strengthen the core, it can actually hinder the core from doing what it needs to do in order to heal in a functional capacity. 

When and why you should use a postpartum support

Postpartum support garments or bands can be used immediately after birth. Many women who have given birth via C-section find this type of support helpful for supporting their scar and belly after surgery. A postpartum support garment can help gently hold things in while you’re bending, lifting, and carrying your baby without hindering your movement at all. It can just feel really good to have that little hug of support since your body has changed and is still changing quite a bit. Not only that, but it can help hold in the giant pad you’re likely wearing. 

A postpartum support garment shouldn’t be worn to shrink the belly or heal a diastasis. We’ll talk about this in a minute. You can wear postpartum support garments for as long as you find helpful or that feels good and in tandem with other methods of post-birth core strengthening and pelvic floor healing. 

You don’t need a support to strengthen your abs or close your diastasis

One misconception about postpartum supports is that they can and will help you strengthen your core or “heal your diastasis.” There are many methods out there that use this type of belt or band to promote core healing. However, you don’t really need this to get stronger or have a functional core. 

The most important thing you can do to strengthen your core after birth is to be mindful. Follow a postpartum-specific exercise program by a trained professional. Be open about your goals and progressively load and challenge the core. Bellies are different after babies and the abs don’t necessarily have to come “back together” for the core to be strong, functional, healed, or for you to return to exercises you want to be doing. 

For more information on healing your pelvic floor and strengthening your core after baby, check out my free guide here. 

Any questions about good postpartum support garments? Ask in the comments below!