Shrinkx Belly

For the past six weeks, I’ve been giving the Shrinkx Belly postpartum belly band a try. I have never tried anything like this before, but I had read about them in pregnancy magazines and wondered if they worked. The verdict? What a neat product! It’s made of quality material and is substantial, yet breathable. (And since I had my son in August, you better believe I appreciated the breathable aspect.) As for whether or not “it worked,” I’ll say I found it helpful on many levels.

One benefit in particular I didn’t expect from this product is back support. I am breastfeeding and every three hours I am in a hunched over position looking down at my baby. I was experiencing pretty severe pain between my shoulder blades, but the Shrinkx Belly helped relieve the pain I was having almost instantaneously. It was remarkable! The only negative about using the wrap during breastfeeding is it’s slightly bulky in the front because of the heavy Velcro, which made it tricky to get my son to latch and lay comfortably, but once we worked it out, we were golden. I also found the wrap helped support my back when I had a gassy, inconsolable baby on my hands and was swaying and bouncing for extended periods of time.

In regards to improving my waistline, I can’t say it was the sole factor. After wearing the wrap off and on for a month-plus, one thing I do know is it that helped bring in my stretched-out abdominal muscles. I don’t want to get your hopes up, though. I gained some fat in my stomach area and I had a good bit of extra skin from the pregnancy, and I knew the wrap was not going to get rid of that for me. I’ve accepted that only exercise and a healthy diet will get rid of the weight I had gained and time will bring in my skin.

One thing to keep in mind is that the wrap is best worn under baggie clothing, if you don’t want it to show. Fortunately, this was not a huge issue for me as I was in my house most of the first month postpartum. I did wear it under a loosely fitting T-shirt (it was two sizes too big), but that was about the only way I could where it out and about without it showing. Even then, the doubled over Velcro over the tummy area is bulky and the fabric, although breathable, can cause your shirt to cling. I wore the wrap once when we had guests over and noticed my shirt was catching on it at a couple points. It’s kind of like wearing Spanxx—you don’t mind if you’re wearing them, but you don’t want the rest the world to know your secret! Generally, I wore the wrap at home, but would leave it behind when heading out to dinner or meeting up with friends.

In summary, for $40, this product is made of quality material and is very substantial. It provides great back support for any nursing moms out there or for anyone spending extended time consoling their baby. It will also encourage abdominal repair and shrinking. Although it did not (nor does it promise to) help me lose any weight gained or remove excess skin, I was certainly glad to have it and am pleased with the results.

Price: $40
To buy: amazon.com