Your Complete Guide to Waist-Training for Post-Partum Moms
Pregnancy is a wonderful time in a new mother’s life; there’s the joy of the growing bump, preparing for the baby’s arrival, and finally welcoming them into the world. Many of the physical changes we experience caused by your body adapting to make room for the baby.
While some mothers love the feeling of being pregnant, others can’t wait to have the baby in their arms and return to their pre-baby body. In that respect, some compression and extra support may help to kickstart this process.
From simple Velcro-wraps and abdominal compression binders to waist trainers and cinchers, there are plenty of options. Some doctors recommend that new mothers wear abdominal compression wraps to strengthen their pelvic floor and align their abdomen until their organs and muscles can bounce back from the birth.
Whether you’re new to waist training or wish to return to it post-partum, here’s your guide to everything you need to know about waist training after you’ve had a baby.
(If you’re completely new to waist training, check out our guide to waist training so you can understand how it works.)
Your Guide to Waist Trainers for Post-Partum Moms
Your body has just been through a huge amount! Your body won’t magically return to how it was before you got pregnant – it is a process. Shapewear can be a great way to support a successful return. Many women wear them to regain strength in their stomach muscles, and some women wear them to help with postpartum cramping. From a practical standpoint, a wrap, faja or postpartum trainer can be helpful and act a little like weightlifter’s belt – providing your abdominals with additional support as you move car seats, carry your baby, and wrangle strollers and more!
Here, we’ll explore the various shapewear pieces depending on how far along you are on your postpartum journey.
Weeks 1-6: High-Waisted Strapless Body Shaper
We don’t recommend using a waist trainer in the first six weeks after birth.
Instead, stick to seamless shapewear to help you feel comfortable. Wearing seamless shapewear can help give you a held-in feeling without pressuring your body to do something it isn’t able to do. We have two seamless shapers we recommend to new moms:
- Our daily-use High-Waisted Strapless Body Shaper
- Our Mid-Compression Everyday Wear Body Shaper
We recommend these because they are seamless with no buttons or zippers that can lead to too much pressure or discomfort. These choices will allow your body to breathe, while helping you feel a little more put together when you’re likely feeling vulnerable.
Make sure you purchase a size that doesn’t restrict your movement – it’s a good idea to go up a size or two. If you wore shapewear like this during your pregnancy, stick to it for the first few weeks and size down when you feel it’s no longer supporting your shape.
Check out our video What Shapewear Should I Wear After Birth? for more information.
Week 6 Onwards: Waist Trainers
Once you’ve been cleared by your doctor or your postpartum discomfort has dissipated, you can move on to waist trainers.
Again, we have a few different waist trainers we recommend to new moms depending on how you’re feeling and your needs.
For Those New to Waist Training & For Working Out
For moms who want to return to exercise and working out quickly, our Gym Sweat Belt is ideal. It fastens with Velcro, which means you are completely flexible to tighten and loosen it depending on how you’re feeling, how much support you desire, and even so you can feel comfortable as you move from exercise to exercise.
Of course, it’s also ideal for new moms who are also new to waist training because the Velcro gives you the flexibility to ease into your waist training carefully.
For Moms Ready to Start Waist Training
Our Smooth Powernet Waist Cincher a great place to start once you’re ready to start waist training in earnest, but want to stay comfortable all day. This piece of shapewear is specially designed to flatten your stomach and shape your waist and hips, creating an hourglass figure. It is made with comfortable spandex material (no latex) and offers moderate compression, supporting good posture and strengthening your core muscles.
Our Sports Latex Waist Cincher is also suitable for everyday use and can be worn for shaping and weight loss. It is designed to reduce the size of your waist and smooth out the edges of your midsection. This is a good option if you’ve done waist training in the past, though many moms new to waist training will find this as comfortable as the other options above. This offers some of the best results – just make sure you don’t rush the process!
Whether you are considering wearing postpartum wraps for comfort, or you’d like to encourage your body to return to its prepartum state, there are plenty of products to suit your needs. Just remember that you won’t be able to return to your pre-baby waist trainers right away – it’s a good idea to size up for the first few months until you are ready to size back down to your other waist trainers. If you have any sizing queries don’t hesitate to reach out to our team and they’ll help you find the perfect size that will be most comfortable for you.