Let’s talk about postpartum recovery for a minute.  It’s not an easy process.  For me, after sharing my body with another human for 9 months, I got very excited about getting my body back.  It’s exciting to think about all the clothes that you can wear again and just how much more comfortable it is without a baby pressing against your insides.  The problem is, postpartum recovery takes time.  It’s much more than just recovering from childbirth.  Your body needs to heal from the pregnancy too.

It’s important to take care of your postpartum body to help with the healing process.  That’s why you need to take it easy and not do too many activities for the first month or so.  It’s also nice to give your body some support to help the healing process.  It takes about 6-8 weeks for your uterus to go back to it’s normal size.  During that time, you might still look pregnant.  I learned quickly after I had my son just how important it was to have some sort of compression around my midsection.  I had a c-section with Jack, so not only was I recovering from my pregnancy, but I also was recovering from a major abdominal surgery.  The hospital provided me with a belly binder after my surgery and I don’t know how I would have gotten through my recovery without it.  I knew I wanted to have something a little nicer the second time around, especially because I wasn’t sure if I was going to need a repeat c-section or if I could have a VBAC.  I knew either way it would be important to have some sort of compression wrap.

I had been looking at the selection of postpartum wraps at Belly Bandit and was really impressed with the selection and the prices, so when Belly Bandit offered to send me their new c-section shorts to try out, I immediately said yes.  Since I was still pretty positive that I would be having a repeat c-section, I knew that these c-section shorts would be perfect to have for my postpartum recovery.  Luckily these shorts are also great for vaginal deliveries too since I ended up having a VBAC.  I waited a couple weeks to start wearing them, just because my body needed some time to heal and my belly needed to shrink just a little, but once I was ready to start wearing them I was hooked.

I was actually surprised by how many moms contacted me and said that they had never tried any kind of postpartum compression wrap after their pregnancies.  These were all second, third, or fourth-time moms who said they never used a wrap and they wanted to know if they work.  I had to tell them that the answer is yes!  They do work and I honestly don’t know how I would be getting through my postpartum recovery without one.

Here are the reasons why I love my Belly Bandit C-section shorts

1.)  They are comfortable- It’s nice during the summer months to have something comfortable and breathable during the hot days.  I like to wear these under my summer dresses and rompers.

2.)  They help reduce pain-  After you give birth, it can be painful as your uterus shrinks down to its normal size.  You might experience cramps and your stomach also feels tender and sensitive in the weeks after giving birth.  I find that having compression on my midsection really helps reduce that pain and sensitivity.

3.) They are easy to wear- These shorts may look intimidating with all the claps in the front, but they really aren’t.  You can easily slide them on after you’ve buttoned all the claps.  There is even a hole in the bottom in case you want to use it when you go to the bathroom, instead of taking the entire thing off.

4.) They make me love my postpartum body- Your body goes through a lot during pregnancy and it can be hard to feel confident in your new post-baby body.  These shorts give me the confidence to feel good about my postpartum body.  I’m proud of my body.  I grew a human for 9 months and then pushed out an 8 lb 3 oz baby.  Am I going to go back to my normal jean size overnight? No!  But that’s okay.  In the meantime, I can wear my c-section shorts and feel good about my current body.