Pregnancy Article 30

Belly Support Tools During Pregnancy

As you near the third trimester, you might be feeling the added pressure of your growing belly! Whether it’s simply uncomfortable or downright painful, we can all agree that it’s no fun. You might be experiencing round ligament pain, pelvic heaviness, or back pain. Thankfully, there are a plethora of belly support tools available for you to try! In this article, I hope to shed some light on belly bands and kinesio tape.

Belly Bands

Belly support bands provide just enough compression to support your hips and back during pregnancy. Their material is flexible, not rigid, and wraps around the entire abdomen. Belly bands come in all different shapes, sizes, and patterns. Some women like to wear them to close the gap in their unzipped jeans too!

Women who use belly bands during pregnancy report having less back pain, less pressure on their bladder, and more stable hip joints. The band is designed to distribute weight more evenly, which is why pressure is taken off the back and ligaments in the hips, causing less pain! Additionally, some women have stated that their balance improved when they wore a belly band due to the more even weight distribution. According to the ACOG, wearing a belly band during exercise may help to avoid injury as well as make walking and jogging easier. It can also provide more stability during weight lifting.

Because the belly band provides gentle compression, it should not be worn all the time. Try to wear it when you are feeling more uncomfortable and are needing some relief. Your baby needs proper blood flow and constant use may prohibit this! Your belly band should be snug without being too tight. You will know if it’s too tight as it will become extremely uncomfortable really fast!

Kinesio Tape

You may have heard of kinesio tape, or k-tape, as a tool to support your growing belly during pregnancy! Just like belly bands, k-tape is a safe and easy way to reduce the aches and pains that come along with the third trimester. Not only can k-tape relieve back and hip pain as well as lighten the load put on your bladder, it can also help reduce swelling in your feet and ankles! Strategically placed tape lifts the growing belly and decreases pressure put on the lymphatic vessels, causing them to drain more efficiently. Additionally, taping around the torso can make it easier for you to breathe comfortably.

It is important to note that kinesio tape causes skin irritation in some people. Pregnancy causes the skin to change and become more sensitive as it is, so be aware that taping might make the skin more irritated! Always talk to your birth team before adding something new into your regimen. It might help you feel more confident taping on your own if you have learned a few techniques from your provider first!

Sara French, ACSM CPT, NASM CNC

Sources

https://pelvicare.uk/blog/kinesio-taping-in-pregnancy#:~:text=In%20addition%20to%20helping%20athletes%2C%20kinesio%20taping,provide%20support%2C%20reduce%20pain%20and%20improve%20circulation.

https://www.premierhealth.com/your-health/articles/women-wisdom-wellness-/how-belly-bands-and-belts-help-relieve-pregnancy-s-discomfort#:~:text=Belly%20bands%2C%20which%20are%20flexible%2C%20tube%2Dlike%20garments%2C,that%20gets%20exposed%20as%20the%20belly%20expands.

https://www.ladybirdpt.com/post/taping-a-pregnant-belly#:~:text=Kinesio%20tape%20is%20an%20easy,the%20need%20for%20pain%20relief

What is a Kegel?

A kegel is an important exercise to do both during pregnancy and postpartum. This pelvic floor contraction can help strengthen the pelvic floor muscles, support the pelvic organs (uterus, bowel, and bladder), and help reduce the chance of pelvic floor disorders such as incontinence and pelvic organ prolapse. However, 1 in 2 women do not know how to perform a kegel correctly even if given verbal directions. This is why seeing a pelvic health physical therapist is very important, as they will assess your ability to activate these muscles and provide individualized coaching to help optimize your muscle performance and eliminate/prevent symptoms.

The kegel is a two-fold exercise of contraction and relaxation; both are equally important. To do a kegel, you’ll want to contract and lift the pelvic floor, try longer holds of 5-10 seconds and shorter holds of 1-2 seconds, then fully relax.

When contracting and lifting the pelvic floor, here are a few do’s and don’ts to help you get it right.

Do:

– Do be sure you lift the pelvic muscles up and in. If you place a flat hand under your perineum (the space between the vagina and anus) either directly on skin or over your clothing, you should feel the perineum pull away from your hand. When you relax, you should feel the perineum gently rest back into your hand with the same amount of pressure you felt before starting the kegel exercise.

– Do fully relax at the end of the kegel

Don’t:

– Don’t contract surrounding muscles like your glutes, abs, or thighs

– Don’t squeeze as hard as you can. More isn’t necessarily better.

– Don’t do kegels while you are in the middle of urinating or having bowel movement unless specifically prescribed by a pelvic floor physical therapist

Having trouble with targeting the correct muscles?

– Visualization can be helpful. Imagine picking up a blueberry with your vagina. Strange, I know, but this can help you target the lifting action of the kegel as well as reminding you to lift gently.

– Check yourself. As long as you are comfortable, you can check yourself internally as you perform a kegel. Simply insert 1 clean finger into your vagina. As you perform a kegel, confirm that you feel both a contraction and a lift of muscles around your finger and that the contraction happens equally all around. Don’t feel comfortable inserting a finger? That’s OK!! You can follow the same steps over your underwear with a flat hand and fingers on your perineum (the space between the vagina and the anus). You should feel this area lift away from your hand/fingers as your squeeze and feel it fall back into your hand as you relax. Still uncomfortable? You can also check this using a hand held mirror with your underwear off. Instead of feeling, you will be watching in the mirror to see the perineum pull up and in on the squeeze and return to the starting position on the relax.

– Schedule an appointment with a pelvic floor physical therapist. They can do internal and external checks to ensure you are properly performing a kegel as well as prescribe specific kegel exercise patterns as needed.

Casey Thomas-Hardesty, MS, NTP & Jenny LaCross, PT, DPT, PhD(c), WCS, ATC, CLT-LANA