Many moms ask me, “Tahtahme, is it too late to start?” You will find people who claim that there is no evidence belly binding works, or that it is a waste of time to do after the first 40 days postpartum. From my own experience and others I have witnessed, as well as thousands of years of indigenous historical evidence, I would say that is not true. Women at all stages of their journey have found postpartum belly binding and waist training to be useful to themselves, even beyond the fourth trimester.
Many mothers still find belly binding useful beyond the 4th trimester, even several years and pregnancies after their first child!
I started binding at almost 90 days postpartum, and saw drastic results the first day I tried it. Women who get cesarean sections are often encouraged to wait anywhere from a few days to a few weeks postpartum to begin binding–allowing their incision to heal–and they still express relief, comfort, and healing from belly binding. In addition, many women begin belly binding several years and several babies later. They, too, experience positive results with their “mommy tummy” (which is often simply undiagnosed diastasis recti).
I did not start belly binding until the 4th trimester was almost over, and have had many clients who started decades after their last pregnancy with success.
What you need to do for fitness might vary depending on how recently you had a baby, but binding can still aid you on your journey! Waist training should never (and could never) replace healthy eating and exercising, but nothing can replace those things. Belly binding is a useful aid for repairing your abdominal muscles, working on your posture, strengthening your core, suppressing a large appetite, bringing saggy skin back up to the body, and realigning your womb.You will never know if this could work for you until you try!
Many women find that even though they had originally assumed they would need thousands of dollars worth of reconstructive surgery, all that they needed were the correct tools to assist their healing!
In West Africa, there is a tradition of women who bind their bellies while they are still pregnant! Two reasons modern women are choosing to bring this ancient tradition to the foreground is pregnancy pain and diastasis recti.
Around the 3rd and 4th trimesters, many women’s inner-most abdominal muscles (rectus abdominis) become weaker under the pressure of the increasing (and necessary!) weight of pregnancy. She may have lower back pain, and ligament pain due to the releasing of the hormone “relaxin”, which is preparing her for her bodies “opening”/giving birth. Her abs may even split due to the pressure, and this is called “diastasis recti”, and can be aided through the use of a belly binding wrap to act as an outer ward set of abdominal muscles helping to hold the weight in place, relieve pressure, and reduce damage/ heal the stomach.
There are a few ways that a pregnant woman (or her doula) might be able to tell she has developed diastasis recti while pregnant. One way is definitely the pain she may experience in your stomach as well as pelvis. The other way is if she notices her stomach is drooping lower than the usual axis angle of 50-60 degrees. Because the abdominal muscles cannot support the baby as they should, it can cause the infant to lean or tilt forward on to the pelvis area, creating pain and even hindering the beginning of the birthing process (the babies head can never truly nestle deep into the pelvis, if it is caught on the edge).
I actually was able to realize this had happened to me during labor, and due to my phenomenal doulas, was pulled up and in with a rebozo cloth, as well as a few other techniques, and my labor was kick-started into active labor within 3 hours of this! However, had I been aware of the positive effects of belly binding my heavy, misshapen belly weeks before, I might have been able to avoid a few days of labor! Definitely ask for advice from your local midwife, doula, or other type of birth worker if you think belly binding could relieve you from pain, or even help your baby be in the right position for labor!
The green line represents the approximation axis that is ideal for baby, and the red line indicates the approximate actual position of the baby.
In West African culture, wearing a “lapa” is also considered a special protection for your unborn child from many things, including the evil eye. It is a beautiful way to celebrate the pregnant female form in all of its glory. Some wraps from Senegal are hand woven and trimmed in gold and silver thread, embroidered with intricate sequences of needlepoint. When the mother has given birth, it can also be used for babywearing, and the mama can wrap both herself and her baby up inside of the wrap.
The Lapa (or any belly binding cloth from most any indigenous or tribal culture worldwide) is effective against back pain, ligament pain, and can give physical support for a mother who cannot stop her work or care for other children during pregnancy. It can help prevent, halt and cure diastasis recti and give a pregnant mother relief in her last trimester of pregnancy. Lastly don’t forget to use it when you are postpartum for self healing and “closing” of the womb and body after pregnancy!
The Lapa (or any belly binding cloth from most any indigenous or tribal culture worldwide) is effective against back pain, ligament pain, and can give physical support for a mother who cannot stop her work or care for other children during pregnancy. It can help prevent, halt and cure diastasis recti and give a pregnant mother relief in her last trimester of pregnancy. Lastly don’t forget to use it when you are postpartum for self healing and “closing” of the womb and body after pregnancy!
The Path of a Goddess 