Maternity Support Band - why should you wear one?

Linda Oksanen, a Finnish lifestyle blogger, fitness enthusiast and mum-to-be, has written a review of our Bamboo Maternity Belly Band. We are reposting her original blog here in our journal. To read the original blog post in Finnish, follow this link. 

Once I got back on my feet after the crippling morning sickness of the first trimester, I have been able to enjoy my pregnancy with very few discomforts. Finally recovering from the nausea that started on week 5 and lasted until week 16 felt amazing and allowed me to get back to my normal life. At the same time, I started feeling less tired and dizzy. That´s not to say I don´t tired very early in the evening, around 9-10 pm, but I no longer need a daily nap or feel completely exhausted after the day. The only thing slowing me down since getting my energy levels back is the feeling of pressure in my stomach when walking or moving around. Thankfully I found just the thing to help: Health and Wellness Brand Lola&Lykke's pregnancy support belt.

I first felt the pressure in my stomach after going for a brisk 20-minute walk. What should have been just a normal walk suddenly turned into a bit of an ordeal. The pressure got so bad that I was barely able to move and had to stop several times due to the discomfort. In the end I was only able to walk very slowly after a proper resting period. I brought this up at my next ultrasound appointment, where it was explained to me that this was my body saying to me to take it easier. This all happened during pregnancy weeks 17-18, and apparently it is not dangerous to feel pressure in your stomach at this stage, as long as the discomfort does not appear when resting. I just had to accept that brisk walks were out of question for me.

So I started walking slower. And slower. And even slower. The bigger my belly got, the slower I could move. I can´t even remember how many trams I have missed from a close distance, as I could not take any fast steps. When discussing this issue at the child health centre, the nurse recommended I try a maternity support band. So when I heard of Lola&Lykke, I was eager to test their ergonomic support band. I have now been using the support band for three weeks and the difference in my mobility is considerable.

Lola&Lykke is a Health and Wellness Brand for mums and they create product both for pregnancy and the postnatal period. The business was founded by two Finnish mums, whose mission it is to encourage other mums to look after themselves more during this period of huge mental and physical change. Lola&Lykke not only designs unique products for mums but they also share useful information about pregnancy and maternity. I was excited to be testing their pregnancy belt. But why should you wear one? How does it work and how did I find it?

Lola&Lykke Pregnancy Belly Band supports your growing belly, hips and back and eases pressure on your bladder. The band stabilizes your abdomen and supports proper posture whilst sitting, walking and during light exercise. It provided just the type of relief I needed to help with the pressure I had been feeling in my stomach! I´m glad to say the support band really works!

The band effectively lifts my belly and gives it proper support, which relieves the pressure I have been feeling since week 17. When I´m wearing the band, I can walk for longer distances at a normal speed without any resting breaks at all. Because the band is ergonomically designed and it flexes with your own body shape, it is really easy to put and to adjust to the right tightness for your belly size. The band has 25cm adjustment margin, meaning that it will grow with your belly. The inside material is super soft bamboo viscose, so the band feels comfortable on even when placed directly on your belly. I sometimes forget that I´m even wearing the band! I can really feel the difference when I take off the band in the evening though and the support is not there. That´s why I wear this band now pretty much all the time at home and at the office. The band supports you even when sitting and reduces the risk of stretch marks. You can also inset a handy hot/cold therapy pack in the back pocket, which is designed to ease back pains.

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To sum it up, the Lola&Lykke support band has considerably eased the pressure I felt in my stomach over the last three weeks. It has allowed me to continue walking without discomfort and boosted my wellbeing during my second trimester. I can honestly recommend this maternity support band, even if you are not experiencing specific pains or discomforts. I may have thought that I´ll just soldier through the pains – but after testing this band I would not go a day without it. The benefits of the band are numerous and you won´t be able to know how good the band feels until you have tried it out for yourself!