Belly band vs support belt vs postpartum belt: which one, when
Band, support belt or postpartum belt: which one you need at which week and for which symptom, in two tables, plus sizes for each
Week 16, and nothing fits. The jeans are held shut with a hair bobble, the belt someone lent you looks like it's for a much bigger bump, and a friend has just said "get a belly band" as if that settles it.
It doesn't, because the names are a mess. Belly band, bump band, maternity band, pregnancy band: all the same thing. Then there's the support belt, which is different. Then the postpartum belt, which is for after. It's easy to buy the wrong one, so the three are below by week and by symptom, in two tables you can screenshot.
Quick answer: Band from about 12 weeks if you want something light under your clothes. Belt from about 20 weeks if your back or pelvis hurts or you're on your feet all day. Postpartum belt for the early weeks after the birth, and after a c-section only once you're healed and comfortable. If you buy one thing for pregnancy and you have pain, it's the belt.
- Band: One Size stretches from 70 to 140cm round the lower tummy (XL to 160cm), worn over the bump.
- Belt: S to XXL by pre-pregnancy dress size, worn under the bump. Three pieces, for 12 to 20 weeks, 20 to 30, and 30 weeks on.
- Postpartum: the Comfort+ belt (One Size is dress 8 to 16, XL is 18 to 24) or the firmer Support+, typically for the first 6 to 12 weeks.
- After a c-section, no belt until you're healed and comfortable.
What is a belly band, and what does it do?
A wide stretchy panel that goes over the bump, like a tube top for your middle. Ours is lined with soft bamboo, comes in black or nude, and stretches from 70 to 140cm (the XL goes to 160). It gives gentle support all the way round rather than in one spot, and because it's flat it doesn't show under a top or a dress.
That's the point of it: comfort and a smooth line, from about 12 weeks. You can wear it all day, which you can't with a belt, and most people do. Take it off when you're resting so the muscles it's supporting still do their share.
What it isn't is a pain fix. If your lower back or pelvis actually hurts, the band will feel nice and change very little. It's fine for a desk day. For the school run, you want the belt.
BABYGO® Pregnancy Support Band
The light one for 12 weeks on: a bamboo-lined panel over the bump you can wear under clothes all day, with a 50-page pregnancy book in the box. One Size or XL.
£25
Follow your bump. Tell us your due date and we'll send what to expect each week, plus 10% off your first order.
What is a pregnancy support belt, and when do you need one?
A narrower, adjustable belt that goes under the bump and lifts it, so the weight stops hanging off your lower back and pelvis. Ours is three pieces: a band you wear on its own from 12 to 20 weeks, the belt that fastens to it from about 20 weeks, and a top band that stretches over the bump from 30 weeks. Sizes S to XXL, by your pre-pregnancy dress size.
You need one when you've got a reason: lower back ache after time on your feet, pelvic girdle pain (PGP, or SPD as it used to be called), hip pain, sciatica, or a job or a toddler that keeps you upright all day. It's the kind of thing the NHS means when its pelvic pain in pregnancy page says a physio may suggest "pelvic support belts".
The trade-offs. It's two to three hours at a time, not all day. It shows under fitted clothes. And it takes a minute in front of a mirror the first time, which is what our how to wear your belt page is for. In return it does something the band can't, which is why the belt is the one we sell far more of.
Band for comfort, belt for pain. If you only keep one line from this page, keep that one.
BABYGO® Pregnancy Support Belt
The one for back and pelvic pain from about 20 weeks: under the bump, three pieces, velcro guaranteed for a year. Sizes S to XXL by your pre-pregnancy dress size.
£30
What is a postpartum belt for?
After the birth the job changes: there's no bump to lift, just a tummy and a lower back that feel like they've come loose, a baby who needs picking up forty times a day and, if you've had a c-section, a wound that objects to most of it.
A postpartum belt wraps round your middle with gentle compression so standing, walking and lifting are more comfortable in the early weeks; it doesn't flatten anything and it doesn't close a tummy separation on its own.
We make two: the Comfort+ belt is the gentle everyday one and the one more people choose, and the Support+ belt is firmer, for long days on your feet or if a softer belt didn't do enough.
After a vaginal birth most people are comfortable within the first few days to a week or two; after a c-section it's once you're healed and comfortable, and that matters more with the firmer belt, not less.
The do postpartum belts really work post covers what they do and don't do, when to start after each kind of birth, how long to wear one and which of the two to pick.
Which one, week by week
The weeks are typical, not a rule: if the pain turns up early, so does the belt.
| Weeks | What's going on | Band | Support belt | Postpartum belt |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Before 12 | Not much to support yet | Not yet | No | No |
| 12 to 20 | Jeans stop doing up, bump shows, the odd twinge low down | Yes. This is its best window | Only if you already have back or pelvic pain (wear the band piece on its own) | No |
| 20 to 30 | Bump gets heavy, lower back complains after time on your feet, the waddle starts | Fine for desk days and under a dress | Yes, for the hours you're on your feet | No |
| 30 to 40 | Pelvis and hips join in, turning over in bed is a project, PGP is more common now | Comfort only | Yes, with the top band added from 30 weeks | Pack one in the hospital bag if you plan to use one |
| Birth to 6 weeks | Everything feels loose. A c-section wound is still healing | Light support only, once you're comfortable | As a wrap if you already have one. It is a 4-in-1 | Comfort+ from the first days after a vaginal birth. After a c-section, once you're healed and comfortable |
| 6 to 12 weeks | Doing more, lifting more, back on the school run | No | Only as a wrap | Comfort+ or Support+, a few hours a day, then gradually less |
Which one for your symptom
| What's bothering you | Band | Support belt | Postpartum belt | Also do |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Nothing fits and you want a smooth line under clothes | Yes | No | ||
| Bump feels heavy but nothing hurts | Yes | Either | ||
| Lower back aches after standing or walking | Not enough | Yes | The NHS back pain basics: lift with your knees, flat shoes, keep active | |
| Pelvic girdle pain or SPD: pubic bone, stairs, the car, turning in bed | No | Yes, for the walking hours | Ask your midwife for physio. That's the treatment; the belt is a tool | |
| Hip pain or sciatica | No | Yes | ||
| Round ligament twinges | A little | Yes | ||
| On your feet all day: work, a toddler, the school run | No | Yes, two to three hours at a time | Off when you sit | |
| Twins, or plus size | XL (to 160cm) | Runs to XXL (UK 22 and up, 140cm under the bump) | ||
| Desk job, mostly sitting | Yes | Probably not yet | ||
| After a vaginal birth, everything feels loose | Light support only | No | Comfort+ from the first days | |
| After a c-section | Not until you're healed and comfortable | No | Comfort+ or Support+ once you're healed and comfortable | Nothing heavier than your baby for about six weeks (NHS) |
| Tummy separation (diastasis recti) | Either, alongside the rehab | Pelvic health physio. A belt doesn't close the gap on its own |
If you're still torn, the rule I'd use is this. If something hurts, the belt is the one built for it, and it comes with a band piece for the early weeks anyway; tell your midwife about the pain too, because pain that limits you can need physio.
Nothing hurts and you want to look and feel held together, buy the band. The belt does carry over after the birth, since it is a 4-in-1 you can wrap round your middle, but the postpartum belts are cut for that job, and you'll know by week two whether you want one.
When to wear a belly band, and when to take it off
From whenever it feels useful, which for most people is about 12 weeks, and all day if you like. It's gentle enough for that. Three rules: off when you're resting or in bed, loosen it if it ever feels restrictive, and after a c-section, nothing round your middle until you're healed and comfortable.
The belt's rules are stricter. Two to three hours at a time, never in bed, and loosen it a notch when you sit down.
Neither one goes anywhere near your sleep. That's a pillow's job.
What size band or belt do I need?
The band is the easy one: One Size covers 70 to 140cm round your lower tummy, XL goes to 160cm, and if you're between the two or carrying twins, take the XL, because a band that's tight defeats the point; the size guide has the measurements.
The belt goes by your pre-pregnancy dress size, S to XXL, because it sits under the bump rather than round the widest bit, and each size has a lot of give, so don't size up to grow into it: one of the few low reviews on the belt is from someone who did exactly that at 17 weeks, and it didn't fit.
Postpartum belts go by your body now, not your body before, and if you're between sizes on one of those, go bigger. The full belt table with centimetres is in the pregnancy support belt post and on the belt size guide. Size guides for the others: band, Comfort+.
Questions we get asked
Is a belly band the same as a maternity band or a bump band?
Yes. Same wide stretch panel, four names.
Can I wear a belly band all day?
Yes, and most people do, because the support is gentle and spread over a wide area. Take it off when you're resting, and loosen it if it ever feels tight.
Does a belly band help with back pain?
A little, because the support is spread round the whole bump. If your back actually hurts, it's the belt you want, worn under the bump for the hours you're on your feet.
When can I wear a belly band after a c-section?
Once the wound has healed and you feel ready; if you're not sure, ask at your postnatal check or ask your midwife. By then a postpartum belt is the better tool anyway.
Do I need both a band and a belt?
Usually not. The belt comes with its own band piece for 12 to 20 weeks, so if you know pain is coming (it did last time, or you've got a job on your feet), buy the belt and use the band piece first. If you're comfortable and just want a smooth line, buy the band and see how you go.
Which is better for plus size, a band or a belt?
Both go big: the band XL stretches to 160cm and the belt XXL fits 110 to 140cm under the bump, which is UK 22 and up. Pick by symptom, not by size. Band for comfort, belt for pain.
The bump support collection has the band and the belt side by side, and the size guides take a minute: band, belt.
Filed under Pregnancy
