Upspring shrinkx postpartum belly wrap review

Before I even begin, let me clear something up. I am NOT talking about waist trainers. I am NOT recommending someone attempt to squeeze their body for the sake of a smaller waist. Waist training is not a trend I am a fan of, and it is completely aesthetic-based. Please don't get so caught up in hype that you let someone somewhere convince you this is the way to go. If you see someone in great shape, it isn't because of a waist trainer. They may be paid to say so.

What I am discussing the benefits of is postpartum compression-- a postpartum girdle. For me, this was something that made a difference, I think, in the way I felt in my new mom bod.

I'll start from the beginning. After doing a good bit of research on the pros and cons of postpartum compression while I was pregnant, I reached out to the company Upspring. They have a few awesome supplements (really, they've expanded a ton since I first used their stuff) for promoting milk supply, and they offer a few postpartum pieces for physical recovery. I told them that I planned on using the Shrinkx postpartum belly wrap and also my plans of reviewing it on my blog. They were extremely gracious and sent me one for free, but my review of this product is completely my opinion! I sought them out, so don't look at this as an endorsement for endorsement's sake.

The benefits they cite include speeding weight loss, supporting core muscles, encouragement of uterine shrinking, reduction in swelling and bloating, and posture support. Now some of that seems vain, but I assure you, any and all of those benefits feel huge when you're still rocking a big belly AFTER your baby is out. I mean, you're suddenly not pregnant anymore but the belly is still there. And even though you have this tiny, amazing, beautiful baby to hold and cherish and love, your body feels pretty terrible. DUH. So I won't try to sell you on a postpartum wrap in the hopes that this thing will make you feel good as new and as slender as your pre-baby self, but I will tell you the power of your eye. Let me explain..

There I was, 3 days postpartum, wearing one of the only 2 pairs of shorts that would fit me and one of the many Target nursing tanks I had stocked up on. Our total stay in the NICU was four days, and that was an incredibly long four days. The locked unit didn't even have a bathroom (for sterile reasons), so back and forth I had to trudge day and night, re-scrubbing to sterilize every time I came back onto the floor. To say I felt sore and exhausted is a given, but I also felt defeated. My stomach felt so big that I was afraid to try to fit it into the compression wrap at first, but I was also relieved there was no longer anything in that belly that I could hurt. I finally sucked it up (and in) and put on the wrap in the middle of the night and resituated my shirt. The difference was instant, and I stared in the mirror for a few minutes. Again, a lot of this is vain. It is silly and shallow. But I am speaking from personal experience and the way this made me feel, so don't shame me for those feelings. Yes, I wish I was completely above the postbaby body blues, but I'm human. Sue me.

Anyways, I didn't wear it 24/7. To be honest, it got uncomfortable after about an hour. But I did put the wrap on sporadically, multiple times a day for the first few weeks. Just like I might wrap my calves in compression gear post-long run, it felt good to squeeze my belly in to something that wasn't too-small-leggings. It made me sit up straighter and helped me keep a focus on my core. Those muscles had been stretched and ravaged, so any attention I could put on slowly strengthening them again was good. I've never been a rocker of a six pack, but I knew my core had a lot of healing to do. This was an awesome start.

Overall, I didn't use the girdle as much as I originally intended. The NICU visit certainly threw a wrench in my preconceived (haha) postpartum plans. I was extremely grateful to have it, and I would use it again 100% of the time. I hope to have (multiple) successive pregnancies and will use this product again.

I give this particular band an 8/10, and here's why:

-it comes in both nude and black, and I like options

-it comes in a couple sizes, so it's extremely versatile across all sizes of women

-it has multiple closures, so it shrinks as you do (breastfeeding and God-willing)

-the whole thing is velcro, so you can wrap tighter high or low, depending on where specifically you feel bloated (this makes more sense if you've had a deflated baby belly)

-the multiple closures are a little bulky and therefore tough to camouflage under a thin shirt

-it isn't seamless, so it starts to get uncomfortable after a while

Bottom line is, this isn't a postpartum must-have, but it can make you feel a little bit better after a few days of hard recovery from labor. I found it to be most useful from about 3 days postpartum to a few weeks, but your uterus continues to shrink for months, so it can definitely be used longer term.

I'll also add that they sent me some samples of their Milk Flow drink mix and Wellbaby vitamin D drops-- I'm a huge fan of the vitamin D drops! I already had some that were a much higher dose, so obviously I feel much safer giving Rhett the lower dose ones. I'm not a big drink mix person, but it was a nice change of pace from the liters of water I typically drink. After I used up the Milk Flow samples, I bought it in capsule form and my supply was phenomenal. I easily got 50 ounces a day and managed to fill my freezer so full we couldn't even fit any food. Seriously! Milk flow isn't for everyone, but fenugreek can help with supply if you're looking for a boost. Sign up for their newsletter at the bottom of their site, and you'll get a discount, too!