Belly Bandit waist shaping belt for post partum, on bebecannelle's blog

As promised, I bought the Belly Bandit to review it for you. Do not worry, I won't post a "before/after" photo of my belly here (although the Belly Bandit's designer had such photo printed on the box side).

I intended to get Belly Bandit before my baby was born but as Simon made his grand arrival in August intead of October, I was cut short and only got it one week after the birth.

How I missed it those first seven days! Belly Bandit is a must-have after birth for comfort first. I could feel my tummy so soft and floppy that it hurt (more than after my first pregnancy). I just wanted it to be compressed and "hold together". Because I didn't have my Belly Bandit yet, I used my maternity skirt which has an elasticated waist to hold my tummy but it just didn't do the trick. When I received my Belly Bandit, it definitely had the "ahhh..." factor. I didn't want to remove it, even at night! So I recommend it for comfort first.

Then, it helps you get your waist back because your abdominal muscles are tighten: the proof is that I used the black Belly Bandit in size medium for only one week before it was too big. So I got the Belly Bandit in bamboo in size S afterwards. You can really see your waist shrinking progress as you velcro it tighter with time.

8 things I love about Belly Bandit:

1. Belly Bandit supports your tummy after the birth.
2. Belly Bandit helps your uterus to shrink back.
3. Belly Bandit is easy to use.
4. Belly Bandit helps you get your back straight, notably when you breastfeed.
5. Belly Bandit can be worn very discreetly under clothes.
6. Belly Bandit has a bamboo version which is amazingly soft (recommended for C-section mothers).
7. Belly Bandit can be worn comfortably all day (even at night... I tried!).
8. Belly Bandit is available at MumsTheWord.com in nude and black to match all your clothes.

3 things I don't like about Belly Bandit:

It does ride up after a while (especially if you nap with it).
It takes more than 12 hours to dry when you wash it.
The velcro is very noisy (and can wake a baby up!).

In the end, I was so happy with Belly Bandit that I didn't bought the Agent Provocateur girdle as it looked far less comfy and I was worried you need someone to tighten it in the back.

Budget tip: you can buy an original Belly Bandit with a Mama Mio cream body shaper (and a free gift) for £74.95 instead of £88.90 only at MumsTheWord.com.