Bella band stretches maternity budget?

by Kristin Darguzas (Subscribe to Kristin Darguzas's posts) Aug 22nd 2006 9:30AM

Although I am eternally grateful for the end result, I have admitted that I wasn't a glowy angelic pregnant lady. I was crotchety and bulbous and everyday I would attempt to stuff myself like a demented human sausage into my pre-pregnancy jeans rather than surrender to the horrific maternity fashions available in Canada. And then I would cry because I didn't fit and my teeth hurt and I had to pee.

Anyways, I wonder if this would have helped me. The makers of the Bella Band claims that it helps maternity clothes fit from the first trimester to post partum.
In the first trimester, the band is said to help non-maternity jeans fit, and in the last trimester it can help hold garments up.

The website claims: "When your pants, skirts or shorts aren't fitting just so, slip this little number on over your waistband. Instant hold, instant comfort, instantly smooth."

I am dubious, because even a cashmere body stocking would have prickled me while pregnant. Have you tried this? And did it make your pregnant life easier?

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Comments (13)

Reader Comments (Page 1 of 1)

Tim 8-22-2006 @ 9:54AM

My wife had one of these when she was pregnant, and absolutely loved it. It let her hold off until she was into the second trimester on buying maternity pants, which she dreaded. It was also handy post partum, as she was pregnant over the winter and didn't really buy any maternity shorts.
Anyway, she really loved it and has recommended it to all her pregnant friends.

Kellie 8-22-2006 @ 10:23AM

I didn't know about it 4 years ago when I was pregnant, but we are trying to get pregnant now and if we do, i will be getting it right away. I have heard rave reviews from friends who used this.

candi 8-22-2006 @ 10:49AM

I bought three of them because I heard how awsome they were. I found that they do not do well with ultra low rise jeans, so now I have three bands sitting in my give away bag. I wish they had worked.

lin 8-22-2006 @ 11:00AM

I could not say enough good things about it. I wore my size 3 jean untill I was 7 1/2 months along and then was able to wear them home from the hospital. There great!!!!

LB 8-22-2006 @ 11:16AM

I had two Bella bands, one in black, the other in white. They did make it easy for me to continue wearing my "regular" pants and skirts into the second trimester last year. I did not wear them as a support garment during the last tri, though...I didn't want anything binding whatsoever near my belly during those last hot weeks in early September!

They're a little pricy--$25 for a band of Lycra basically, but I've lent them out to girlfriends which makes me feel like they're getting more wear for the money I've spent. And they did help me put off buying maternity wear!

Lil' Liberal 8-22-2006 @ 12:53PM

I've tried both the Bella and the knock-off "bloomin belly bands" (avail. on ebay only, it would seem) and prefer the bloomin's, mostly because they're cheaper and work just about as well. (I wrote a review on the bloomin'- see here: http://littleliberals.com/blog/2006/07/21/review-bloomn-belly-bands/

I'm nearly in my 6th month and am still able to fit into several of my pairs of jeans. The trick seems to be to use low-rise pants and double up the belly-band so that it goes mostly under the belly. It's less constricting and provides a nice amount of support.

I think that month 6 will be the month where I either have to splurge for a pair of size 5's (my 3's are my loose jeans, my normal 1's no longer fit after week 12) or I have to give up and go for maternity wear.

The difference between the bella and the bloomin seem to be that the Bella is a bit thicker and the stitching is more "finished". Other than that? Not much. I *love* the ribbed cotton bloomin' bands. :)

Meg 8-22-2006 @ 1:12PM

I have a bella band & really like the product. First off, they won me over by giving me one to try FREE. I wrote in on the website and asked about the actual sizes, since they come in "Size 1, 2, 3, or 4". Yeah, very descriptive. I assumed that I would wear the largest, being a plus-sized woman, and the woman in charge of customer emails, Ingrid Something-or-other, wrote me back and said she was sending one for me to try!
It's a fabulous idea. You get to this point, especially when you're not particularly skinny to begin with, where absolutely NOTHING fits anymore. The Bella Band helped me hang onto my non-preggy jeans, and I avoided having to buy expensive maternity clothes that I'd only need for a few months. It was also fun to get to wear the maternity pants that I did break down and buy a lot earlier.

Laura 8-22-2006 @ 1:40PM

It didn't really work for me. Maybe because I wear low rise jeans, but it kept riding up. I have a friend who LOVED it, so I'm wondering if it's a hip issue. She is skinny and doesn't have big hips, I'm very much an hour glass figure.

Jen 8-22-2006 @ 1:54PM

Geez, do people have to brag about how small they are in order to review a Bella Band?

I had one, and even though I did not get a big belly when I was pregnant, it felt tight on my stomach and made me nauseated. It was probably just a quirk on my part. I really wanted to love it, but I really didn't.

jk 8-22-2006 @ 10:54PM

I got a black one and a white one from a pea in the pod (bella band knockoff) and I wore them practically every day since (currently 37 weeks). They are amazing. I hate tight waist bands and the band solves this issue by distributing the tightness accross a wide area. They made non pregnancy pants work and kept my looser pregnancy pants up. Plus, i suspect that they supported my back a bit too since i have a iffy back and it has not bothered me much during pregnancy. I recommend them to all, and I am very surprised that it did not work for some of you guys.

Lauren 8-23-2006 @ 12:30AM

I agree with the PP's - I got a Bella Band and love it - I haven't been using it since I'm in my Third Trimester and have switched over to the Old Navy maternity pants (which I haven't found to be too dreadfully hideous)

Lil' Liberal 8-24-2006 @ 1:06PM

re: too tight/creating nausea- the solution I found to that is to wear low-rise jeans and wear the band below the belly. That way the pressure isn't on the belly itself. Also- the spandex ones are more snug. Go for a ribbed cotton one. It's got the feeling of a nicely washed men's undershirt, and is ultra-comfy and not overly snug at all. (I still don't wear it over my whole belly as I'm very sensitive to pressure there and feel like someone's stabbing me with a knife if anything presses too tightly.)

re: Not working with low-rise jeans and hips- I'm a 34/24/34- pretty hour-glassy- the solution seems to be to fold it into thirds, not going for a full double- put the doubled over bit over the snaps/zipper/button/top of the jeans to cover it, and pull the rest of the fabric down over your hips/bottom. Also- the stretchy spandex fabrics ride up more. I like using the ribbed cotton bloomin' bands with low rise jeans. I don't know if Bella makes ribbed cotton bands? They're a lot more "sticky" and hug the fabric of your jeans more.

CM 9-01-2006 @ 10:01AM

I have one, and I love it -- without it, I'd be in maternity clothes right now. I also had the nauseated feeling, and the jeans-riding-up problem. I've discovered that the best way to wear it is to tuck it into your pants a little and ONLY wear it over the waistline/fly area of your pants, doubled or tripled up, like a wide belt. Then both problems disappear.