5 Reasons to Consider Belly Binding After Birth

And how it can support your core, womb, and emotional recovery

If you’re pregnant and preparing for your baby’s arrival, you’re probably reading all the checklists about labour, birth bags, and newborn care.

But here’s what’s rarely talked about:
How will you recover after birth?

Many mums are told to “rest when you can,” but few are given tools to actually support their healing. One of the most powerful (yet often overlooked) traditional practices is belly binding, also known as postpartum belly wrapping, can offer support to the abdominal muscles after childbirth, particularly for those with diastasis recti (abdominal separation).

Belly binding is not a waist trainer, and it’s not about appearance.
It’s about supporting your womb, core, and emotional wellbeing during this vulnerable window.

Here are 5 reasons to include belly binding in your postpartum plan — backed by evidence and centuries of wisdom.

1. It helps close your abdominal separation (diastasis recti)

During pregnancy, your abdominal muscles stretch apart to make space for your growing baby. This is called diastasis recti.

🔹 100% of pregnant women have some degree of abdominal separation by their third trimester.¹
🔹 60% still have significant separation at 6 weeks postpartum.²
🔹 40% have unresolved diastasis recti at 6 months postpartum if not supported.³

Why does this matter?
Untreated diastasis recti can lead to:

• Core weakness

• Back pain

• Poor posture

• A persistent “mum pouch” or doming belly

• Pelvic floor dysfunction over time

✨ How belly binding helps:

Studies show that external compression combined with specific rehabilitation exercises can significantly improve diastasis recti outcomes.⁴ Belly binding provides the gentle physical approximation your muscles need to come back together safely, especially when combined with breathwork and gradual core reactivation.

In one study, postpartum women who used abdominal binders alongside rehabilitation had significantly reduced inter-recti distance compared to those who did not bind.⁵

2. It supports your uterus as it heals

After birth, your uterus begins shrinking back to its pre-pregnancy size. Belly binding:

• Provides gentle upward and inward support

• Helps reposition the uterus efficiently

• Reduces swelling and fluid retention

In traditional Indonesian Jamu care, binding is essential for supporting womb health and preventing future issues like prolapse or persistent pelvic heaviness.

3. It reduces your risk of pelvic organ prolapse

Pelvic organ prolapse — when pelvic organs (bladder, uterus, rectum) descend due to weakened support structures — is far more common postpartum than most women realise.

• Up to 50% of postpartum women have some degree of pelvic organ prolapse.⁶

• Symptoms can include heaviness, dragging sensations, urinary issues, and discomfort with intimacy.

✨ How belly binding helps:

While binding does not replace pelvic floor rehabilitation, it reduces downward pressure by supporting your core and intra-abdominal pressure distribution. In combination with rest, warming foods, and gradual pelvic floor activation, binding helps prevent and reduce prolapse symptoms.

Traditional postpartum care sees belly binding as a non-negotiable tool to “close the body” and protect the pelvic organs after birth.

4. It eases back pain and improves posture

In the weeks after birth, your abdominal muscles are weakened, so your back and shoulders take on extra strain — especially when feeding and carrying your baby.

Belly binding:

• Encourages upright posture

• Supports spinal alignment

• Reduces muscular tension in the lower back

It’s like giving your body a supportive hug that whispers, “You’re safe. You’re held. You don’t have to carry it all alone.”

5. It calms your nervous system and emotional state

Postpartum isn’t just a physical transition — it’s emotional and energetic too. Many mums describe feeling:

• Uncontained

• Exposed or “open”

• Overwhelmed by the intensity of early motherhood

Belly binding provides gentle compression and containment that helps your nervous system shift from fight-or-flight to rest-and-digest, supporting emotional regulation, hormonal balance, and a sense of safety.

Belly binding isn’t about bouncing back. It’s about supporting your recovery.

When combined with therapeutic nourishment (warming, mineral-rich meals) and sacred rest, belly binding creates a postpartum experience where you feel deeply cared for and supported — not just cleared by your doctor.

Quick Belly Binding & Postpartum Statistics

✔️ 100% of women experience diastasis recti by late pregnancy¹
✔️ 40% still have unresolved separation at 6 months postpartum³
✔️ Up to 50% of postpartum women experience some degree of pelvic organ prolapse⁶
✔️ Studies show binding + rehab significantly improves core recovery compared to rehab alone⁵

Planning Ahead

Belly binding is most effective when started within the first 5-7 days postpartum, or after C-section incision healing with professional guidance.

Your body deserves care as sacred as birth itself.

Let’s make your first 40 days a time of deep healing, strength, and warmth.

References

1. Coldron et al. (2008). “Abdominal rectus muscle separation in pregnancy and postpartum: prevalence and risk factors.” BJOG.

2. Spitznagle et al. (2007). “Prevalence of diastasis recti abdominis in postpartum women.” J Women’s Health Phys Therap.

3. Mota et al. (2015). “Normal width of the interrecti distance in early pregnancy and postpartum.” BJOG.

4. Benjamin et al. (2014). “Diastasis recti abdominis: A systematic review.” Physiotherapy.

5. Chiarello et al. (2005). “The effects of an abdominal binder on abdominal muscle activity and inter-recti distance in postpartum women.” Phys Ther.

6. Gyhagen et al. (2013). “Prevalence and risk factors for pelvic organ prolapse 20 years after childbirth.” Am J Obstet Gynecol.

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