****** - Verified Buyer
4.5
I ended up buying this for my wife during her 3rd trimester of pregnancy, as she was afraid of her postpartum belly after the baby would be delivered. Prior to pregnancy, she was a size 10 in pants (which equates to roughly 31-33 inches around the WAIST, not HIPS). However during my wife's pregnancy, she had polyhydramnios, which occurs in 1 in 250 pregnancies, around her 2nd trimester of pregnancy and towards the late 2nd trimester, was borderline preeclamptic/pregnancy induced hypertension (she eventually was admitted for preeclamspia). Polyhydramnios is the excessive amniotic fluid surrounding the unborn infant. With the preeclampsia, she held onto excessive fluid and both these conditions caused her belly/body to literally explode in size.According to Belly Bandit's sizing notes:*Sizing: Measure the circumference of your belly just prior to delivery, and subtract 3-5 inches. XS: 28-32". SM: 33-37". MED: 38-43". LG: 44-49".Since my wife experienced polyhydramnios & preeclampsia, my wife measured literally in the lower 50s for her belly size prior to delivery. Using that guide, I ordered a LG (44-49") because ~50s minus 3 to 5 inches would land her in the LG range (per Belly Bandit's instructions). 3 days after she delivered, she started using the LG Belly Bandit. It barely fit, but she wore it religiously. Her doc said the symptoms of fluid from preeclampsia would go away in about 2 weeks after delivery. Around the 1st 2 weeks, she loved it. It fit borderline snug/tight and really shrank her belly nicely. But by the 3rd week, this device is no longer useful and now we have to buy another one. I'll get to that in a minute....PREGNANCY WEIGHT LOSS: Based on our pregnancy class, they reported that the average weight loss from delivery alone is roughly 10 lbs to 12 lbs. The baby is majority of the weight, followed by 2 lbs of blood/amniotic fluid and 1-2 lbs of the placenta. In the 1st week, you will lose 3-5 lbs of water weight.To understand how much weight my wife has lost, around the 2nd week, my wife went back in to check w/ her doctor on her overall condition. The total weight loss from delivery to the 2nd week was about 26 lbs. Remember, my wife had polyhydramnios and symptoms of preeclampsia. Meaning MINUS the ~10-12 lbs of pregnancy weight lost, she lost an additional ~15 lbs of fluid/water weight. This was 3x times more than a normal pregnancy.So that is why this Belly Bandit LG size does not work on my wife any longer. She can't even use this because the size of her waist has shrunk so much, the belly bandit won't even fasten around her waist (the velcro on one side goes past the entire velcro area on the other side). So since then, I've had to purchase another one for my wife.I know while not everyone will experience what my wife has experienced, there is a sizing discrepancy since many customers have either bought 2 or more Belly Bandits or complain that the sizing chart is off. If Belly Bandit were smart, they would EXPAND the size of the area where the velcro attaches to allow for a broader size coverage. If you look at the sizing chart, they go through 5 inch increments from size to size. Considering my wife's condition during pregnancy, 5 inches is TOO SMALL of a range to cover her fluid loss.So as you can guess in this review, this item does work, but because of the way it's made, you'll likely need to buy another one during your postpartum weight loss.
