Abdominal Binders After C-Section: To Wear or Not?
Abdominal binders are often thought of as a necessity after a C-Section. They can be a very helpful tool but not mandatory for every situation.
I typically only recommend an abdominal binder when it feels absolutely necessary to have this support. Meaning, if pain is preventing you from performing normal daily tasks - caring for your child, caring for yourself, getting in/out of bed, up/down stairs, etc.- an external abdominal support would be indicated. If you are able to do these tasks without much discomfort (normal to have a bit of soreness in the beginning!), then you likely do not need to wear one.
The reason I don’t always recommend a binder is because it decreases the need for your abdominal stabilizers to turn on automatically. We want these muscles to be retrained to contract early on in the rehab process. I suggest wearing it when needed during activity, but take it off if you are resting or doing your exercises. I also suggest that you start to wean from the external support by the two week postpartum mark. If your pain is unmanageable at this point, you should reach out to your medical provider.
If you do decide to wear an abdominal binder, I recommend something like Bodily’s Belly Band. Something that is quite basic, without a ton of laces, straps, etc. You want to put this one tight enough that it provides external support and feedback, but not so tight that the abdominals and ribcage cannot expand freely while breathing. I also love Love Steady’s postpartum support bloomers. They support from the bottom up instead of creating a corset-like support like the binder. I would never recommend any sort of waist-trainer or corset.
