Postpartum Belly Binding
An OB/GYN shares her story and recommendations
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, an OB/GYN, had me with the first line in her article about postpartum belly binding, “With my first pregnancy, I had twins. I walked into that hospital looking about 50 weeks pregnant—and walked out looking a solid 30 weeks.”Having also had twins, I can relate to all of it.
My mother was in the hospital for several weeks post-surgery around the time I was 32 weeks pregnant. I would visit her, and when I walked in (or more like wheelchaired in), the hospital greeter would yell out, “Labor and Delivery is on the 5th floor!” Thanks, but no thanks. I wasn’t quite ready.
I gained 90 lbs during my twin pregnancy. I’m 5’2”, so this was a lot of weight for me to carry around. I was stunned when they were born, weighing a total of ~12 lbs, and wondered where all the extra weight had come from. It took me months before I no longer looked pregnant (yes, strangers asked me when the baby was due during this time).
I wish I knew about postpartum belly binding back then. Even now, I enjoy the sensation of having something wrapped around my stomach, providing gentle compression. “Twin skin” is no joke. Is 20 years later still considered postpartum 😁.
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That reminds me of my own post-partum belly. I was huge and looked like I was carrying twins. Same as you, I'm about 5'3". I went 2 weeks overdue. They induced, yadda, yadda, c-section.
When my son was 5yo, I started jogging. Then I noticed a hernia forming in my belly button. Went to see my doctor and he said I had diastasis recti, which basically meant that my stomach muscles got overstretched and never completely closed. when I laid down on the ground and did a sit-up, a big bulge formed down the center of my abdomen. Not cool!
He basically said there wasn't much to do about it and if I ever had, say, my appendix removed to ask them to take care of my hernia. Excuse me, what?! Nuh, uh.
I found a nurse practitioner online that had a PT course for diastasis and bought the brace (during one hot summer). I wore it religiously, did the PT exercises and took supplements that would help me rebuild the matrix of collagen and help it repair itself.
Results: It worked! And that was 5 years post-partum! Hopeful stories exist!
Thank you so much for sharing my story and for your generous reflections. I’m always grateful when my words resonate, but it’s especially meaningful when they connect with someone who truly knows what it feels like. ❤️
Your account of carrying twins—of navigating the weight, the visibility, and the lingering “twin skin”—struck a deep chord. I smiled at the hospital greeter moment (we’ve all been there!), and I felt the quiet resilience behind every line. There’s something uniquely humbling and human about the postpartum twin experience—how we carry so much, how slowly we release it, and how little of it gets acknowledged.
Yes, 20 years later still counts. Our bodies remember, and so do we. 🌟