It’s something we don’t often think about – even when pregnant – but that pregnant belly can stretch out your normal underwear as you grow – even low-rise panties! To keep your everyday underwear from sagging post-partum there are many different options that you can consider for maternity underwear both during pregnancy and post pregnancy.
During Pregnancy:
- Go up a size. If you have a favourite brand and type of underwear, simply go up a size to help with your growing belly.
- Invest in some basic maternity underwear. Most of your big brands, for example Kmart or Target, will have a range of maternity underwear in store that is built specifically to cater to your growing belly. You may find them so comfortable that you’ll want to keep wearing them post-partum!
- Extra Support. As your baby bump grows you may feel some ligament pain or just want some extra support. Trying some ‘above the bump’ high waisted undies that have more support may help. Look for some specifically made for pregnancy that will support your growing bump and won’t roll down as you grow.
- Consider your underwear lining. With pregnancy comes a suite of new hormones that can affect your vaginal discharge. Consider adding a panty liner or pad if needed to your underwear. Alternatively, you may simply want to wear maternity disposable underwear that can grow with you.
- Think about fabrics. By the last trimester of your pregnancy you may be feeling increased pressure and heat due to your growing bump and hormonal changes, during this time you might feel more comfortable in more breathable fabrics like cotton that will release heat and help you to keep cool.
- Light Coloured Underwear. During the last few weeks of pregnancy you may want to consider light coloured maternity underwear so that you can monitor the colour of any discharge you may start to see if you aren’t wearing liners or pads. This can include some yellow, brown or red discharge that you’ll need to keep an eye on and advise your health practitioners if necessary.
Post Pregnancy:
Whether you have a vaginal or c-section birth, for most women your post-partum bleeding will be heavier for the first few days after delivery.
Post-Partum Disposable Underwear. In order to feel well supported and leak free, postpartum disposable underwear can help. These are best used post-delivery whilst you are still in hospital for heavy bleeding and as you move through the days and weeks you may either want to keep wearing your postpartum disposable underwear or move onto another option. These are easy to use like standard underwear, but provide full coverage for discharge and support your belly – with over the belly height working for both c-sections and vaginal births. We have maternity Disposable Underwear with double the absorbency of other brands that you can see HERE.
- Consider how you have given birth. If you are planning on having a c-section (or have one at the last minute) high-rise underwear will help to cover your wound and keep you as comfortable as possible and not have the worry of changing pads often or leaking on sheets while you rest and recover. Underwear rubbing on a c-section incision is an unnecessary discomfort.
- Maternity Pads. Some women post-partum are comfortable with simply wearing a maternity pad with standard underwear after they have given birth. Like standard pads, these will need to be changed every few hours (particularly in the first week post-partum when bleeding is at its heaviest).
- Period Panties and Pads. Over time as your postpartum blood loss decreases, you may feel comfortable moving back into cotton underwear with a pad, panty liner or using period panties. Most women will stop bleeding between four and six weeks after giving birth. Some women may bleed for longer or shorter than this.
- Ongoing Belly Support. Once bleeding has calmed down and you move back into standard underwear, you may want support on your belly as your internal organs slowly move back into place as your body goes back to being on its own. If you feel the need for support on your belly post-partum, consider wearing either a belly band or high-waisted postnatal support underwear.
Do you have other options on maternity underwear that you’ve used or have done something different? Let us know!
Written by Lydia Connolly of Partum Panties
*this post has been written by and used with permission from Partum Panties - the original post can be found on their website HERE