Best Belly Binder for c-section?

[MotherGoose]

Hi

I'm having my third c-section in a couple of weeks (or sooner!) and I've heard about the binders for the incision.  I didn't use them for my others but from what I read they are supposed to be either helpful or an expensive waste of money.  I know I don't want one enclosing my entire torso, as I live in a warm climate.  I'm thinking I would mainly like one to help with the initial healing of the incision, not for holding in all the belly weight afterwards (I have some Spanx for that after the incision heals).   Mainly to hold the incision together so I can move around/cough without as much pain.   Also, my previous incision is very low on my pelvis, so it seems like they'd have to wrap around my hips to be effective, is that they way they are supposed to work?  Does anyone have any recommendations?  

[Ravin]

I would probably assume they fell in the "expensive waste of money" category. Though psychologically it would have been comforting after the first C-section, when I had this irrational fear that the whole thing would split open and bits of me fall out. I didn't feel like that after the second one, so...meh. Sounds like a waste of money.

[Guest]

I just had one two weeks ago and the OB that delivered advised me to wear spanx. But he's a D.A. so take that with a grain rock salt.

 

I kept the stretchy band that they used to secure mobile fetal heartrate monitors to mt belly before a csection was decided upon, and it has been perfect *this* --second-- week. I keep it doubled up around the incision, it presses just slightly, and keeps my clothes from rubbing at either the incision, or the steristrips keeping it closed (ask for the glue under the steristrips, btw, if you get staples. Game changer.)

 

It's like a belly band, but free!

 

Last week, what was MOST comfortable for me was folding a prefold diaper in thirds, longways, and pressing it against the incision, secured with the top of a fold-over maxi skirt like this one. [the skirts were from my pre pregnancy body, so it really held the 'pad' in place] Perfect! The diaper could be changed out and washed easily when gunk (sorry) came out of me there, or if I got sweaty. The pressure was juuust enough to relieve some pain, but it was soft (unlike spank ulgh that Dr). 

[MotherGoose]

I can't decide if they would help or not.  The belly band makes me sweat at the thought of it with all that polyester, although I do hope the weather is going to cool off soon.  And the incision is so low I don't know that it would help me any.  And yes the spanx that would be lots of pressure, although it would help shrink things back eventually, when it's healed. :)    With my first one I don't recall any issues, although I was on Magnesium sulfate for a couple of days and quite out of it, and was in the hospital with good drugs for 4 days.  The second I had some sort of post operative infection and remember feeling pain from any sort of pressure against the site, even loose pants, several weeks after the fact (I eventually had a CT scan and they found some infection and I got put on antibiotics and all was well).  

[aaplank]

There is a 6" wide binder on the hystersisters.com website that I bought after my hysterectomy. It might be what you are looking for. I liked it because it sat below my belly button and didn't make me feel too constricted. It was also easy to put on and take off.

[Forget-Me-Not]

I used the stretchy stuff that holds the fetal monitors in place too.

[prairiewindmomma]

My hospital gave me one. It was 15" wide and AWESOME. I wore it for two weeks, and that was enough.

[Peach]

I got one while in the hospital after my hysterectomy. The incision was just next to my old C-section incision so it was low. I wore it maybe 4 times and that was only in my first forays out of the house during the first 2 weeks and didn't like it then.