The Post-Pregnancy Girdle!

Ok ladies, let's get real for a second. Has anyone ever heard of the "Post-Pregnancy Girdle"?

My mother-in-law mentioned this to me well before I was even pregnant. She knows someone who's had 4 or 5 children and has the flattest stomach ever. My mother-in-law finally asked her one day what her secret was, and she pulled out a girdle that she wore after each of her children.

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At first, I thought this sounded crazy...but then I read this article about Jessica Alba and other celebrities who are obsessed with their post-pregnancy girdles and the idea of "body wrapping." So I started to do a little digging around on the subject.

Wow. This is like, a real thing. And whether it's a gimmick or not - if it's giving me at least a chance at having a flatter, smoother stomach after pregnancy - then gosh darnit, I'm going to try it!

Just do a search on either amazon or even google for post-pregnancy girdles and you will find a whole SLEW of girdles out there promising to make you slim and trim post baby. Belly Bandit, Hipslimmer, and Hourglass Angel to name a few, will promise you a faster and easier return to your old body. Of course, this is not a "fix-all" solution and obviously results are best when combined with exercise and a healthy diet. Before you think I've fallen victim to a marketing gimmick, the thing is...I think the idea of this kind of makes sense. According to Bellfit on Amazon:

Begin wearing after birth on the day that you are discharged from the hospital. It's optimal to begin wearing Bellefit right after childbirth, however, it can be worn up to 6 months postpartum. Here's why: Still present after childbirth for up to 6 months are hormones secreted during pregnancy. These hormones, Estrogen, progesterone and relaxin loosen the abdominal muscles, the pelvic structure and supporting ligaments and joints. Bellefit works together with your body's natural process of recovery. The Girdle/Corset acts to retract the body by drawing in stretched muscles and provides medical-grade compression to your abdominal area.

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And according to the Daily News Article:

Wrapping or binding the body after a baby is nothing new in many cultures, and is rooted in traditions from all over the world. Japanese women wear a “sarashi” for binding, Latino women wrap themselves with a “faja,” and there are similar traditions everywhere from Asia and the Middle East to Europe and South America. In fact, North Americans may be the last people to this popular party.

I mean, think about it. For 9 months your stomach is being stretched, stretched, stretched from the inside-out. Why not compress, compress, compress, from the outside-in after the baby is born? It might be the most uncomfortable thing in the world, and I'm lucky that I will be giving birth just as winter begins: I can hide it under my clothes and I won't have to be uncomfortably hot with it in the summer, but I am very curious to at least give this a try and find a girdle that's right for me (haha never thought I'd be saying that!) Who knows...maybe I'll even finally get that bikini body I've always wanted?! ;)

So what do you think? Do you think this is crazy? (You can tell me if I'm crazy...I can take it...) Have you ever heard of the post-pregnancy girdle before? Would you give it a try?