Belly Binding
Belly binding, like vaginal steaming, is a practice that many different cultures throughout history have used in some form or another. The specific style of binding that I am trained in is the Bengkung wrap, which comes from Malaysia. However, I cannot claim to offer traditional Bengkung belly binding as there are cultural practices that go along with the wrap which are not mine to share. The technique has been shared with consent to Western practitioners and I am very grateful to be able to make this wonderful healing practice available to as many people as possible.
Belly binding helps to speed the healing and knitting together of the abdominal tissues after birth. Unlike pre-fabricated postpartum girdles or wraps that you can buy at any store (which can exert upward and downward pressure and cause or worsen a pelvic organ prolapse), a Bengkung-style wrap is fitted perfectly to your body and provides back support, warmth, gentle compression, and an emotional feeling of being held. The wrap can be used any time during the first 6-8 weeks postpartum, when the hormone relaxin is still high in your system. This hormone is what makes your body so stretchy and malleable for labour, and we can use that property to help bring everything back in with the wrap afterwards. A typical length of time to use the bind would be 6-12 hours a day for 5 days. In Malaysia, it was traditionally worn non-stop for 40 days. We can discuss the best plan for you, and of course you can stop at any time.
Belly binding can be a wonderful healing and nurturing practice after a pregnancy loss or a termination. Some people deeply appreciate the way it can speed up the return of a pre-pregnancy figure (not that we should all be trying to look like we’ve never been pregnant, of course, any body that can do what yours does is a very beautiful body).
Here are some interesting links for more information on postpartum belly binding:
http://www.daydreamdoula.com/saltlakecitypostpartumbellybinding.html
