More on Varicose Veins and the wonders of a Maternity Belt

I have been learning more!

Our metabolism slows down, yes, but the relaxin in our system, that loosens everything up in preparation for birth, is the real biggie in slowing down the bowel system and resulting in varicose veins.  My midwife gave me one help and I have accidentally found another.

 First, at least three quarts of water drunk a day will help keep things moving, read, not need to be pushed out, slowing the advance of hemorrhoids, vulval or leg varicosities.

Second, a maternity belt!  I did buy an elastic one from a maternity store, but the velcro died, as it does.  So, I just got some muslin, cut it into a huge triangle and folded it over so the center was like a wide pad.  Then, I put that under my belly, wrapped it around my back and pulled it AS TIGHT AS I COULD, tying a square knot at the front and tucking the ends under on the sides.  I wear it outside my clothes, but under my shirts. Consider it a maternity fashion statement.  If I wear a skirt, I don't have to take it off when using the facilities, but those handy hooks on the backs of stall doors in public restrooms keep it off the ground if I need to take it off while I'm out.  What does the maternity belt do?

1- It lifts the belly, easing pressure on the soft tissues of the pelvis that result in, you guessed it, VARICOSE VEINS!  I have had vulval varicosities for the previous four pregnancies, and none since using the belt.

2- In lifting the belly, my back is able to take some of the weight and I walk more normally, almost my usual pace.  I'm walking a mile and a half a day, usually with a collie on a leash, and I'm not unduly fatigued by the end.

3- Don't worry!  Though the back is taking the belly weight, it is supported by the belt.  I have had almost no pain from my sacral joint (the bottom one of the spine that fits inside your hips and gets all loose from that wonderful relaxin) except when I take the belt off!  In the past, I have found myself stuck, in so much pain from that joint that I couldn't move.  I don't hear joint pops all the time, either. 

Twenty-eight years ago, my grandmother told me that she was advised to wear a maternity girdle.  "I think today they want pregnant women to strengthen their muscles and support themselves," she said.  Don't kid yourselves.  We need all the help we can get.  In the book Childbirth Wisdom, by Judith Goldsmith, what seems universal is a maternity belt, often looked at as a point of pride, but serving a lot of vital uses.  I am eight months pregnant and in the past three days I have carried a fifty pound bucket of wheat berries, more than half a 50 lb. bag of dog food, and two loads of wood up the stairs from the basement.  Yes, I'm a little puffed, but that is the kind of work that traditional and tribal women do all over the world - with the help of a maternity belt.  I don't feel like I have to lie down for a half hour to recover.  I don't want to make you miscarry, so okay it with your doctor or midwife, but women do most of the heavy work around the world, no matter what their "condition".  I credit the maternity belt!