Wrap Your Belly! Woven wraps for relieving late pregnancy discomforts

Woven wraps are many a parent's go-to baby carrier, but you can start putting those gorgeous wraps to good use well before baby gets here! Here are two techniques for using a shortie wrap to support a pregnant body through those changes that can be uncomfortable. Depending on your body type, a size 2 or 3 is most likely your best pick for these techniques, though slightly longer could work as well! These techniques could have a place in a difficult labor and birth too, if you have a support person, doula, midwife, or other care provider who can help decide if one of these techniques may be appropriate for your situation.

The Belly Lift 

 The belly lift is a great technique for when you just need to pick up all that extra weight in the front and support it for a while! I like this one for a baby laying on my bladder for what feels like all day, or for "tired" abdominal muscles. 

1. Start with your middle marker roughly at your belly button. You're looking to lift the lower half of your belly, so support it well by spreading and tightening the middle of the wrap over the lower half of your abdomen, to the hips. 

2. Bring your tails around behind you, and cross them in back. You can use them gathered or spread, whichever you find more convenient, both are shown in my fun photo collage up there. 

3. Tails come up and over your shoulders, and you pull down firmly but gently on them to apply the pressure that lifts your belly up a bit for you. 

4. Now that your belly is cradled nicely in the wrap and you can lift gently, you can either hold the tails like this as an active position, or you can tie off firmly between your shoulders, where I'm pointing in the photo, and leave it on for a while.

The Hip Squeeze (two knot variations)

 The hip squeeze is awesome for helping you feel "held together" when all that extra elastin coursing through your body makes you feel like a wobbly calf and leaves your hips sore and tired, and is even more awesome in late late pregnancy when there's a lot of pressure in your pelvis! There are two knot variations here, or, rather, a knot and then a continuation of the knot if you want some additional tailbone pressure to counter any pelvic pressure from, you know, a head in your pelvis.

1. Find your center marker, and gather the wrap evenly. Place this low across your hips, just under the tops of your hip bones. I say that as a starting point, you should be able to feel the tips of the tops of your hip bones above the wrap, and then go from there to find your own ideal comfort and placement.

2. Bring tails around back, and cross once to form a simple knot. Pull and tighten like crazy. You want this tight! Once you're satisfied with the tightness, tie a regular old knot, securely so you don't loose that magic tension that's providing the squeeze part. *be done! or......*

3. Wrap the knot tails around and around the knot, or tie more knots around the knot, creating a "bun" of sorts. Lean against a wall, sit back, or press with your palm down and slightly in, and experience tailbone counter pressure relief too.

I hope these techniques are fun and provide a little relief as you wait for your new squish to get wrapping in other ways! Whether woven wraps are new for you, or an old favorite, greenberries has lots of resources for you! Babywearing workshops are held monthly for level one and level two babywearers, as well as a whole free meetup monthly just for discussing, trying, and tying woven wraps. Join us for Wrap Geeks or any time in store to see our beautiful Girasol woven wraps in exclusive colors, thanks to our friends at Metro Minis in NYC. All event times are on our calendar in store and our facebook page events! Happy Wrapping!

Cortney Baca, MotherStrong is a local birth doula and one of the Certified Babywearing Educators on staff at greenberries. You can find her in-store there or via her website: www.motherstrong.com