I bought a Bella Band.
Not just for my pregnant friend, but one for me as well.
I happen to have a very round, cute belly that makes me look 3 months pregnant because the rest of me is so skinny and slim. Then you look and see this round thing sticking out.
I once had a woman come by and sympathetically pet my belly (without asking!!) thinking I was pregnant and that the rocking of the train was making me nauseous (which it was, but only because I’m sensitive to motion sickness).
I’ve also had women interested in BF jealously ask in the elevator of our building if I was pregnant. OMG! A little privacy, PLEASE?!?
Anyway, long story short I cannot find a pair of jeans and I needed to make them work because they still fit on the rest of me, but not at the button (it’s too tight for my belly and it hurts).
So, enter the Bella Band. I call it the Belly Band, but whatever floats your boat.
I wear it just like the women in the pictures above, and it is SO COMFORTABLE. It keeps the flaps of my jeans down flat against my belly, it holds everything in, and covers the back of my jeans in case I bend over a lot and find my jeans slipping down, and best of all, I can use it when I’m really pregnant later on.
For you belly-licious girls out there, this is a good piece to buy to keep your jeans working longer and longer.
I almost threw out my jeans but couldn’t bear to part with them so I found a way to keep them.
- Hey hey, jeans that fit!
- Day two: Trying to find a colourful, reasonably-priced, winter coat is like trying to find a sleeping unicorn under a rainbow
- The Want List
- Personal Shopping Tips
- What I purchased for January 2010
Make Do Style
on Feb 19th, 2009
@ 7:49 AM:
Great idea!
Rags2Riches
on Feb 19th, 2009
@ 8:10 AM:
I might have to get this after your review. I’ve thought about purchasing spanx but this seems promising as well. I am ’skinny fat’. i.e. I generally look skinny but I have a gut so I have the same problem of pants fitting perfectly everywhere except my waist.
Simplelivin'
on Feb 19th, 2009
@ 8:57 AM:
That is such a great idea! Can you buy it anywhere? I’ve never heard of it before.
Life is Wonderful
on Feb 19th, 2009
@ 9:00 AM:
I have heard of these…and will definitely get one when/if I get pregnant…..it will save a ton on maternity clothes, since you should be able to wear your regular pants!!!
Fabulously Broke
on Feb 19th, 2009
@ 9:35 AM:
Rags: That’s always been my problem, even at 115 lbs on a 5′4″ frame. (Don’t ask. It’s a weird belly thing).
Simpleliving: It’s sold by certain boutiques, usually maternity stores. The brand is “Ingrid and Isabel”.
They are all over the U.S. and in Canada, so I’m assuming you can buy them in major mat stores.
Find a store here.
Life: That’s what I was thinking!!!
And it really does hold up my pants. It takes a bit of pulling up when I keep sitting and standing, but they work great.
Miss M
on Feb 19th, 2009
@ 10:19 AM:
I hang around dogs too much, I’ve had to use a belly band on them before. Only it’s to keep the boys from lifting their leg and peeing in the house! I couldn’t fathom what a human belly band was so I had to come look. I had a teacher once who looked 6-7 months pregnant all the time. It was weird. I’m sure your little poof is adorable.
Revanche
on Feb 19th, 2009
@ 2:49 PM:
*sigh* Just when I think: “maybe you should just NOT EAT SO MUCH…” you come up with a way to compensate for my overeating + unbuttoning of jeans. Dammit. But let’s face it, I’m so much more likely to get this and continue to eat too much than I am likely to eat only as much as my jeans will accommodate.
Note to self, don’t do this with suits. You’re not that low.
Alex
on Feb 19th, 2009
@ 2:52 PM:
That’s neat!
Saver Queen
on Feb 19th, 2009
@ 4:33 PM:
I can’t believe the nerve of some people. What did you do when the woman on the train patted your belly? I’m dying to know how you handled that one!
LL
on Feb 19th, 2009
@ 4:38 PM:
Haha. you make me laugh.
Natalie MacNeil
on Feb 19th, 2009
@ 8:47 PM:
I can’t believe you had someone pet your tummy without permission! Who does that?!
Anny
on Feb 20th, 2009
@ 2:36 AM:
Clever – can I ask what size you wear in jeans?
Fabulously Broke
on Feb 20th, 2009
@ 8:28 AM:
Miss M: LOL!! "belly band for humans"
Revanche: That's what my sister said.. she told me I was evil. I told her she didn't want a Belly Band, she wanted Spanx (a great body smoother)
I told her the Belly band is if you're OK/proud of having a belly.
Saver Queen & Natalie: Actually, I almost wanted to toss my cookies all over her, but I was too nauseous to come up with a witty comeback.
I guess I would have maybe done the following
A) Snapped like a rabid animal at her
B) Screamed: "OH! MY BABY!!!!!!!!!"
C) Flat face: "I'm not pregnant." *disgusted*
But again.. too nauseous to come up with something fun
Fabulously Broke
on Feb 20th, 2009
@ 8:30 AM:
Or maybe “OH! MY UNBORN, ILLEGITIMATE BABY!!!!!!!”
I dunno.
Anny: I’m a size 27 in jeans or a size 4-6 in regular clothes.
It fits me perfectly in my flat butt and thin thighs, but my belly looks 2-3 months pregnant. I almost look like the girls in the pic on the right but with a slightly smaller belly.
Gretchen
on Mar 16th, 2009
@ 3:52 PM:
instead of spending $30-$50 on the brand name bella band i use a lycra tank top with a built in bra. (not the padded kind of course, but the kind with the slightly tighter elastic band in the top half) i cut the straps off to basically turn it into a tube top and it works perfect! just position the bra part to fit uner the open button and or zipper and srcunch the rest of the tank to create a layerd look!