Binding and Swaddling

While I was visiting Princess One after her baby, she hired a woman to come to her home and teach her husband how to "Bind" her hips up to her breast area. I thought it was "weird" at first until I saw the difference in Princess One AFTER she had been bound!

The woman is a doula and an assistant mid-wife. She brought with her a piece of muslin that was a square and was big enough to tie around Princess just under the breast and "cover" her skin so that the binding wrap doesn't get dirty next to the skin as you wrap over the piece of muslin.

Then, she brought a 15 yard piece of muslin that is 15 inches wide. She then showed us how to keep the muslin in a crochet train so that it is not hanging and getting tangled and is easy to "wrap" around the torso of the person you are "wrapping."

I was glad that she gave me a turn to "wrap" princess so that I could "feel" and experience how to do it. When I had my babies, it wasn't until my fourth that a friend told me about wearing a girdle after the baby for a few weeks to pull all the loose muscles and tissue back into place and hold the hips in thinner.

She is not of US decent and it was common knowledge to her that you should do this.At that point, I had been a nurse for years and still had never heard of that.

So, I wore a girdle after my last two girls to help bring it all back into place and it worked. I was thinner after my five than I had been since having my first.

I shared this with Princess One after her first and she wore one if I remember correctly. I figured I would share that information with all my girls. Now, I will share the wrapping method as it supports you all the way up and as you shrink, it shrinks.

Also, It isn't obstructing going to the bathroom and stitches etc. It wraps just below the hips and all the way to the breast and if the mother isn't breast feeding, you can bind the breasts as well to help stop milk production.

I remember hearing in nursing school about "binding the breast" but no one ever told us how to do that. Now, they just give them pills to dry up the milk.

When she showed me how to do this, I realized that this is how you would do that if needed. Princess One researched and they do this binding in many cultures for 40 days after the birth and they used to cleanse the mother for 40 days purification after birth in the "olden" times.

Prince One is a trooper. I told him we would send all the new husbands of her sisters to him for "training" upon engagement and after births so he could train them in the best way to take care of their wives as he does such a great job.

He took a turn wrapping her and then wrapped her the next day as well. He did a good job and the thing I learned was that I can't pull it so tight about the waist as my girls have larger hips and thin waists so that if I pull it tight in the waist, it will roll and bunch so I pulled it tight over the hips, looser at the smallest portion of the waist and then tighter at the rib cage.

When wearing the binding, Princess One wasn't hunched over holding on to her belly like she had been for days. She seemed more "supported" and secure and sat straighter and walked more easily. Most women who have this do it at night when sleeping and then take it off during the day for ease of leaving the house etc. You need to wear it for at least 10 hours daily to have it work.

They said not to wear it until a few days after birth when most of the bleeding has stopped and then for a month at least until you are back to where you feel you don't need it.

It reminded me of the time I was a mummy for Halloween and I remember having to turn in circles to get someone to "wrap" me but this was great. I know they have youtube video and tutorials online so I didn't even try to make a video about it but I suggest that if you have someone having babies, share this information with them as it is amazing.

The other thing that I wanted to share was about "swaddling" and how much Princess One loves them. After her first, I bought a baby swing as her first was really hard at night and she used the swing all the time. When I went to pick it up, the woman asked me if she had used swaddlers before and I told her I hadn't heard of them and she just gave me a few for Princess to try. She loved them and they actually bought a few more for Grand Prince One. He LOVED them as well. I think it makes them feel secure so they are more contented as when they are in the womb, they are snug so it is snug but not confining as it is light fabric and moves if they move but Velcros into place so they feel some security.

Both binding and swaddling are ancient practices and my guess is that they swaddled somewhat similar to how they bind the mom's but now days, you can purchase pre-made swaddlers which is great.

You can make the binding from unbleached muslin and you get three swaths as they are 15 inches wide so a 45 inch wide piece of muslin will give you three wraps. Also, you can add an extension on if you have a larger mom. She had an 8 foot extension she could have tied on and kept wrapping if needed and said that you can keep adding extensions as needed.

I wish I had someone around to support me and wrap me after I had my girls. I am amazed that even after being a nurse for years and having five of my own children and family members with 8 kids etc, that I have never heard of this other than in olden times. It is great and I hope all my girls choose to do it as I do think it will help them heal more quickly and securely.