Customer Reviews

Ingrid & Isabel Women's Maternity Everyday Bellaband, Chocolate, Size 1

5 star:		(172)
4 star:		(62)
3 star:		(44)
2 star:		(22)
1 star:		(14)

 

 

I bought 2 bella bands as soon as I started having to wear my pants unbuttoned (end of first trimester) - one black and one white. I absolutely LOVE the black one. I wore it almost everyday until my son was 6 months old. It was the only thing that I could find to cover my belly in the final month of pregnancy.

Under a black shirt you couldn't even tell the bella band was there, even when it was sticking out several inches. Under other shirts it just looked like I layered a t-shirt. However, the white band was awful. While the black camouflaged everything, the white highlighted everything. You could absolutely tell my pants were unbuttoned.

I agree with other reviewers that it can ride up, but when I was pregnant everything rode up or fell down. C'est la vie. It also provides a nice low level of support, similar to control top pantyhose.

I saw RAVE reviews about this product, so I bought one, even though I didn't want to spend the money. It is handy - it covers up an unbuttoned fly, or even an unzipped fly if you're desperate! However, I have wide hips and (used to) have a slim waist, so it was constantly riding up and exposing what it was supposed to hide. I have to spend all day jerking it back down. That being said, I did use it while a little pregnant, a lot pregnant, and after the baby. It's certainly better than a whole new wardrobe or wearing sweat pants every day.

This are a wonderful little invention. Not only did these extend my pregnancy wardrobe considerably when it came to pants, but when worn with skirts, they gave me a little helpful definition during that dreadful, "do people just think I'm chubby?" phase. I also liked that they smoothed my hips down over my under-the-belly maternity pants. They are quite comfortable, and I have found I like the added support they give to my growing girth.

I also recommend the vender. The Doula Shop had more available colors than the manufacturer did, and for a better price. They also shipped within 4 hours of my initial order.

All in all, a very helpful little product. I plan on giving them as gifts to my newly pregnant friends.

I ordered the basic BellaBand in white, black, platinum, and chocolate. I feel like the white and black seem to have a stronger material (it feels like it holds better/tighter) than the platinum and chocolate colored ones. The chocolate colored one seems to be the "weakest", but I still wear it and it works. It is one of my favorite colors to wear because I wear browns a lot. I tend to wear the chocolate and black the most (mainly to match whatever shoes I am wearing). You can see through the white one a bit (like it is bluish where my jeans are and whiter where my jeans are not)...the others don't seem to show color through them (even the platinum one).

I ordered them back when I was about 20 weeks along and they are still working great for me at 34 weeks, and I have no reason to believe they won't continue to work for me for the next 6 weeks. They have allowed me to keep wearing my pre-pregnancy pants and also my pre-pregnancy shirts since they give extra length under my shirts. Obviously, you need to stay basically the same size everywhere except your belly for these to allow you to wear your pre-pregnancy things...so I can see how some people might not be able to use these as much as others.

I did wash them all together with cold water and on delicate (I don't think I put them in the dryer) and the white color did get a little "drabbed out" - but obviously that's what I get for washing white with black and brown :o)

Yes, there are times when I am moving positions a lot (sitting to standing, etc.) that my pants will bunch up funny or the band will come up above the back of my pants (thus the 4 versus 5 stars...but it is not necessarily a product flaw...just something that can't be avoided with such a big gut!). For me, these times of adjustment are well worth not having to deal with maternity pants. These allow me to be able to continue to wear pants that fit me nicely everywhere except the belly, and I definitely think it is worth it.

Okay, I'l readily admit that I'm a big bootied fat chick pre-pregnancy. When you get to the stage where you're too big for regular clothes but too small for maternity clothes, this looks heaven sent.

The good stuff:

-I like this product, I like the idea of it, I like it's intentions.
-I like the way it feels for the most part. I even wear it around the house because it seems to offer my belly some much needed support. I'm at the point now where it feels as though my belly is just all over the place, being pulled in weird directions.
-The material used for the product is nice, supportive without being constricting, stretchy yet firm.
-The lace on the bottom of the lace-y addition is very cute and makes it look as though you are just wearing a cute t-shirt instead of some pregnancy contraption.

The bad stuff

-When I wear this outside of the house, where I am moving much faster, doing much more stuff, (shopping, walking briskly, etc) I am constantly adjusting this thing. It gets really annoying at times. Last week, I wore it to my brother's house and in the middle of dinner, I got up, went to the restroom and just took it off.
-But, I will admit it may not fit properly because I do have a rather protruding derriere.

I think if the band is cut shorter in the back it will accomodate Big Booty Mamas a bit better. I actually thought of cutting mine but didn't want to destroy it.

So overall, good product, could use a little tweeking.

I LOVE this product and when I ordered one I wasn't sure I was going to like it. But it is awesome! WIthin 24 hours I was back online ordering 2 more for a total of 3. It really does support your belly and smooth out clothes that don't quite fit right. I bought a medium and I was 145lbs and 5'4" BEFORE I was pregnant - It fits perfect - snug but not overly tight. GREAT product, though I think I will hand wash it since I suspect the washer and dryer will kill it.


ORDER MORE THAN ONE!

The only reason I didn't give a 5 star rating was because of the price...that's it!
I'm a 12/14 and the 2 is fitting me great in the first trimester.
Yes, much better than the rubber band trick!
I will size up to a 3 in a few months.
The fabric is smooth, silky, supportive, yet stretchy.
And it's seamless.
Shirts don't cling and it is super comfy--it holds up everything from my yoga pants to cords.

Every woman who's ever been pregnant has been faced with the dilemma of maternity clothes: To buy, or not to buy? In these financially challenging times, the temptation not to buy is very strong. And I wish I could report that the BellaBand is a solution to your first- and second-trimester wardrobe woes, but I can't.

I bought one as soon as I found out I was pregnant, and pretty soon I was putting it to use. But not for long. After a couple weeks of struggling, I put it in the closet and didn't use it again. When I got pregnant, I was no waif -- about a size 14 -- and I grew about 2 sizes in about 2 months. Maybe it works better for skinnier women, but on me, it just didn't cut it. It rolled down; it rolled up; it never felt secure. I always felt as if I were one false move away from my pants falling down. It was a real disappointment.

If you're reading this review with a baby on the way, you're probably wondering what I did do. Well, since properly-fitting maternity pants for non-skinny women are nearly impossible to come by, I learned how to make do. Since the BellaBand couldn't salvage my pre-pregnancy jeans, I sprang for 2 pairs of Gap jeans with an elastic top. Those were the only maternity clothes I found that fit. I'd never worn plus-sized clothes, but I discovered that 1X-2X plus-size clothes with elastic waists were nearly as good as correctly sized pregnancy clothes, and often much, much cheaper.

Sorry, zaftig ladies. I wish I had better news for you. Perhaps others have had better luck, but I can't recommend the BellaBand.

The Bella Band makes your pants bunch, much like if you had on a pair of pants that are too big and then you tightened a belt around them. I got this to use in early pregnancy so that I could continue to wear my regular non-pregnant clothes. With the pants bunching problem I had to start wearing maternity shirts to cover the bunching. So, the Bella Band never was very useful for me. I also found it to be uncomfortable. I don't like anything tight around the middle when I'm pregnant.
If you are going to buy this product I would buy one size bigger than suggested. That may solve the issue. I'm not spending any more money to find out.

I am still in my first trimester and not really showing yet, but I am definitely struggling with my clothes a little. I read about this product and I'm really glad I decided to try it.

The Bella Band is comfortable to wear and discreet under your top. The material is soft and not too thick, so it doesn't add bulkiness to your middle. I am in the stage where you have to use a rubber band to close your buttons and not zip up all the way ... which was making me feel very self-conscious, especially at work. Wearing the Bella Band makes me a lot more comfortable and less nervous about anyone being able to tell my pants are open. I don't feel pinched or squeezed while wearing it, though it really does help keep my pants up. And I also think it gives me a little bit of light support in my belly and back.

Also, I was wearing Women's sizes even before I got pregnant and was dismayed at how few clothing options there are out there for plus-size pregnant women. I was really pleased to see that the Bella Band comes in a wide array of sizes - and what's more, it fits and is comfortable (something you can't always count on if you are "plus-sized"). I really think the Bella Band is going to help me stay in my own "regular" clothes longer, and that makes me happy - I was not looking forward to maternity clothes, and was scared that because of my size I would have to start wearing them sooner.

I am not yet having to wear the band every day but I expect a time will come when I do - so I'll be ordering more in different colors. Thanks for this product!