This is a question asked by a woman via the babybellyband youtube video.... http://www.youtube.com/user/BABYBELLYBAND


Great question.  During pregnancy, the weight of the fetus puts pressure on the groin area.  If one has a week abdominal muscle wall, a hernia can occur (a hernia is when the muscle wall is weakened and the intestines or organs which are usually held in by the muscle, push through causing a protrusion).  The most common hernia with pregnancy is an inguinal hernia which protrudes in the groin area.  During my pregnancy I developed an inguinal hernia and the result was very uncomfortable.  I could not walk comfortably with out pushing on the hernia to give it support, nor could I lift my other children without extreme pain.  I was very fit and athletic and did not gain a huge amount of weight, it was just that my groin area muscle wall perhaps separated or was weak ( my mother also has hernais so perhaps muscle wall weakness is genetic).    Wearing support, like the Babybellyband, helps not only lessen the damage of a hernia, but relieve the discomfort and allow a woman to lead a normal, active life: working, walking, carrying other children, without so much pain. After I birthed my child, the hernia disappeared.  This often happens although in more extreme cases, the hernia must be repaired after pregnancy.   .