Mae
Reviewed in the United States on October 7, 2012
I am on my 3rd kid...I knew b/c of the stretchyness of my belly I would probably not need a lot of maternity clothes & it would be cheaper/easier if I could keep wearing my regular clothes. This has been very helpful. Since my zipper area is covered up by my shirts anyway, that hasn't been a problem for me. I do think it's odd that only ONE button is 'reinforced'. I am using the smallest belt right now...on the smallest setting. My pants being too-tight is only really an issue when I'm sitting down/driving. I can see after a few weeks of wear that the elastic is starting to get wonky. If BOTH buttons were reinforced with the cloth underneath, I think it would be perfect! But that one issue makes me worry that I am going to pop out that button before I need to move up to the next size. I have also paired this with a belly band to cover my zipper & give the entire waist of my pants a reason to stay close to my body! :)**Update: It's 2 Jan, so about 3 months after my initial review. I eventually moved up to the last setting on the smallest belt, but feel as I moved up that the elastic portion of the belt was over stretched. The reason it stretched out was b/c the middle buttons are *not* reinforced (which I discussed briefly in my initial review). So the elastic around the button is all boogered out & loose, making the extender a little more loose than I'd really like it. Ideally, I'd like to have stayed on the middle button...but as it became stretched out the button came loose. I have no way of knowing if this is b/c I was using the wrong setting (should I have moved up sooner to the last button?) or simply b/c of the way it's made. I *am* still using them, though after 3 months...with about 8 weeks to go until the estimated due date I was thinking I might use the second (longer) belt that came with the set, but seem to have misplaced the box!Also, might be helpful to note these work MUCH better with a lower-rise (not necessarily low-rise, just below the belly button - sort of as pictured in the main image for this page) pant than higher rise pants. I have 3 pairs of jeans I use most often, two pairs that I guess are considered "mid" rise...right in between the top of my pubic area & my belly button and one pair comes to my belly button. The mid rise jeans perform better with the extender. I feel like the higher jeans need to be pulled up a lot more often or re-adjusted.
Stephanie
Reviewed in the United States on July 2, 2010
The Belly Belt is awesome and I rate it five stars, but only when used in conjunction with a Bellaband. (I'd rate it three stars by itself). Use the Belly Belt to hold your pants closed allowing the extra space you need, then fold the BellaBand down over it. Voila! Smooth and secure, your pants stay up, are bigger to fit your growing belly, and the BellaBand covers the unzipped zipper (and looks like a layered cami). This combination has allowed me to wear all of my regular clothes comfortably through my first trimester, and unless my hips widen considerably, I think I can do the same through part or most of my second trimester.You can use this product alone and it's comfortable, but it causes the open zipper area to bulge and crinkle, so you definitley want to wear a long and possibly voluminous top over it. Or perhaps a long cami to smooth the zipper area.Specifically about the Belly Belt combo: I love this set. It has three colored panels (black, white, denim) to fill the v left by the open zipper. There are four belts, a small and large, each in two styles. Style one: buttons for use with jeans, khakis,and other zip/button pants. Style two: hook/sliders for use with slacks, dress/work pants. Each belt has three size settings so the belts can grow as your belly does. It's a great invention, I recommend this (and the BellaBand) as your VERY FIRST maternity clothes!!
Bianca
Reviewed in the United States on December 13, 2009
This is an amazing little piece of fabric. I am 17 weeks and have been able to wear my regular pants because of this belt. It works well with the bella band, but if you have oversized maternity shirts/blouses, they can pretty much cover up the fact that you have your button and zipper open. But if you have smaller blouses, you can just use the bella band to cover it up. Together, they provide added protection and comfort. I use the belly belt almost every day and it fits every kind of pants I have. The product comes with two small "belts" and two larger "belts". I'm still using the smaller belts, so I know that the larger belts will probably come in handy in my third trimester. They work with regular buttons and slider buttons, of which I have both. What's also nice is that when you go to the bathroom during the day you do not need to unbutton anything, you can just slide it off like you would a pair of pregnancy pants. This is definitely worth the money and much more secure than using a rubber band as a friend recommended before I discovered this on Amazon.