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Updated June 21, 2013.
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Belevation Support Maternity Briefs are a full-coverage maternity underwear that can be used during all stages of pregnancy and during postpartum. The briefs are made from a blend of Nylon and Spandex and come in three colors: black, nude and white. They are created with seamless knitting for increased comfort. They have a pretty flowered panel on the belly and are plain on the back.
The panties come in sizes four sizes: small (size four to six), medium (size eight to ten), large (size twelve to sixteen) and extra large (size eighteen to twenty four.) The company notes that if you are a borderline size and would like more support it is best to size down a bit.
The Details
The Belevation panties are very soft to the touch. I was excited to see the variety of sizes the company offers, including the extra large size. I found the underwear to be true to the stated size. The sizing did not change after washing. The underwear feels much like wearing a full-panel maternity pant. Even though the material is made to be cool and breathable, I found that with the panel on full-panel maternity pants, I was very hot in the underwear. I was more comfortable in the Belevation Support Maternity Briefs and under-the-belly pants. Initially I was concerned that the flower-printing on the belly panel would make the panel itchy. I did not find this to be the case at all. The material is so soft that it sits on the skin nicely.
The material also helps with the dreaded visible panty line. These underwear hardly created a panty line at all, even under stretchy maternity dresses.
One of the stated goals of the panties is to provide support to the lumbar region and under the belly. As a mama who always experiences low back pain during my pregnancies, I was looking forward to a bit of relief from this underwear. The briefs do give a tiny bit of support but I felt underwhelmed with that aspect. In fact, I enjoyed them more when I was postpartum. I felt that they gave a good amount of abdominal support. For mothers who have had a cesarean birth, I could see these being a good choice for abdominal support (if you can handle having underwear over your scar.) This is especially true since the panel of the panties is higher than most other underwear. Cesarean moms sometimes complain that regular underwear hit right at their scar and cause discomfort.
One of the best features of the Belevation briefs was that they did not move all day. Usually I complain about maternity underwear because they tend to ride up. Having comfortable underwear when you are pregnant is one of the small joys in life.
Belevation Support Maternity Briefs washed really well. As a mama to three little ones, I do not have time to hand-wash and hang dry underwear. The instructions on the panties say “Machine-wash warm, with like colors. Use non-chlorine bleach only, tumble dry low. Do not iron.” Even after many washings and machine dryings, the underwear held up beautifully. There was minimal pilling and the fabric did not roll or change size. The elasticity of the material ensured that my belly did not stretch out the panel during pregnancy and the underwear still fit postpartum. This extends the life of the underwear considerably.
While there are definite pros to this underwear, one of the major downsides is the price point. These are a very expensive pair of panties. If they replaced a maternity support belt, I could probably justify the cost. However, since the support provided was minimal, these are just a nice pair of underwear. This would make a luxurious gift for a mama you know who needs a little pampering but don’t expect to fill your drawer full of these briefs unless you plan to empty your wallet in the process.
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Disclosure: Review samples were provided by the manufacturer. For more information, please see our Ethics Policy.
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