bodysuit

Hi Ellen,

I live in leotards and bodysuits and all I can tell you is that it always feels very good to get out of them!

Can you remind me of your presenting symptom? Is it UP or cystocele/rectocele?

:) Christine

Ellen – Have you tried making your own supporter? I made a “V-string” (name already trademarked by Victoria’s Secret :( for Mommynow, which was unfortunately not strong enough to lift her rectocele. However, after that iteration I changed it to what I think was a better design but had to shelve the project because there is so much else to do here.

Anyway…it had a somewhat rectangular crotch with two sets of straps. One that came off either side of the front of the crotch (the crotch piece was worn very low – almost underneath – in front), up over the hip bones and around the lumbar spine. These went through D-rings at the crotch and were adjustable with Velcro. The other straps came off either side of the back of the crotch and connected to the lumbar strap and were also adjustable with D-rings and Velcro. These were positioned to fan outward a bit, so they tightened against the cheeks instead of giving a “wedgy”.

It still wasn’t perfect because to tighten it enough meant that it dug into the hips – so I took a four inch piece of the strap out at either hip and added wide elastic. I managed to get it to a pretty decent comfort level and thought I would wear it if ever needed. Thus far my symptoms have not required it.

I think noodling until you get something that is hip-dependent rather than shoulder-dependent might be worth doing.

:) Christine

they really are supportive. I have some nice cotton ones with good stretch- the ones with more fabric are best- and you def. have to get the right size- So don't be afraid to buy an XL. I wear a size 4-6 and I buy mostly mediums- but some larges.

A body suit is nice- especially with a skirt slung low on the hips.

Christine- no matter what I have on I can't wait to get it off as soon as possible. :)

I used to think that I could just make different sizes, Ellen, until I worked with the concept a bit. What separates a supporter from a snug bikini is the ability to cinch it up in order to get “lift”. (I think) this can only be accomplished if there is some kind of pulley mechanism, which I could only figure out with D-rings and Velcro. At one point I tried making button holes instead of the D-rings, but they weren’t nearly durable enough. Another thing to keep in mind is that the band that goes around the back has to be very sturdy.

would snaps work? I *personally* hate velcro, its stiff and scratchy.
and snaps are more durable than buttonholes.

to help with the digging in at the hip, what about lightly padding it with a layer or two of fleece?

I think snaps are a good idea…the kind of Velcro I was using was that flesh-colored softer kind – but still Velcro! The only thing is – and this is particularly true of the cheek straps – if they feed through something like a D-ring, that takes up some of the tension so that the straps aren’t pulling directly down on the lumbar band.

Okay (have my supporter in front of me), the lumbar band starts near the front of the crotch, connected to the crotch with a few inches of soft Velcro. The D-rings it wraps around are on the outside front of the crotch. They are going to angle up and out to the hips, so sew them in that direction.

The cheek straps start on the underside of the front of the crotch. They criss-cross in the middle of the crotch, come up to the outer edges at the back of the crotch, and connect to D-rings on the lumbar band with another few inches of Velcro. The cheek straps connect to the lumbar band about 5 inches from center back. That’s all there is to it. The crotch is padded and the sewn-down straps underneath make it quilted. I also lined the crotch with muslin. I like gmom’s idea of padded hips.

You really need to get ahold of plastic rings – small rectangles, actually. The only thing I could find locally were metal and they really aren’t suitable.

what about the sliders used for bra straps? would those be sturdy/large enough?

I dunno, I had a rather embarrassing experience at about the age of 20 with a home made bikini top held together with plastic curtain rings, and some wild surf. I think I would be looking at metal, possibly in the leather work category.

Cheers

Louise

can you just imagine......a supporter falling off in public? what would you do? just elegantly step right out of it and toss it in your bag?
::::::::::cringe::::::::::::

but point taken, maybe the plastic sliders aren't strong enough

If you start off by looking deep into their eyes and telling them, before you go through the X-ray machine, that you are wearing a support garment with metal on it, then wait a few seconds before you tell them it stops your uterus from falling out, they will probably say "TOO MUCH INFORMATION!" and let you through. Hey, it's a support garment, not a drug courier's satchel! When you think about it there are a lot of people who wear support garments.

Even if they don't, and take you to the little room for a closer look, it's still a support garment, and we all need to be aware that these people are just trying to do their job, looking for drugs, explosives and the like. Any security person who didn't take a closer look wouldn't be doing their job. You might even have the opportunity to help another woman deal with her prolapses in a job that requires a lot of time on her feet.

What I am saying is, don't be ashamed of your prolapse. They are nothing to be ashamed about. You have done nothing wrong. After all, what is a brassiere? A support garment, silly! Just make sure your supporter has a little satin and lace on it, and that it is a pretty colour, to make you feel better! Red perhaps?

This topic needs outing in the community for the sake of all women. I know my previous post was a *little* frivolous, but when you look deeper it reveals that shame and embarrassment is always very close at hand and we need to be able to deal with it when it rears its unwelcome head.

Cheers

Louise