A belt and strap device worn on or under clothing, Bella helps pregnant women maintain healthy posture and support the growing belly. Bella fastens quickly and adjusts to fit comfortably, transferring weight from abdomen to shoulder and spine. Designed to grow along with the mother-to-be, the soft and gentle elastic straps shift the weight to relieve or prevent lower back and hip joint pain. Inspired by prenatal yoga practice, Bella is a healthy non-medical choice for pain relief.

The lower waist and hip joint pain is a very uncomfortable condition for mothers-to-be, which was caused by the growing belly weight and bad postures. Almost fifty percent, if not more, pregnant women experience waist pain. The pain starts from the waist area and often moves down to the buttocks and the legs. It can be experienced at any stage of pregnancy but intensifies the most in the third trimester. If the pain is mild then it can be tolerable. However, when waist pain turns severe, then it interferes with the normal activities of daily life. At times, it may disrupt one’s night sleep as well. According to my market research, there are some maternity supports available,I have to make some thing works better.

I want to keep my design really simple and universal. Bella is totally flat when it is unused, so it should be easy to manufacture. The simple design lowers the manufacturing cost and makes it affordable for any social economic classes. It can be useful to any pregnant woman who has waist pain. It does not require pregnant women to set time out of their day to use it. It does not require addition physical exertion and could be used all the way to delivery.

To understand the real needs of the user, I interviewed two pregnant women, who are bothered by lower waist and hip joint pain while their bellies growing. I also talked with a prenatal yoga instructor for some professional advise, who inspired me to focus on the overall posture instead of just relieving the pain. I did some market research before I settling on my design to make sure it is unique. After I made a prototype I found a volunteer to use it and get some feedback from her. According to what I heard, I modified my design and moved on to 3d modeling. Finally, I made a physical model.

My design is inspired by prenatal yoga, which is a very popular way to exercise among pregnant women. In addition, compared to using medicine to relieve pain, this is a healthier choice, especially for women who pursue natural birth.