"Hello, Kalie! I have recently been looking for postpartum belly-binding treatments and noticed that belly-binding practitioners often possess certifications from various countries, with some accredited by the UK. Are these certifications more reliable? Can they be trusted?" - Kiki Mama
KiKi媽：
"Hello, Kalie! I have recently been looking for postpartum belly-binding treatments and noticed that belly-binding practitioners often possess certifications from various countries, with some accredited by the UK. Are these certifications more reliable? Can they be trusted?" - Kiki Mama
KiKi Mama,
Thank you for your letter. I have always been concerned about the UK-accredited belly-binding courses as you do, and I also have some thoughts on this matter. As mentioned in the previous article, postpartum belly-binding therapy has a long history dating back to before the 17th century. It is a traditional natural postpartum body contouring treatment from Malaysia and Indonesia. In 2017, I visited Malaysia and invited the famous postpartum belly-binding brand Tanamera to conduct training courses, in which I learned authentic postpartum belly-binding therapy and skills from the brand's chief instructor. Later, I went to Indonesia to attend another professional postpartum belly binding training course in 2019. With such learning experiences, I understand how this centuries-old technique and tradition have been passed down and evolved in these two countries, becoming a typical postpartum contouring therapy. Behind it is a significant amount of knowledge and historical origins.
However, as postpartum belly-binding therapy has become increasingly popular in foreign countries and regions, including Hong Kong in recent years, there has been a significant surge of such training courses from places other than Malaysia and Indonesia. Some of these courses claim that with simple completion of a two or three-day course in Hong Kong, candidates can obtain certifications officially accredited by a local institution in the UK. Furthermore, more and more private postpartum belly-binding partitioners or institutions that employ them claim they have obtained such UK accreditations. These courses are likely the ones you referred to as being "credited" by the UK.
To reveal the nature of these certifications, I inquired the local council in the UK in 2022 about the recognition of these belly binding practitioners claiming to be recognized in the UK. The response revealed that these practitioners were not listed among the institutions recognized by the UK council.
Then, in September of the same year, I wrote to the one of the UK awarding body for another enquiry, asking whether Hong Kong graduates who had completed their accredited postnatal belly binding courses in Hong Kong would have their qualifications recognised by the UK government and whether the insurance company would cover the practices and services of these graduates. The reply stated that the Hong Kong-organised courses mentioned above are continuous professional development (CPD) courses and are not credited by the Office of Qualifications and Examinations Regulation (Ofqual) in the UK.
It cannot be confirmed which country or company would recognize those certificates issued by this UK awarding body.
The email conversation is screen-captured and can be found as follow.
In summary, these postpartum belly-binding courses in Hong Kong that claim to be "UK-recognised" may only be CPD courses issued by institutions and are not accredited by Ofqual in the UK. Therefore, if you intend to undergo postpartum belly binding treatment, I recommend that you first investigate the qualifications and reputation of the relevant institutions or private partitioners and before making an informed decision.
About Kalie mama
🟢 Mother of two, Founder of Herbal Senses
🟢 Experienced belly-binding practitioner certified in Malaysia and Indonesia, also holding accreditations in Chinese massage therapy, baby massage, lymphatic drainage, postnatal massage, and baby first aid.
If you have questions about belly-binding, postpartum body shaping, or confinement, please follow our "Letters to Kalie Mama" and Herbal Senses Facebook (https://www.facebook.com/herbalsenseshk)/Instagram (https://www.instagram.com/herbalsenses_tanamera/) page. Of course, you're also welcome to send your questions to our Facebook inbox, and our founder Kalie will answer for everyone.