Belly Bands and Back Support- Comparison Review

I had occasional sciatica before i got pregnant. I'm on my feet 8-14 hrs/day, speedwalking on concrete, and i have an overly pronounced curve in my lower back. I also have a posterior placenta (it attaches on the back instead of the front) I'm waitress and that about sums it up. Add baby and lower back pain is a near constant struggle, from the very beginning.

I tried 4 belly bands, 2 lightweight and 2 heavyweight and eventually settled on acupressure tape instead so I'll review them here:

• Ingrid & Isabel Everyday Bella Band- $28 *Lightweight

• Color Options: Black, White, Beige, Grey, and Pink
• This is a lightweight, stretchy nylon band, mostly great for covering the gap in your pants so you can wear them unbuttoned. It has non-slip silicone, and doubles wonderfully as a stay-put tube top. I wear this folded in half since my belly isn't terribly big. 
• Overall: I recommend this band for everyday clothing adjustments, but don't expect much support out of it. If you don't need support, this is absolutely the belly band that you want, possibly in multiple colors

• The Belly Button Band- $15 *Lightweight

• Color Options: Black, White, Blue, Pink, Light & Dark Grey
• This was the first belly band that i purchased as it is one of the many coupons that come in all the baby stuff you get (free, just pay shipping). It sounded great, but in actual use, the fabric is too heavy (hot), i'm not big enough for a full tube belly band yet and this one can't be folded in half, and why would i want to button it to my pants when i could just have a silicone strip that keeps it in place? i pee all the time, i don't need to unbutton things! Additionally, this has actual strips of elastic in it, rather than just being super stretchy.
• Overall: I don't recommend this. I wouldn't repurchase it, and it's not going to offer back support.

• Bracco Breathable Abdominal Binder and Maternity Back Support- $14 *Heavyweight

• Color Options: Pink
• For the price, this will get you the support you need, but it's essentially a giant ace bandage. It's thick, it's unattractive, the edges curl, and there's only the one color option. 
• Overall: If you're desperate and on a budget, this will help, but there are better bands out there

• Cabea Baby Belly Band- $40 *Heavyweight

• Color Options: Black
• This is a neoprene band, thick but soft, and way supportive. My favorite hand support is made out of the exact same thing. It's breathable, but you will still notice the temperature change when you take it off and be grateful. It helped my back immensely, but i noticed as pregnancy progressed that belly bands work by applying pressure, and as you may have noticed, your bladder isn't a huge fan of pressure. I was in between sizes and ordered the medium. i could have ordered a small, but being adjustable meant it didn't really matter.
• Overall: If you're going with a belly band for backpain, this is the one. 

• Accupressure Tape- $.50-$1/ft
• Color Options: Pretty unlimited
• Brands: I've tried KT Tape and Rock Tape. I prefer Rock Tape as the stickier of the 2
• Accupressure tape is, quite frankly, magic. It uses adhesives and tension techniques to support and relieve aching joints, and i've used it on most of my body at point or another. It's a growing movement in physical therapy, and if you've watched competitive sports on tv, you've seen it on athletes- allowing them to compete with less pain, and lessening their risk of re-injury. You can buy at 16ft roll for $18. I buy 105ft rolls for whatever sale i can find, and i already had a roll available to me. (*I did repurchase a roll for $65) One of my favorite tapings is for lower backpain and the asterisk pattern in that video is not only how my PT taped me long before i was pregnant, but how PT therapists prefer to use it also. It's magic. You'll thank me.
• Overall: This is the best option for me. I use this tape in my everyday life, so it's not an expense, but the tape lasts ~1 week and you should get at least 5 tapings out of a small roll. It's definitely worth a try for the relief it brings. Tape doesn't put pressure on my bladder, and doesn't affect my clothing. I wear it when i sleep and when i shower. This is definitely my #1 choice

Update 7/31

The back pain definitely gets worse as pregnancy goes on, so there are some other things I've incorporated besides belly bands:

• I have always used shoe inserts and I already owned them in both medium and high support. I switched to high support inserts around 30 weeks. I also switched into slip on shoes that are very similar to my regular shoes, but without laces. I already had all of these items pre-pregnancy.
• I find the higher compression band somewhat uncomfortable- it pushes on the baby and on my bladder and i almost never wear it. I do wear the Bellaband (with silicone strip) every single day. I have not purchased different pants, and use the bellaband to cover the gap of leaving them undone. I also notice some actually support from the band as my belly gets bigger. 
• A back roller. I purchased a back roller that my husband helps me use almost everyday. However, for a cheaper option, I also totally lay on the floor with my legs on the couch and put a tennis ball under my lower back. Both work quite well.