Reduce the risk of developing back pain, or if you already have back pain help yourself to be rid of it by following these simple measures:
Feeding your baby:- Get into a comfortable well supported position first.
- Choose a chair where you can sit with your feet flat on the floor
- Your back should have good support. Use a small towel rolled up, or a small cushion and placed in the small of your back to give more support if necessary.
- Especially if breastfeeding use a pillow on your knees to help take the weight of the baby and to raise the baby up towards your breast rather that having to bend over him/ her.
- High cot sides can mean leaning over a long way to lower your baby safely into his/ her cot. Try to choose a cot with several height settings for the base. Start with the mattress up high so you don’t have to bend over as far. Lower the mattress as baby learns to sit and stand so he cannot fall out. As he can sit up/ stand he will reach up to you to be lifted out so you won’t have to bend over as far.
- Choose a cot with sides that drop. This reduces the amount of bending over. Make sure the drop sides can be operated with one hand only.
- Travel cots involve a particularly long reach. Consider using a moses basket instead at first.
- A baby bath on the floor, or better still on a stand will require less bending over than trying to bath baby in the normal household bath.
- If you don’t have a baby bath there is always the chance for a bit of extra baby bonding whilst protecting your spine at the same time by jumping into the tub together. Make sure the temperature is suitable for baby though.
- Set up your nappy changing station so you can get to everything you need without bending and twisting.
- Changing the baby at worktop height is better than on the floor.
- Do not carry your baby in his car seat for prolonged periods of time. Most 1st stage car seats need to be carried out to your side, this puts a tremendous stress on your spine. Instead use a push chair or front carrier
- A four door car is better than a two door so you don’t have to stretch and twist when putting the car seat in the back.
- Your spine is protected by the core stability muscles. The pelvic floor is a key core stability muscle. The pelvic floor will have been stretched and weakend during pregnancy and during a normal birth.
- If you had a caesarian section the incision will affect one of the other main stability muscles- the transversus abdominus.
- Carry on with your pelvic floor exercises from as early on as possible after giving birth. It may seem hard to find the time, but get yourself into the habit of doing some every time you start to feed your baby, every nappy change etc.
