How to Minimize Repetitive Stress Injuries From Carrying a Baby

Carrying my fussy baby with my left arm while performing tasks with my right hand left me with a “frozen” left shoulder by the time baby #2 came along. The strain on knees and back from the repetitive sitting & standing while holding an ever growing bundle of joy should be pointed out as well.

Holding or lifting a newborn or a baby is not like lifting an 8-pound-or-so weight at all. A weight is inert and rigid, and its weight can be assumed by a person with appropriate strength and a measure of effort. Babies are animate and wiggly (not to mention fragile), and a new parent will soon find out that babies have a will of their own (or at least tend to behave that way...). A baby's (shifting) weight needs to be managed with appropriate support and comfort, so in addition to physical strength, a parent needs a strong sense of how to respond to the baby's weight in real time, so that the baby's weight can be assumed by the parent with ease rather than effort. (That's two cents from a mother of twins who had some help from Tai Chi and Alexander Technique. )

Oh, and also two things that help a lot: breastfeeding pillows take the pressure off the parent and help you sit in a more comfortable position (so does lying down on the bed while nursing); and baby slings help to keep your baby centered and close to you so you can maintain your posture while standing or walking Those carseats with handles are ridiculous--carseats with babies in them are too heavy for anyone except the strongest, buffest dudes.

I developed carpal tunnel syndrome from breastfeeding my daughter(now 12),when she was about 4 months old. She’s was so strong and would push and pull against me for milk and comfort. This in turn caused severe cervical neck pain. Honestly, in hind sight I should have just stopped breastfeeding at that point but was just too pressured to keep going. I think that the pressure on mother’s to exclusively breastfeed at personal harm is easing up, thankfully.

So, I was an older parent (38 and 41 years old when my kids were born). But I escaped some of the problems that are being mentioned here by exercising throughout my pregnancy and after childbirth. I remember doing aerobics at the gym through most of my pregnancy, and yoga in the last trimester. I was no professional athlete, but a pretty active, fit person nonetheless. I lived in Brooklyn, so I was walking every day, except probably one or two days after giving birth. I also lived on a 3rd floor walkup, so lots of stairs on a daily basis. Went back to yoga and the gym within a couple weeks of giving birth --not to lose my "baby weight" but just to get out of the house and do something for myself that didn't involve the baby. (Hubby watched the baby while I was at the gym.) So, my guess is that keeping active (essentially cross-training) will help stave off the little aches and pains you may get from carrying the baby around or grasping or holding the baby for feeding. And, be active before you get pregnant, too--that will help you during and after pregnancy.

Still have serious back problems to this day. Many days were spent carrying 2 babies. Wasn't enough time for sleep on top of twin premies, a toddler and necessary household chores much less rest and exercise. I am sure the majority of mothers know of what I speak!

Here is what I learned from having two kids in Germany: - Pelvic floor training is so important after birth that it is considered essential and all health insurances must pay for it - From my midwife (oh, side note: every woman is entitled to one of those as well, who visit you every day after birth for some weeks, also fully paid) —-> try not to lift anything heavier than your baby —-> don’t engage your pelvic floor muscles while you are breastfeeding, at all. They work against each other (I don’t understand but they seem to know what they are talking about!) -—-> do think about the basics: lift with your knees, keep your back straight, etc. ——> when you get up, still roll to the side and push yourself up, like you had to when you are pregnant. Sitting up like how you would with a sit-up is too much stress and isn’t good. Another side note: if you are breastfeeding avoid mint (like peppermint tee, how I miss it..!) it reduces milk production. Drink alcohol free Weizenbier or take fenugreek capsules to build up milk production.

Yes! Thank you for this. Validates wise words from both my Indian mom and MIL. As a new mom and an Indian-American, I was initially skeptical of the Indian tradition of encouraging a "40-day rest period" post delivery. So despite being eager to jump back into my active Spartan-race level of training, I resisted the urge - and ultimately following this tradition did feel easy for my postpartum body. Limited baby-carrying, no runs, and zero chores. Those few weeks of rest, with support around the house, will hopefully pay off for my body in the long run.

I experienced about two weeks of debilitating pain as well as more weeks of needing to be very careful with my movements after pulling a back muscle lifting my infant in an out of her crib and car seat. It messed with my professional life a bit and made it hard to parent for that time period! My partner had to help a lot. This is a real thing. I’d love to see mothers given more info on how to practice self-care during those early months - and some maternity leave wouldn’t hurt, either!

“Without full engagement of the pelvic floor muscles, back pain may ensue, the hamstrings will not be fully engaged, your abs will have trouble making a comeback and even breathing can be an issue.” Weak pelvic floor muscles, she said, can lead to poor posture and to back pain. The pelvic floor is not a "one trick pony". It should be engaged differently depending on the activity. I am concerned that some women will see the take home message as "keep your pelvic floor (and anything vaguely related to it) tense all the time". Full engagement when you are carrying the stroller up stairs? Maybe Fully engaged while nursing? Walking? Sitting? Standing (on solid ground)? No Bill Gallagher PT, CMT, CYT

My son just turned 14 months. I wish I knew this a year ago, because I thought it was just me being lazy. My back is in such bad shape I have unrelenting muscle knots on top of more knots.

Best Core Exercises for New Moms: Abdominal Compressons Abdominal Compressions with Pelvic Tilt (Belly Scooping) Heel Slide with Belly Scoop Small Toe Taps Bridges Unsafe Moves for New Moms: Crunches Bicycles Many Pilates Mat Exercises Moves like "Boat Pose" Oblique Twists BeFit-Mom

I have no quarrel with the content of this essay. The prevention of orthopedic injuries after pregnancy is a worthwhile subject of discussion. All points are well-taken. I take issue with the use of "repetitive stress injury" used in the title. In occupational settings this implies high force/high repetition activity such as working as a meat-cutter. There are specific diagnoses that can occur after pregnancy such as DeQuevain's tenosynovitis (which is easily treated) but to "medicalize" what is the normal postpartum anatomy and physiology by putting a label "repetitive stress injury" can encourage catastrophic thinking and can undercut someone's ability to recover from the normal physiologic and anatomic stresses of delivery.

The shoulder and back pain for me were short-lived, but I am still dealing with "mommy thumb," or De Quervain tendonitis in my wrist almost 2 years later.

I helped my daughter out by picking up my granddaughter once a week from preschool. I pulled a back muscle while carrying both her and the car seat. A physical therapist gave me exercises and suggestions for placing her into the crib and lifting her which were effective. I’m now following all her suggestions for grandchild number two and I’m pain free.

Seriously? My husband until last year transferred my son every night from our bed to a hide a bed. He weighed 95 pounds (8 yrs old). I stayed home with him until he went to school and obviously carried and lifted him for at least 2 yrs. and he was born at almost 9 lbs. I have never heard of pain or discomfort from having to carry a child. How is this a headline??

Strangely, humans evolved for millennia without this issue. Another sign that we have stumbled off our intended path. Maybe if we had heavier phones we would have a generation prepared to be mothers and fathers.

I shudder when I look back at photos of myself nursing my first son. My rounded, hunched shoulders ached for months. While nursing was, fortunately, a breeze for me; I didn’t have any real life role models demonstrating what physiological nursing looked like. I thought one was supposed to nurse their baby the way the media shows someone bottle feeding a newborn- cradling their entire weight in their arms. With my second son, I had experience, more education, a support network of other nursing moms, and one very helpful visit from an IBCLC. Knowing that I could effectively nurse while reclining and letting my body or another surface support my baby’s weight made a huge difference in my posture and comfort. Jessica Cingel, CNM, IBCLC

There is another source for guidance on dealing with the physical demands of caring for young children: occupational therapists. In addition to learning ergonomics and postural control, occupational therapists are specialists at adapting your environment and even teaching you how to get your older infant and toddler to move/behave in ways that limit your risk of injury can help. For example, once your child can sit up or stand by themselves, lifting them from this position instead of lifting a supine child can make a difference in your pain. You teach your children that this is all part of being picked up by Mommy or Daddy. If you are already injured or you have a chronic illness, an OT can work with you on how to plan and pace your activities, and how to care for yourself so that you can be the best parent possible.

There were 3 exercises I kept to, and I mean each day, an easy run or fast walk for 2 miles, sets of bent-knee half or full situps and half pushups. Also, I would squeeze a lacrosse ball now and then and had a ball at hand in several places. I am pleased with the results, and will not stop.

When I was younger, I had more than a few jobs lifting heavy items and I would always think, "lift with your legs" when approaching something heavy. When my children arrived, I learned that there is no real way to lift an infant out of a crib other than letting your lower back do all the work.

If it's your second or 3rd baby, there's always asking the older sibling to help to give your back a rest.

Grandparents need to be very, very careful and knowledgeable about proper body mechanics as well. It is not uncommon to herniate a disc or strain your back muscles lifting a grandchild. The low cribs and car seats in the middle of the back seat are especially challenging. I’m recovering from back surgery and can’t lift my 16 month old grandson at all!

The opening photograph makes me shiver. This is a way for a woman to be badly hurt, and unfortunately I have known women hurt and lastingly so in just this ridiculous way.

Now for an article for the grandparents: my youngest grandson, just 2, falls asleep for a nap if we take him for a short drive. The problem is lifting him out of the complex car seat and onto a bed or into a crib. By now this very large child weighs over 351bs! Fortunately, at 70, I have moved into the substitute child care role, when they have a fever and cannot go to the child carer.

For me, it’s the lower back pain! Reach into the crib or down to the floor because baby needs you, without any regard to lifting properly, and you will strain your lower back. Not such a big deal when baby is 10 lbs, but they sure do pack on a lot of weight in a short amount of time, and you don’t adjust for it as the months go on. I find I have to remind myself to lift my 9 month old with my knees, lest I find myself keeled over.

Rather than kegals - How about strengthening back side muscles and engagement so the pelvic floor is naturally the right length and tension?! Check out “diastasis recti” by the biomechanist Katy Bowman to learn a more balanced approach to “fixing”.

I got an inguinal hernia that required surgery from mine. 16 years later, it still hurts.

My first was a big baby, over ten pounds, and grew to thirty pounds by nine months. I had really sore shoulders and got no sympathy at all from my doctor, she just looked at me like how could thirty pounds cause me shoulder pain? I could have used someone to help me figure out how to carry and move my baby so I didn't hurt. Even the advice in this article about the scapular retractions would have been useful. Instead, I thought it was my fault for not being fit enough.

My biggest gripe was the car seat carrier. Not carrying friendly or easy to hold. They could be better ergo-dynamically designed for more comfort and ease. My hands and arms hated hauling those around, even for brief periods from car to house or business.