Tips for Post-Partum Back Pain Reliefadvancedhealthchiro.net /tips-for-post-partum-back-pain-relief/

Back Pain After Labor and Delivery

Back pain after delivery is a common issue and it’s not surprising; your body has just been through almosta year of changes, culminating in a physically demanding delivery. The changes that allow your body toexpand and accommodate a growing baby also place more demands on your back and joints. While youare pregnant, your ligaments naturally loosen up; these loose ligaments can cause instability anddiscomfort as you move around.

Your ligaments don’t tighten up overnight after your baby is born; it took the better part of a year to fullystretch out some of your muscles and it will take a while for everything to go back to normal, too. As yourjoints become less loose and your muscles return to their normal strength, your back pain will diminish too.How long this takes will depend on a variety of factors; avoiding placing stress on your alreadybeleaguered joints will aid your recovery.

Watch Your Posture

The way you sit, stand and carry your baby can all impact the amount of back pain you feel. Using correctposture can help eliminate some discomfort and prevent further damage to your already painful back.

Sitting: Choose a comfortable chair with a back support and add a pillow if needed. Keep both feeton the floor and sit up straight; a small stool can also be used if needed.

Standing: Avoid locking your knees, and try to distribute your weight evenly; keep your chin tuckedin and try to align your ears with your shoulders. Avoid slouching – it can lead to more pain anddiscomfort.

Carrying your newborn: Keep your baby close to your torso and support him over one shoulder or

make a cradle with your arms. Avoid hunching over and you’ll reduce the pressure on your spine.

Caring for Baby Body Mechanics

The lifting, leaning and bending you do while caring for your infant can exacerbate your existing back pain.Learning to do these tasks the right way can help reduce your discomfort or eliminate it entirely.

Bathing:Most baby bathtubs will fit right into a sink; bathing baby while standing in the kitchen maybe easier than hunching over the tub in the bathroom. If you do need to use the bathroom, bring in aseat so you can sit comfortably instead of leaning into tub while standing.

Carrying the baby seat: Baby bucket style car seats make it easy to tote your infant from thehouse to the car without waking him, but the combined weight of baby and seat can get excessive.Squat down next to the seat to lift it up and use your legs, not your back to lift the seat. If you have tocarry the seat, use both hands and carry the seat close to your body in the front.

Lifting baby from the bassinet or crib:Elevate the mattress so you don’t have to lean over veryfar to pick up your new baby. To lift her up without damaging your back, hinge at the waist and leanforward, keeping your spine straight. Scoop up your baby and bring her to your chest, thenstraighten up.

Changing diapers:A changing table that is positioned at the right height makes this task easy onyour baby – and easy on your back as well. Keep everything you need handy as you make theneeded changes and avoid twisting and reaching as you work.