Chiropractic Advice for Life With a Newborn
By Brandi Goodman
Many expectant mothers realize they'll experience back pain throughout their pregnancies. The excess weight of the baby they're carrying puts significant pressure on the body. What many may not realize is that the back pain won't soon go away. Lifting and carrying a child around constantly will continue to keep pressure on the back. Some chiropractic advice for life with a newborn can help improve the discomfort felt.
Try Back and Hip Exercises
Once your doctor clears you for exercise, get started working out your back and hips. These areas tend to ache the most when carrying around an infant and leaning over their crib for hours. Light yoga and stretches should be where you start. Over time, you can add more strenuous exercises that will really help to improve your strength. The stronger your back and hips are, the more your body can handle.
Lift With Your Legs
It may seem faster to quickly bend over and pick up your baby when they're laying down, but it can hurt your back easily. The lift with your legs technique used for picking up items should remain the same when picking up an infant. Squat to pick up your child and lift with your legs so your back does not get strained.
Avoid Hip Carrying
Many parents place their baby on their hip as they walk around the house and get things done. This may seem convenient at the time, but it can actually place a lot of pressure on the hips and lower back. Avoid hip carrying and use an infant carrier on the front of the body instead. The carrier you use should have an extra support for the lower back so your shoulders are not pulled forward.
Get Routine Chiropractic Care
Routine care from a chiropractor can be a blessing for new mothers. It gives you a bit of time to yourself to recuperate while simultaneously providing the relief you need for aches felt. An adjustment may be able to remove any joint restrictions or subluxations present and help to keep your spine in alignment. Visit The Joint Chiropractic to see how often your doctor of chiropractic recommends visits.
Take this advice into consideration and your life with a newborn can be a little less painful. You need your back to be in the best shape possible so you can continue lifting the heavy car seat and bouncing around your baby as you attempt to get them to finally sleep. Life with a newborn is stressful enough without adding chronic back pain to the mix.
To learn more about your health, wellness, and fitness, see your local chiropractor at The Joint Chiropractic in Round Rock, Tex.