Wearing baby...body aching

JessiUF

I have been wearing my eight week old to nap because he won't sleep elsewhere.  My back and shoulders are really achy.  Any suggestions?  Do you just get used to it?

nanabanana06

Sounds like the carrier your using is not comfortable. I find my shoulders hurt really badly with certain carries or with certain carriers. Like if I wear my SO's Ergo my shoulders and back are killing me really quickly, not so much with my woven or Tula. A good well fitting carrier should be supportive and feel almost weightless.

ncbelle

What carrier are you using and what carry?  I agree that babywearing shouldn't hurt!

pixieprincss

I saw in your other post that you have a Ktan and a Bjorn. I'm not sure what you've been wearing for naps, but I have a few minutes now, so I'll tell you what I know. A Ktan can be very comfortable if it fits you properly (meaning baby's head is high enough to kiss without straining your neck), but when baby hits about 15 lbs, a stretchy carrier gets rather saggy. With the Bjorn, also make sure that you are adjusting it so that baby's head is high enough to kiss without straining. The other big factor is that Bjorn is a narrow-based soft-structured carrier. For optimal back comfort for you, having the "crotch" of the carrier run the width from knee-to-knee on baby is key. Narrow-based carriers tend to not stay knee-to-knee for very long. Ergo, Beco, Lillebaby, are just a few of the wide-based soft-structured carriers out there that you might enjoy. Where do you live at? Is there a babywearing group near you? That is a great way to trouble-shoot what you already own and try out some other options, too.

JessiUF

Thanks!  I have been wearing the k'tan for napping.  I have him facing me since he didnt like the newborn position.  I have neck and shoulder pain on a regular basis and it is worse now so maybe it is just me since I am already prone to it.  I was wondering what made the ergo different.  I may have to try it.  I don't know if there is a babywearing group but I went to a breastfeeding support group and I know two of the ladies are baby wearers so if they are there next time I will ask them.

Mrs.AmyDylan

I was having some back pain. My Pilates instructor pointed out that I wasn't keeping my abs tight, which resulted in the weight being all on my back.  

We are especially prone to needing to retrain our abs after baby stretched them out for 9mo! Focus on standing up straight, relaxing your shooders, and pulling your belly button towards your spine and up about an inch.