should babywearing hurt?

[mom2ewc]

I just started wearing my 4-week old in a Moby wrap, and my back is pretty sore! I'm wondering how long you wear your babe in the beginning, while your muscles are getting used to it?

I'm not sure if I've got him on me too long (2 hours), or if the wrap is wrapped wrong, and that's what's making my back sore.

Do you mammas just put up with some back aches??? Or are there some of you who are totally pain-free?

[Autumn Breeze]

No, babywearing should not hurt.

Perhaps try a different carrier or try only carrying him for 30 minutes or so at a time. I know that cuts down on the amount of work you can get done, but you're still recovering from the birth and shouldn't be doing that much anyway.

[baturay]

You are using muscles you've never had to use before, so sometimes it takes time for those muscles to develop.

Make sure to tie it snuggly so that your little one's body is up against yours. Also, are you doing front or back carries with it? I recommend doing front carries in the beginning and when you do a back carry, I'd use a woven wrap or other carrier rather than the Moby, as it's not supportive enough for good back carries.

[peainthepod]

I'm no expert (see my thread about how I almost dropped DS today) but wearing him did hurt a bit at first--not like I was injuring myself, but like my back muscles weren't used to having to work in that way. It went away after a couple of days though. If it continues to hurt maybe you need to correct the carry or even use a different kind of carrier.

When I switched from mostly using a Hotsling to mostly using a Moby my back was a little sore for two days. YMMV though.

[KristyDi]

It shouldn't hurt. It may make you a little sore in a "using new muscles" kind of way.

Make sure the wrap is spread as wide as possible on your back and fairly wide on your shoulders. You'll be surprised at how much pressure this gets rid of.

Make sure your baby is carried snugly against your body and fairly high. I feel most comfortable with dd resting at or above my belly button. Any lower and it pulls at my back.