Sore back from woven wrap

[bright_eyes]

My baby is 2 months old and I pretty for most of the day in a woven wrap (a hoppediz). I am pretty sure that I am doing it right but my back is getting so sore from wearing him all the time. I went to the chiropractor a few days ago but the next day, it was back to hurting again. I've been wearing him most of the day since he was born, but it's only been in the past few weeks that my back has gotten really sore from it.

Is there anything I can do? I am really getting tired of wearing him but it's the only way I can get him to sleep and stay asleep during the day. I'm dreading him getting bigger! (He is probably between 12 and 13 lbs now- he started out at 9lbs).

[Cersha]

what type of carry/hold are you wearing him in? For a 13 pounder, I'm thinking your wrap hold might not be working for you, or that it's too loose. I wear my 30 pounder without pain.

Is it upper or lower back pain?

[bright_eyes]

Forward cross carry. Baby is upright, facing in on my chest. After I put ds in the part along my chest, I pull the rails really tight until there is no slack left. Then I alternate between crossing the rails over his back, or grabbing them and pulling them down along his side, then under his bum, and then legs. I can't see how I can get him any tighter and I make sure he is straight. I'll put up a picture later when dh gets home.

I don't know what other carries I can do other than back ones and I haven't attempted to try that yet.

It is the middle/upper part of my back that gets sore after about an hour and it stays sore for the rest of the day.

[bright_eyes]

I do this carry: http://parentsvillage.blogspot.com/2...oss-carry.html

Or I keep the rails crossed over his back.

[SpunkyMama]

Is the back completely spread out? We carry our son like that all the time, and he is 25 lbs. Are you using the cumberbund variation like in this video? I find if I do the other FWCC variation with the cumberbund in the back I get back pain.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9ZE1L2avn5M See how her wrap is nice and spread out across her back? You can also pull on the top and bottom rail on each side individually to get it tighter.

The Hopps are a little thin - perhaps you could try a Didy or a Storchenwiege?

[Cersha]

The hopp should be fine. Frankly, I find them thick. I wear my 30 pounder in one.

How much room is there between baby and you? Where would you say his bum is, in relation to your belly button? If the baby's bum is below your belly button, LO is TOO low, You could (in theory) have the baby on tight enough, but too low.
You would probably get more support making sure the crosses are spread over the baby, but then, on the other hand, at that weight, it really shouldn't matter.

It could just be that your muscles are learning/getting stronger to carry the weight...

Back carries will help with that pain, but it took me a while to bother with back carries, cause when he was little, it seemed like, five minutes after I struggled to get him back there, he needed to come down to nurse or whatever.

[kickinitbabystyle]

It sounds like he may not be high enough or maybe unconsciencly you are not keeping your posture straight when carrying him since he is starting to gain weight. I suggest keeping him high and keeping your posture good (shoulders back & tummy engaged). I hope you find something that works for you.

[bright_eyes]

Here are some pictures of me carrying ds here and here.

[Cersha]

To *me* he doesn't look high enough. And it looks like the wrap might be too loose ( I only say that because where it is ties looks pretty slack) As for how high he is, I always make it a rule (unless I'm nursing at that time) that my LO's bum shouldn't be lower than my belly button.

[Michigan Mama]

I know this isn't what you are asking, but I back carry my 3 m.o. everyday and I have a bad back - I can carry him for quite a while before I start to get sore.

As a physical therapist I can say that our bodies do better with that weight on our backs rather than our fronts...it's going to get harder to carry him in front as he gets heavier. It takes a bit of help and lots of practice to back carry, but once you get it, you will totally love it and it will help your back.

btw, your wrap (and your babe) is beautiful!

[NickisDiapers]

I would tend to agree with the other poster -- maybe try to get him a little higher and really REALLY tighten the rails (edges). Otherwise you may want to try a different carry that might put the weight on your waist a little more than the middle of your back.

Here's a link to a chart of instructions for a bunch of different carries. Personally, I prefer the kangaroo with my 2mo.