Back pain- need a solution

[donna-nb]

I have had lower back pain/ stiffness since LO was born - he is 8 mos. I have been to the chiropractor, I do stretches, exercise, etc. We have had a really bad experience with buying mattresses and I'm pretty sure that is the culprit.

When LO was born, we had just bought a too-soft bed that we spent way too much money on. For months and months we fought with the store to exchange it, which we finally did, but for a firm latex-foam bed, which is now too hard on my back. I sleep on my side often, since I nurse baby to sleep, and I wake up with awful stiff lower back and pain in my hips and glutes on the side I'm laying on.

Somebody gave us a foam topper which sort of helps but i just don't like foam of any kind. I've never had such back problems before and i'm so frustrated at not being comfortable.

I'm interested in what type of mattress you use and if you have had any back problems and found solution. Thanks!

[Softmama]

[Ravenlunatic]

100% cotton futon works best for me. They make them with foam in the middle of cotton, but those are a big no, no (but actually better than a mattress). I would also switch side during the night and use a pillow between my knees (very important).

[lkmiscnet]

I'm in the same boat with the same pain. It's the side lying nursing that is the culprit for me.

At the end of the day, I just don't find the time to stretch but I know how important it is to do.

One thing that does seem to help me is to have the proper support behind my back so I'm not actively using the muscles to maintain the side-lying position. With a pillow or the blanket bunched up behind my lower back, I can lean backward and let my muscles relax and that has helped a great deal. I feel the difference when I forget to do that. Also, putting a pillow between your knees, though I bunch up the blanket. I have been meaning to find a nice, flat small pillow for that purpose.

Now, if I could only find a solution to the shoulder impingement and resulting pain I am feeling in the arm I'm laying on, that I bend under my head, but it doesn't seem to help!

[Kiwiontheloose]

Originally Posted by lkmiscnet

One thing that does seem to help me is to have the proper support behind my back so I'm not actively using the muscles to maintain the side-lying position. With a pillow or the blanket bunched up behind my lower back, I can lean backward and let my muscles relax and that has helped a great deal. I feel the difference when I forget to do that. Also, putting a pillow between your knees, though I bunch up the blanket. I have been meaning to find a nice, flat small pillow for that purpose.

What she said!

[earth-mama]

Originally Posted by lkmiscnet

One thing that does seem to help me is to have the proper support behind my back so I'm not actively using the muscles to maintain the side-lying position. With a pillow or the blanket bunched up behind my lower back, I can lean backward and let my muscles relax and that has helped a great deal. I feel the difference when I forget to do that. Also, putting a pillow between your knees, though I bunch up the blanket.

These things work for me and:

I lean against my DP or use a pillow to support my back. I also find that it helps a lot if I do some back stretching and strengthening before I go to bed. I can miss a night or two, but need to do them regularly. My DD is now 1 year, but after she was born my back ached more than it had in years (no probs while I was pregnant). It is much better now--I attribute this to the stretching and strengthening I do regularly.

Partner to (7 years) Mother to Lily (1 year) 2 and 1

[donna-nb]

thank you - more comments?

it helps to know i'm not alone!

the pillow behind the back sounds like a good idea-- i had been using one of those noodle body pillows while pregnant, but with the three of us in bed, i felt like it was getting crowded. i have a hard enough time shifting/changing positions and not disturbing baby, those things make it harder. but i will give it another shot with a less bulky pillow perhaps. i think i saw some horseshoe-wedge type things at sams club.

i'm supposed to do my stretches like the chiropractor told me to but alas i never am disciplined enough with it. what about mattress types? have you found that a softer mattress is better (not totally soft, but not totally firm). aren't you supposed to go with a firmer mattress if baby is in bed with you? this is my dilemma.

[KermitII63]

I have a system that works really well for me. I bought an organic mattress right before DS was born. I walked in telling the salesperson I liked a firm mattress but ended up with the second softest one in the store. I think it's because I was pregnant and everything I laid on felt like a board. DS is 5 months old and I still love the one I chose. It's a latex mattress with inner springs, and it has a thick wool topper attached to it. I have it on a platform bed so it's a bit firmer than it was in the store, but perfect for me. I sleep with my head on a latex pillow that's thicker than I thought I'd be comfortable with, but surprisingly, it works whether I sleep on my back or my side. I'm typically on my side. I have the Humanity Family bed at the edge of the bed, which is amazing back support, and I have a pillow between my knees. The only time I have back pain is when I switch sides and put DS between me and the HFB. Then I get DH to scoot against me and be my pillow, but at some point in the night, he moves, and if I'm asleep and don't shift a bit toward the baby, my back ends up doing a workout while I'm sleeping. No fun there. I'll admit, between the mattress and the HFB, we had to put out a good amount of cash, but they were both totally worth it. My back really doesn't hurt from sleeping anymore. More from household chores like doing dishes and cooking while wearing DS. I hope that helps!

[peacelovinmama]

Good to know I'm not the only one! I side sleep and nurse my son is who now 9months. I feel like I can barely move by the a.m.! I kind of have a system of a firm foamy pillow meant for side sleeping (got it at ikea) and behind me a longer regular pillow to support my back which really helps. I should be getting into the habit of daily stretching but seem to forget when I finally have a moment! : ) I'm hoping that when he stops wanting to nurse so much in the early a.m. I will get some better and more comfortable sleep.....

[zensven42]

yep, leaning into a pillow behind the back is how I do it too. I use a big poofy feather pillow and fold it in half so it is shaped like a square. It squishes really well into the shape of my back and supports evenly. I would be a wreck without it. Oh, I also make sure to change sides often throughout the night.

[MandiKay3]

We have a king size pillow top. After having DD I co-slept nursed. To avoid back pain I used a pregnancy pillow, which I ! And for more back support a body pillow behind me.

[IzzyTheTerrible]

A firm mattress combined with well placed pillows is what does the trick for me.  Pillow in between the knees, legs in a relaxed fetal position when on the side.   When on my back, two pillows or a big round pillow under my knees.

[Magali]

2 weeks ago I had a horrible pain in the back of my head, that we attributed to the pain I was having in my back.  And that back pain was coming from night nursing my 11 month old.  With her and with her older brother, I always would nurse on demand all night long if they wanted, but I just can't do it anymore.  The head pain was the deal breaker for me.  So I've cut out one of her nursing sessions in the middle of the night (you know, so instead of getting to nurse 100 times/night, it's now 99 times/night ) and it is really helping my back.  She gets kind of mad a flops around next to me for a minute or so and then falls back asleep.  I just realized that trying to keep her from crying in the night by nursing however long and whenever she wanted was really starting to physically hurt me!

[Pepperdove]

Honestly, acupuncture has always been the best back pain solution for me. Just one or maybe two treatments does the trick, and then plenty of situps to follow up. After each of the older two kids it worked a perfect charm.