Sad about my back pain

[dalia]

My DS is now almost 19 lbs and I am finding wearing him almost impossible. I have upper back/neck/shoulder pain and I can't really find any info on what I should do. Right now I have a maya wrap which i rarely use, a ring sling which is murder on my back and an ergo, which I really like but now I am having back pain. Is there nothing I can do? He is in the stroller more and more and it makes me sad.

[Theia]

I could never do a one shoulder carry unless it was a quick in and out thing. Extended one shoulder wear (over 15 minutes) was too painful.

For your back carry, you may just need to try to adjust or even try a different carrier. You don't want to support the weight with the shoulder straps. The weight is much easier to carry if you have it adjusted so that the babys weight rests mostly on your hips. Depending on how you are currently wearing DS, you may want to wear him higher or lower on your back. I also found that I could wear DD longer if I wrapped her on my back. In the summer I'd just wear a little tank top and then the wrap. I hope this is a bit helpful. I've not done much wearing at all recently as DD has became 30% of my own body weight.

[scottishmommy]

Have you tried a woven wrap? It's the only thing that works for me.

[Carrruth]

Ditto on trying the wrap, or even a mei tai. I would keep experimenting until you find something that works for you. Like a previous person said, it may just be a matter of finding the right position for you. Tighter, higher, lower, this can make a huge difference in how their weight is distributed. Good luck! Don't give up yet!

[Casha'sMommy]

Originally Posted by dalia

My DS is now almost 19 lbs and I am finding wearing him almost impossible. I have upper back/neck/shoulder pain and I can't really find any info on what I should do. Right now I have a maya wrap which i rarely use, a ring sling which is murder on my back and an ergo, which I really like but now I am having back pain. Is there nothing I can do? He is in the stroller more and more and it makes me sad.

Have you attempted a back carry?
I'm about to move ds (18lbs) to a back carry but would love to have a woven wrap. I do have an ergo but it would sure be nice to use this as an excuse to get a woven wrap.

[ASusan]

I can empathize. DS spent his first year on me, and then I got a horrible slipped disc pressing on my sciatic nerve when he was 13 mos., and surgery a few months after that. I couldn't lift DS for a LONG time, let alone carry him. BUT, the Ergo in a back carry did not seem to bother my back (at least, not when I was actually carrying him - maybe it was doing latent damage), as long as I stayed upright and didn't try to bend and lift (e.g., empty the dishwasher, pick up a basket of laundry).

Rolfing also helped me recover, and if I could have found acupuncture, I would have done that, too. Are either of these available to you?

[Latte Mama]

I have herniated discs and a 32 lb toddler that I back wear. My first SSC was an Ergo that i quickly sold because it HURT to wear longer than 15 minutes. Luckily, I found lots of other options and have a nice collection of WAHM carriers (Kinderpack, bamberoo, and Dream Carrier). I love all of them and they are all supportive and no back pain. Mine are all customs but I initially started out with buying used from TBW. I highly recommend it.

[jimblejamble]

I feel ya! Have you tried physical therapy? I was going twice a week and my back pain (lower) was gone, but then I stopped going (I couldn't find anyone to go with me to keep Jude entertained) and it came back. A few things they had me do were...

Sit in a chair and bend my leg from the knee down under the chair with a resistance band looped around my ankle (3 minutes on both sides)
Bird-dogs (I think that's what they called it), where you get on your knees and extend your left arm and right leg straight out, and alternate opposite limbs like that, for about 5 minutes. They put a long wooden pole on my lower backand I had to be careful not to let it wobble or fall off.
Balance on half an exercise ball (the flat side was thick plastic, about 2" across)--balance with the ball side down and bend my knees to where I was in a sitting position, then come back up, for about 3 minutes. Then I flipped it over so I was standing on the rubber ball side and alternated standing on one foot for 30 seconds each foot, for a total of 5 minutes.
Tie a resistence band around your knees, and with your knees bent while lying on your back, keep one leg still and extend the other leg outwards (sideways), 3 minutes on each side.
15 minutes on the exercise bike.

Obviously I'm not a doctor and I'm not trying to give out medical advice, but those are just a few examples of things they had me doing that helped. If you can, I'd recommend doing physical therapy (if you can't go every week or very often they might just give you directions for a few exercises to do athome). Good luck! Back pain SUCKS!

[dalia]

For some reason I didn't check this post and had not realized that so many people responded. Thanks to all of you for your comments. I have an ihosa Chunei coming to me that I am really excited about. Also, I think I am going to try a woven wrap though I am so intimidated about wrapping my son - he's a real wiggler!! But I think if I get someone here in Bellingham to help me personally I may be able to get it down...

As for physical therapy, I went for a year and it did nothing, probably because I wasn't very consistent with the exercises. What really helps is chiropractic, and also the pain stems from a thyroid problem so when that is under better control then the pain is as well. And I could stand to lose a few pounds that would prob help, too... :-/

Thanks again everyone! I'll keep you all posted.