"Don't lift anything heavier than your newborn..." WHY???

[Mama K]

I have a 2 1/2 week old daughter, plus a 19-month-old daughter and a just-turned-3-year-old daughter. It is just not feasible for me to not lift. What is the reasoning behind this, and is it really a big deal?

Thanks!

[mwherbs]

increased internal pressure and abdominal pressure and can produce more bleeding and for some cervical prolapse-- some docs say to not get in and out of a bath tub for the same reason

[Momma Aimee]

the area where the placenta was attached int he womb is still more or less an open sore, or a sightly scabbed sore -- you need to let it heal -- or rish excessive bleeding and complications.

i also think it is advice meant to force the new mom to take it easy -- and not jump right back in to carrying laundry and grocery as so on.

i think it would be advisable to LIMIT lifeing as much as you possible can -- for the purely health reasons.

Aimee

[Glittergal]

Also, although rare, uterine prolapse can occur with heavy lifting. I've had 3 second time moms feel a pop while lifting heavy toddlers (All only a few days pp) and then noticed their cervix at their perineum...pretty scary!

[MsBlack]

One alternative to lifting the toddler and preschooler is to sit down and then have them come into your lap. Another, if you really MUST carry one of them, is to have them climb up into a chair, or even onto a table, and then come straight into your arms. This way, tho you are still carrying their weight, you are at least not lifting them from ground up--which is the hardest thing on your pelvic floor/womb right now.

The less you do, and especially the less lifting you do, in the first 4weeks, the faster your bleeding will stop and the faster you will return to pre pregnancy energy level. Giving birth is hard work, and it does impact your body--even if you feel great after birth, this is still true. I just talked to a 6days pp mom (not my client): she is very fit and had a great birth--she says she felt fantastic, right after and since the birth. However, she was still soaking several pads a day--when we discussed her life in the past week, turns out she'd already shampooed the carpets in her home, and a lot of other heavy work! But my pp ladies who take it REAL EASY for the first 2 weeks, usually are down to only a pad or 2 a day, within 3-4 days after birth, not even soaking them, and some are done bleeding within that 2 weeks entirely; most are barely spotting by then (at most). Less blood loss is definitely better for a mom in so many ways. Less lifting, and less work of any kind in general, is the way to let your womb close up and rejuvenate itself, along with the whole pelvic floor.

[Alison Cole]

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Good suggestions, MsBlack. Thanks.

[Mama K]

Thanks, everyone! OK, then. I guess I will try to take it easy. At least DH is doing the laundry.

[Maggi315]

I have seen increased bleeding and clotting, dizziness, and one prolapsed uterus (she called because she could feel it coming out!!! Scary). So I do recommend no lifting.

I know it's hard to do with little ones, use pillows, put your bed on the floor so they can crawl on/off, stack books near the couch so they can climb up/down, be creative. And take your well deserved rest.