As I deal with breastfeeding my now six-week-old baby whilst juggling my toddler I am reminded of the many aches and pains that the body can feel at this time post-pregnancy.

At Physiologix, we see certain injuries frequently from this period on over the next year:

There are some key things that you can do to improve these issues and be pain-free. I hope this helps you or someone you know who is looking after a young baby. And this applies as much to partners as it does to the main carer!!!  We will look at:

• Shoulder tension/ Neck pain/ Headaches
• Wrist and Hand Pain
• Thoracic (mid back) Pain.
• Lower Back Pain
• Treatment Options

Shoulder tension/ Neck pain/ Headaches

Whether it is the stress of dealing with a baby that you can’t stop crying, or burping your child over your shoulder, or the carrying around and lifting, it is very hard not to hitch your shoulders up towards your ear as you do these things. However, this will result in a very tight neck and shoulders and very often result in headaches. Try hard to focus on relaxing and dropping your shoulders. Open your chest up and slightly draw your shoulders back so that you sit with better posture

Wrist and Hand Pain

Several movements remain a key issue with pain in this region. There is a tendency when feeding or holding the baby to tuck your wrist into a
bent position to try and support the baby - wrists prefer to work in a more relaxed straighter position, especially under load, which as your baby grows, it has to deal with. Try to relax your hand so you use more of your forearm to support the child. Use pillows when feeding to give your arms and shoulders a break whenever you are able.