Podcast Show Notes: Episode 4

4 Essential Rules for Moms to Avoid Back Pain

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Hi!! Today is all about taking action! I’m going to teach you my top 4 favorite ways to prevent that annoying, achy, tight, sometimes even sharp back pain that we moms deal with. I’d say we should just blame it on the kids (because usually that phrase works in most situations) but this time, it’s not their fault…it’s ours. But if you follow my simple 4 Rules, you most likely won’t have to worry about it happening to you. 

After working with hundreds of new moms in my private Chiropractic practice, I’ve seen how hard being a mom really can be on our backs. And now that I have three little kids myself, I understand this more than ever! Whether you already deal with chronic back pain or are starting to feel it more frequently since becoming a mom, these rules will help you. 

So tell me if this sounds familiar…

It’s 3 AM and you finally got back to sleep after being up with your crying one-year-old for what felt like an eternity. As soon as the clock strikes 3:20 AM, you hear your toddler’s cry start to rev up again and you slowly drag your groggy self out of bed and into his room. You bend over to pick him up out of his crib and you suddenly feel a quick, sharp *PING* in your back. Uh-oh. Now you’re wide awake in pain and afraid to stand up straight, let alone try to pick up your now-screaming baby again. And you’re stuck.

Yikes. 

I’ve heard SO many different versions of this story from patients through the years and I’ve also had a very lovely similar experience myself while trying to pick up my daughter out of her car seat. 

Back pain from lifting little kids is literally THE number one complaint I hear from patients that are new moms - it can happen so quickly! Besides cribs and car seats, other contenders include getting up off of the floor and putting them in and out of their high chair…you get the idea. 

So why does this happen to us? Here’s how I see it: as moms, we’re expert multi-taskers but the problem is that sometimes we forget to slow down and think about ourselves in the moment, too, right? When you’re running out the door because you’re late and your 6-year-old yells that he forgot his backpack and you make a quick 180 degree turn and reach for his backpack on the floor, you aren’t exactly thinking about good posture at that moment.

But, the goal here is to practice these rules as often as you can during the not-so-frantic-times so that they build muscle memory in your brain. That way, you won’t have to remember the rules in those hectic moments…your body will help you.  

Okay! Let’s do it. 

RULE #1 is to Always Lift With Your Legs.

One of the most common ways we can injure our backs is by leaning over our child’s crib by collapsing forward at the hips with straight legs. This can quickly lead to muscle strains and spasms. This applies to lifting your kid out of their car seat, high chair, or even off of the floor. The key here is to try your best to let your legs do the heavy lifting, not your back. You’re going to bend your knees so you are squatting and then lift with your legs. 

And the same goes for when you’re getting up off of the floor - put those beautiful gams to work! Slide your legs to the side to get into a tabletop position then bring one foot forward into a lunge position. Then you lift your body up to standing by placing your hands on your front knee (or even a nearby chair or couch) and standing up with your legs. 

So there you have it. Write this one down: Rule #1 - I will always lift with my legs.

Now we’re onto RULE #2 which is: Always Hold Them Close

This goes for any heavy object but for the purpose of this podcast episode, we’re talking heavy little humans. So when you’re picking up your little one, hold them close to your chest. Carrying ANY heavy weight away from your body (even a little squishy 7-pound newborn) will cause your back muscles to tense and tighten. It’s like you’re turning those muscles on and they’re happy to oblige and do the work of helping you carry your kiddo but that’s not exactly their job to do that. They should be PART of the team…not the whole team. Does that make sense?

A good example is when we’re taking them in and out of their car seats. We want to try to avoid reaching in from a standing position to put them in their car seats because (you guessed it!) that would entail us carrying them away from our bodies. Instead, you can try sitting next to the car seat with your little one on your lap, if you can, and gently rotate your body to the side to get them in and out of their car seat. 

If you’re like me and drive a sexy minivan that has a middle bucket seat removed so you can access the back row for two car seats along with a booster seat in the other middle bucket seat…then here’s how you avoid back pain in this situation. Since I have to climb into the van to put them into their car seats (like I can’t stand outside their door and do it like most people) I think about it in steps: Step 1, place the babies safely on the floor of the van. Step 2, climb into the van. Step 3, sit between the car seats then tighten my core and bend forward to pick up one baby at a time to place them into their seats. Are you tired yet? This is why I stand by the opinion that leggings are the best invention EVER for moms who need to squeeze into awkward positions all day long. 

Another thing to remember here is what I said about tightening my core - whenever you’re holding your baby close and about to put them down or pick them up, tighten your stomach muscles and also squeeze your butt muscles at the same time. Think about it as if you’re hugging your spine to protect it from getting hurt. Just get used to always squeezing this way and it’ll save you big time in the long run.  

So there you go! Make sure you write down Rule #2 - I will always hold them close.

Now we’re onto RULE #3, which is Loosen Up First.

If you’re an athlete, then you’ll love this one. If you’ve never been much of an athlete, then stick with me here and try to keep an open mind about this one. 

I believe that toting your baby around all day is no different than performing as an athlete. And here’s the deal, athletes NEVER dive into a workout without warming up first! So before picking up your child, you must loosen up sensitive spots such as your back, your neck, and your shoulders. That little warm body that’s latched to your side all day long is actually putting YOUR body to work! It takes a lot of muscle coordination to be able to bend over, carry, pick up, put down, etcetera all day long. 

Muscles are like rubber bands: a warm rubber band stretches further (and performs way better) than a cold rubber band, which is more liable to snap apart. 

So when you wake up each morning, see your body as this like incredibly important machine that needs to be warmed up before it can do all the amazing jobs that it’s capable of. It’s a machine that’s full of rubber bands that can either help you move through your day smoothly or ones that can spasm when you reach for that backpack and cause lots of pain. 

My best solution is to try to stretch for ONE minute before you get out of bed. One minute can be enough to wake muscles up and help prevent spasms. Try to do Child’s Pose and Cat/Cow. If you’ve never heard of them, then find a video of how to do them online. They’re both really simple and really good for your back. Most of my clients tell me that they actually end up doing 2 or 3 minutes of stretching because once you start, it feels so good that you’ll probably want to do more than just one minute. But just aim for a minute to start. 

Okay! So write that one down - Rule #4: I will always Loosen Up First. 

Our last one for the day is, of course, Rule #4: Check Yo’ Self.

I always think of Tom Haverford from the show Parks and Rec when I talk about this rule and the episode where he and Donna talk about their “Treat Yo Self” day. 

But that’s not what this one’s about! This rule is short and sweet and is all about getting into the habit of checking your posture whenever possible! When you carry your baby on your hip, your posture will shift to compensate (especially if you’re like most of us parents who mostly stick to carrying them on only one side). Most parents will push their baby-carrying hip out to the side and this causes a domino effect of misalignments throughout the body. That’s why making it a habit to check your posture throughout the day will save you in the long-run. 

So practice, baby, practice! Spend a minute standing in front of a mirror and analyze your posture using my 3 steps.

Step 1 - Your ears should be over the middle of your shoulders.

Step 2 -  Hold your shoulders back, not rounded forward.

And Step 3 - Tuck your tailbone beneath your hips and pull your belly in. 

There ya go! Your last action step rule to write down is Rule #4: I will Check MySelf. 

So if you have a history of back pain, here are a few more tips that should really help your back. You can buy a crib with sides that can be lowered each time you put your baby in and out of it. This way you won’t have to reach down to pick your baby up more than necessary. Another tip is to always remove the tray when you’re putting your baby in and out of their high chair. This is one that took me way too long to learn! Not having to lift your baby up and over the tray is sooo much easier on the back. My last tip here is to not buy your car seat online; make sure you test it out first! (And by testing I mean to carry it around the store for a few minutes…not actually sit in the car seat…) I made this mistake the first time around and I had no idea how much lighter certain brands of car seats were compared to the one we bought online that seemed like it was what we needed. Many of the lighter ones are graded as equally safe as the heavy ones yet they’re so much easier to carry around. 

I do actually have one last bit of advice to share with you today though and that is to always make time for self-care. When you’re healthy and strong, your body can support you being the best parent you can be. But if you’re ever concerned about your back pain, always talk to your doctor first. It’s hard work being a mom and it’s important to get help when you need it. 

So there you have it. I really hope you find my 4 Essential Rules for Moms to Avoid Back Pain helpful. Until next time, “Treat Yo Self”. Just kidding! Until next time, if you have any questions about today’s episode, find me over on Instagram. I’d absolutely LOVE to help.